The S Elbert trail/east ridge is in prime condition right now. There's a nice boot-packed trail all the way to (and above) treeline, and plenty of mostly-bare ground above treeline, generally above 13k. Just a straight up-and-back requires no special gear whatsoever besides bundling up for the cold and wind. Avy risk is essentially nil. We parked at the 2WD TH, but a 4WD vehicle that can handle packed snow and one or two steep sections could probably make it to the upper TH; we saw someone had driven all the way up there recently.
We also continued along the ridge to "S Elbert" and Cosgriff, then descended the east slopes of Cosgriff to intersect the road. Conditions were similarly easy until treeline, then we were in 1-2' of powdery snow all the way back to the road--snowshoes would be almost essential for this part, and we're glad we brought ours. The navigation can be tricky on this part as well.
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