I am looking for very recent BETA on snow conditions for Uncompahgre from Matterhorn Creek TH. Several people have posted conditions for Uncompahgre from Nellie Creek (and for Wetterhorn from Matterhorn Creek), and for that I am grateful.
I was wondering if anyone has recent information on the route between the peaks. How much snow? Suggested equipment (snowshoes? ice axe? crampons? micro-spikes?). I am thinking about heading that way on 06-25 / 06-26.
PS: I do not have a suitable vehicle to make it to the Nellie Creek TH. I am trying to decide whether to backpack to the Nellie Creek TH OR to start from the 2WD parking area for the Matterhorn Creek TH. I am NOT looking for good snow climbs. My daughter has seven 14ers to go, and I am just looking to get her up Uncompahgre. We both have snow climbing experience, but that is NOT what we are looking for. In fact, I would prefer to go after melt out, but we are both eager to get started.
Umcompahgre from Matterhorn Creek TH
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bmikucki
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- Joined: 6/19/2016
- 14ers: 58
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bkp003
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- Joined: 7/10/2013
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Re: Umcompahgre from Matterhorn Creek TH
My friend and I climbed Uncompahgre Saturday and conditions were good. We had perfect weather and plenty of time to navigate through the snow. We followed tracks through the snow up to the ridge but if you research exactly where the route is you can avoid a large part of the snow and go up the standard route.ascending the large snowfield doesn't really save much time unless you have snowshoes which we didn't. The road is pretty rough and we drove up to trailhead in the dark. We took a Landrover and had plenty of clearance. We did Wetterhorn on Sunday and ended up crossing the steep, snow-filled gullies when they were very soft. It was terrifying and I would highly recommend an ice axe snd spikes. One slip and you're toast. Wetterhorn even had snow on the summit. We were the only ones on the mountain all day. Most likely because there were road closed signs blocking the 4wd road. Road seemed passable and there weren't work trucks up there so not sure why it was closed. Be prepared to post-hole on the way down. We had to dig each other out a couple times because the snow was so soft it was like cement and we couldn't move our leg once it was stuck. Good luck and be prepared for some snow but it's quickly melting.
Re: Umcompahgre from Matterhorn Creek TH
I wouldn't attempt Unc from the West anymore. The couloirs aren't continuous based on recent photos and you don't want to be on that steep rotten scree. Besides that, the mileage is still further hitting Unc from the Matterhorn 2WD TH than from the Nellie Creek 2WD TH. The extra miles aren't terrible from Nellie Creek.
