Good couloirs this week?

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
    For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
User avatar
Ecocrazy
Posts: 66
Joined: 7/27/2007
14ers: 51  1 
Trip Reports (5)
 

Good couloirs this week?

Post by Ecocrazy »

Any good conditions likely out there this week? I've done a few snow climbs (snowmass, pikes via the Y, a few cascades volcanos) and was hoping to get a few good ones in this June, having just gotten back to Colorado. Any I might look at this week? Don't need to be 14ers but bonus if they are; car camping near the trailhead would be nice. Thanks!
User avatar
cottonmountaineering
Posts: 849
Joined: 5/11/2018
14ers: 58  7  18 
13ers: 178 38 31
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Good couloirs this week?

Post by cottonmountaineering »

freezing level is going to be like 14k this week, might not be good snow conditions
User avatar
Alpinefroggy
Posts: 151
Joined: 5/11/2020
14ers: 29  2 
13ers: 8
Trip Reports (3)
 

Re: Good couloirs this week?

Post by Alpinefroggy »

Ecocrazy wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:45 am Any good conditions likely out there this week? I've done a few snow climbs (snowmass, pikes via the Y, a few cascades volcanos) and was hoping to get a few good ones in this June, having just gotten back to Colorado. Any I might look at this week? Don't need to be 14ers but bonus if they are; car camping near the trailhead would be nice. Thanks!
Not really going to be a good enough freeze to get a couloir in good enough shape pretty much all week. Itll likely be a sloshy crapfest with some real danger of a wet slide.
User avatar
davisrice4
Posts: 126
Joined: 4/25/2014
14ers: 58  11 
13ers: 99 13 3
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Good couloirs this week?

Post by davisrice4 »

Alpinefroggy wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:13 am
Ecocrazy wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:45 am Any good conditions likely out there this week? I've done a few snow climbs (snowmass, pikes via the Y, a few cascades volcanos) and was hoping to get a few good ones in this June, having just gotten back to Colorado. Any I might look at this week? Don't need to be 14ers but bonus if they are; car camping near the trailhead would be nice. Thanks!
Not really going to be a good enough freeze to get a couloir in good enough shape pretty much all week. Itll likely be a sloshy crapfest with some real danger of a wet slide.
Yeah looks like it is going to be another rough week on the snowpack. Hopefully the clear nights help and facilitate some type of freeze. You never know unless you go and I think this it is possible to catch some fair conditions this week, but you also could get skunked. I would be looking at North facing couloirs this week.
Msbaker
Posts: 6
Joined: 5/30/2020
14ers: 55  3 
Trip Reports (0)
 

Snowmass

Post by Msbaker »

I haven't taken on any of the Elk Range yet but am wondering when you all anticipate Snowmass Mountain will be "summer conditions" (I know this may be a relative term for Snowmass specifically) but any info on the this 14er and when the standard route will likely be the easiest would be greatly appreciated. Also, is this one where snowshoes/micros/crampons may be helpful even in the dead of summer?

Thanks for the info!
User avatar
Scott P
Posts: 9438
Joined: 5/4/2005
14ers: 58  16 
13ers: 50 13
Trip Reports (16)
 
Contact:

Re: Good couloirs this week?

Post by Scott P »

Record heat is expected in much of Colorado late this week and well into next week. Even if conditions are OK in the morning, expect them to deteriorate quickly once the sun comes up.
I'm old, slow and fat. Unfortunately, those are my good qualities.
User avatar
Been_Jammin
Posts: 153
Joined: 2/5/2019
14ers: 58  1  1 
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Good couloirs this week?

