A small bit of passable snow down by Twin Lakes at the trail turnoff. The ramp is still fully snowed in and quite lumpy. Some groups managed without traction but micro spikes or trail crampons were helpful even with the hard snow early and the spikes and ice axes made for a much surer ascent. Many of the cups/boot-tracks slope down the hill and were quite slick; so, the tendency was to slip out and down the hill. The class 3 above the ramp is clear to both Eolus and N. Eolus. As the snow softens later in the morning, but before it's soft enough to posthole, the hike back down the ramp can be iffy even with spikes. My climbing partner's spikes slid on the softer covering snow and he ended up needing to do a self arrest; so, the axe was certainly a good thing to have at that instant.
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