Saint Mary's Info

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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Athos791
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Saint Mary's Info

Post by Athos791 »

I am considering heading over to St. Mary's this weekend for some hiking and skiing. I have some friends from school that are all good skiers/boarders and want to come with me. We were looking for some more info in general about the ski descent. First off, is the snow even worth going to at this time? I know we got a mini-blizzard for october here in Ft. Collins this past weekend, so I was hoping the glacier got some nice new snow. Also, what is the skiing like? Is it steep, melow, etc. I have never really heard much about it. We can all ski the back bowls at the resorts and things of that nature if that is useful.. Is it worth bringing my ice axe and crampons to have a little fun with? Maybe practice some self-arrest, hurl myself down a hill a few times haha. We are all anxious to get out on some snow... Thanks for the info!
-Luke
"We go to the mountains to satisfy our own ambitions, not because others evaluate what we are doing." -Anatoli Boukreev
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RestlessLegSyndrome
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Re: Saint Mary's Info

Post by RestlessLegSyndrome »

I'm hardly the most qualified person to try to answer these questions, but I'll try. When I was there last Saturday, there was little if any new snow. Most of what has fallen was wind affected (as can be expected), but still really fun to ski. If you were hoping to ski some powder though, I'd say you are out of luck. Coverage was nicer than I expected, as a matter of fact I think you could probably ski from the summit of James' about 700' to the flat section, and then ski from the top of the glacier to the bottom. So is it worth it? For me it definitely was, but I don't know about your standards. As for what the terrain is like, I'd say if you can ski bowls at resorts, you are qualified for this. It isn't going to be as steep as the bowls, but the snow will be pretty variable. Near the top of the glacier the sun cups were still quite large. In perfect conditions, I'd compare the skiing to that of a long, blue run at a resort, so it would probably have some good areas to practice self arrest, etc. If you are interested, here's the summitpost link, which will give you more of an idea of the terrain. http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock ... acier.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Have fun and be safe!
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bergsteigen
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Re: Saint Mary's Info

Post by bergsteigen »

I've been meaning to put more info on my webpage, but this is a start. They are all my photos from part of the year. The ski is mellow and decent, and as long as there is new snow to cover the ice or snow cups. Last month was pretty good. July/August... not so much. Crampons and ice axe practice could happen, depending on conditions. The approach is short, so it's not too bad to bring extra gear.

http://otinasadventures.com/index.php?t ... ys_glacier" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Athos791
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Re: Saint Mary's Info

Post by Athos791 »

Thanks a lot for the replies. I think it seems like it is definitely worth giving it a shot! Can't wait for this weekend
"We go to the mountains to satisfy our own ambitions, not because others evaluate what we are doing." -Anatoli Boukreev
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Athos791
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Re: Saint Mary's Info

Post by Athos791 »

Restlesslegsyndrom or anyone who has been there recently, is there any avalanche danger whatsoever? I wouldn't expect there to be any, but better to ask now then have to get all the way there and find out it is too risky.
"We go to the mountains to satisfy our own ambitions, not because others evaluate what we are doing." -Anatoli Boukreev
doubleA
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Re: Saint Mary's Info

Post by doubleA »

We were up there last Sunday. There was very little snow on top of the permanent ice/snow field. The skiing wasn't that good. I don't think you have to worry about slides yet, because there hasn't been enough snow storms to produce a bunch of layering. But it does change fast- one big storm with some wind could make parts of the snowfield much more slide prone. If you are going to go into any backcountry setting you should have requisite skill to make the proper call.
My recommendation- go mountain biking instead.
glacierPaul
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Re: Saint Mary's Info

Post by glacierPaul »

We have had some light groppel and rain storms since last Sunday, and lots of the usual wind for up here. The conditions are still much the same as Sunday only maybe more ice, if there was to be a slide, it would be nothing to worry about. In a few more weeks though, the skiing should prove to be nice.
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Re: Saint Mary's Info

Post by glacierPaul »

Forgot to mention we did get a little over a half an inch last night.
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Athos791
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Re: Saint Mary's Info

Post by Athos791 »

Thanks for the update Paul! Very appreciated.
"We go to the mountains to satisfy our own ambitions, not because others evaluate what we are doing." -Anatoli Boukreev
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