Post by Been_Jammin »

After this much heat in the Sawatch... how many consecutive nights of freeze would be appropriate to attempt say the Cross Cooly which is East facing? That road is opening back up soon. Has anyone had eyes on Cross lately? Even if from a distance?
User avatar
jfm3
Posts: 271
Joined: 8/2/2016
14ers: 58 
13ers: 24
Trip Reports (12)
 
Contact:

Re: Snowmass

Post by jfm3 »

Msbaker wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:46 pm I haven't taken on any of the Elk Range yet but am wondering when you all anticipate Snowmass Mountain will be "summer conditions" (I know this may be a relative term for Snowmass specifically) but any info on the this 14er and when the standard route will likely be the easiest would be greatly appreciated. Also, is this one where snowshoes/micros/crampons may be helpful even in the dead of summer?

Thanks for the info!
Based on the trends in the condition reports, the route should be (mostly if not completely) snow-free from the trailhead to Snowmass Lake sometime next week. The snow on the upper mountain will linger much longer, well into July. Once the snow around the lake melts out, you very likely won't need snowshoes. I climbed it on June 21 last year and the snow above the lake was very firm all day. I wore boots & crampons (and will again when I climb it next week), but people managed fine in shoes & spikes. Having crampons and an ice axe removes a lot of the worry on the top of the slope below the ridge and makes it more fun.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/2596507" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie.mothersbaugh.3rd/
Garmin inReach Map: https://share.garmin.com/jfmiii
User avatar
ClimbingFool
Posts: 104
Joined: 9/25/2019
14ers: 58 
13ers: 7
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Good couloirs this week?

Post by ClimbingFool »

Been_Jammin wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 10:05 am After this much heat in the Sawatch... how many consecutive nights of freeze would be appropriate to attempt say the Cross Cooly which is East facing? That road is opening back up soon. Has anyone had eyes on Cross lately? Even if from a distance?
I'm planning on climbing the cross couloir in a couple of weeks and am also a little concerned about the recent weather trends. An early start will be key, but I'd love to hear other opinions on conditions.
User avatar
blazintoes
Posts: 322
Joined: 9/4/2012
14ers: 58  58 
13ers: 327 3 73
Trip Reports (16)
 

Re: Good couloirs this week?

Post by blazintoes »

I’m no expert so take what I posted as just FYI. I posted this about Pacific Peak north Col: By 0200 started hiking (up to Mohawk Lakes which are beautiful) and found the upper tarns difficult to navigate d/t softening snow. Made it to the Col later than I wanted but it's only 800' vertical so blasted up and the Col conditions felt like over ripened avocado mush. Kinda scary. Topped out at noon and it was very warm. Too chicken to glissade so screed down the northeast face and posthole hell back to the waterfall. This years snowpack is the most difficult I've experienced and hard to predict what's good. With as warm as it's been I'd say couloir season is over. Sorry.

I did Hopeful with a group a couple weeks ago and feel we just got lucky because others reports day before and after were post hole misery.
User avatar
Ecocrazy
Posts: 66
Joined: 7/27/2007
14ers: 51  1 
Trip Reports (5)
 

Re: Good couloirs this week?

Post by Ecocrazy »

Thanks all for the perspective. Bummer, but hey, summer routes will be open soon. Fingers crossed for a strong monsoon.
User avatar
supranihilest
Posts: 719
Joined: 6/29/2015
14ers: 58  42 
13ers: 709 1 8
Trip Reports (112)
 
Contact:

Re: Good couloirs this week?

Post by supranihilest »

blazintoes wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 11:39 amWith as warm as it's been I'd say couloir season is over. Sorry.
I have to agree with this sentiment. I climbed a lot of couloirs in the last two weekends and conditions rapidly deteriorated between the first and second weekend. The snow wasn't avalanching, it was just horrible to climb on, horrible to walk on, and without freezes it hasn't gotten any better. My last snow climb was Saturday the 5th and while I've deliberately avoided true snow climbs since then the snow I've encountered on the climbs I've done daily since then has all been mushy, soaking wet, posthole hell. There's no end in sight to the hot weather either, as best as I can tell, so I'd agree and say snow climbing season is done.
Post Reply