Mt. Elbert/Mt. Yale Conditions

flatlander88 · Post by **flatlander88** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:19 pm

Hello again,

We are planning to head to Leadville on Thursday, spending Friday getting acclimated and finding TH,then try Mt. Elbert on Saturday (Mt. Yale is the contingency hike). I know its a bit early but we have to decide if either hike will even be an option for next weekend because of some gear and hotel reservations. Wednesday is the last day to cancel. Has anyone been up Mt. Elbert or Mt. Yale lately? I did call the ranger district and they told me they have had a lot of snow but last she knew the trail was still visible. Also I did read the latest conditions report on Mt. Yale, anything change of the weekend? Looks like the extended forecast for each mountain is between 10% and 40% throughout the week. Thanks once again for the help.
Flatlander88

tmathews · Post by **tmathews** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:22 pm

A large group went up Yale on Saturday.

shaunster_co · Post by **shaunster_co** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:44 pm

I noticed a CIAC avy incident on Yale Friday 1/7 - not sure if it was some one from here.

http://avalanche.state.co.us/acc/acc_re ... &accfm=off

Bean · Post by **Bean** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:57 pm

Yes, that was me.

Ramfan24 · Post by **Ramfan24** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:59 pm

I was on Yale (From Denny Creek) on Saturday. There is an easy to follow trail the whole way. Not sure if they got nailed on Sunday or not.

We used snowshoes all the way up to the saddle but mainly for traction. We carried them on the way down and just went with microspikes.

sunny1 · Post by **sunny1** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 2:38 pm

Flatlander88, I was in the group that climbed Elbert on 1/8.
We used the S Elbert TH, plowed in winter, easily accessible by car, to hike the E ridge of Elbert.
The trail was largely boot packed below treeline. We didn't need our snowshoes on the ascent at all. We stashed our snowshoes at treeline.
Above treeline, you can see where the trail goes, and it's largely slabby crusted snow up there. There were a few places where microspikes were useful.
On the descent, we put our snowshoes on below treeline as the snow had softened and there were more posthole opportunities.
We had a great day, 11.8 mi r/t and around 5200 ft of elev gain per GPS.
Hope that helps!

flatlander88 · Post by **flatlander88** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 2:42 pm

Thanks for the information so far everyone. I'll watch the forum as much as I can the next few days to pick up on any new information.
Flatlander88

climbing_rob · Post by **climbing_rob** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 3:21 pm

If you hike Elbert Saturday, say hello when you pass by our camp on your way down. The CMC is holding their annual Elbert winter climb/overnight this weekend, looking like about 12 of us or so. We're not leaving the t/h until maybe close to noon though, making treeline/camp at about 2:30pm, thanks in advance for the tracks! don't miss the right turn right at a creek crossing. There should be usable tracks for you on your way up from sunny1, and a huge track (from our ascent) for your descent below treeline. This is a fine hike in January and it is as Avy-safe as you can get, assuming you're reasonably close to the "normal" route. There is no terrain (that's not easily avoidable) that's over 22-23 degrees slope. Its a walk, just like summer. Well, sometimes that snow gets pretty deep though.

I've climbed Yale a couple times in the winter, and there IS an Avy-safe route if you grab the ridge to the right of the summit and follow it instead of the normal route, which some claim is usually Avy-safe, but not safe enough for my comfort. Yale is a tougher winter climb IMHO, but very doable.

tianda · Post by **tianda** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:13 pm

I'm climbing Elbert this weekend also... any need for crampons?

flatlander88 · Post by **flatlander88** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:02 am

Well, I have to decide today about our trip. Any advice on the trip now? The percent chance of snow has really remained the same. I know no one can tell me exactly what to do but I don't know Colorado's weather at all.
Thanks
Flatlander88

climbing_rob · Post by **climbing_rob** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:07 am

flatlander88 wrote:Well, I have to decide today about our trip. Any advice on the trip now? The percent chance of snow has really remained the same. I know no one can tell me exactly what to do but I don't know Colorado's weather at all.
Thanks
Flatlander88

NO ONE knows CO weather at all, join the club. Use a "windshield forecast", its your best bet. We're certainly climbing Elbert thiss weekend, no matter what. 10 years running in January, all sorts of weather. I go by: "There is no such thing as bad weather, only inadequate gear".

flatlander88 · Post by **flatlander88** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:17 am

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inadequate gear"... Awesome :D

I guess you never know till you try.

I hope to see you on the mountain.

Thanks
Flatlander88

Mt. Elbert/Mt. Yale Conditions

Mt. Elbert/Mt. Yale Conditions

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Re: Mt. Elbert/Mt. Yale Conditions

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