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 Peak:  Blanca Peak
 Route:  Blanca and Ellingwood
 Range:  Sangre de Cristo
 Posted By:  BillMiddlebrook
 Date of Info:  5/17/2015
 Date Posted:  5/18/2015
Details

Blanca and Ellingwood are both caked with snow right now. Lake Como is still frozen and there's continuous snow from the lake to the summits. Blanca's standard, NW ridge route was doable by moving between rock patches to reach the ridge but a couple of climbers who attempted Ellingwood were turned around by deep, unconsolidated snow and cross-loading on the south face. On Blanca, we ascended the subtle, rocky rib that runs up the center of the NW face and then exited left to hit the ridge, near the summit. Steep but a safe line away from avy danger.

I dug a snow pit near near 13k and did a compression test with a result of CT22 at approx. 14 inches down. While it was hard to break that layer, once it broke, it slid off like butter. If the area gets a lot more snow and/or lots of warming, that could become a bigger problem.

If you go up there, dig a couple of pits and do some tests.



Comments or Questions
jmanner
User
Like I said...
5/18/2015 1:28pm
...glad to see you finally got Blanca!


BillMiddlebrook
User
Ski
5/18/2015 1:39pm
Thanks, John. Getting that beast with full snow coverage was worth the wait.


Dan_Suitor
User
Nice
5/19/2015 7:49am
Very Nice. Almost worthy of a Snowflake!


rubberchickens
User
I’m a chic ken...Rubberchicken
5/22/2015 10:46am
So many thanks for this report. Was considering Blanca for weekend of the 30th but after losing some hometown guys up at Mt. Moran in WY....conditions make me a chicken!



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