Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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ash-ish
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Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by ash-ish »

Any beta on the conditions on the following:

1. Queensway Couloir
2. Flattop North Face/Ptarmigan Fingers
3. Taylor Glacier
4. Tyndall Glacier - need to rope up?

Any other climbs, preferably not requiring rope, and conditions on them will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Ashish
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lurker
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by lurker »

Ashish,

we were on Navajo 8-3 and a group was going up Apache via the Queensway.
supposedly my group saw people on top of Apache, but I did not.
the QW route looked in but thin and short. the snow on the lower glacier was rapidly diminishing, but the crossings were firm and not too soft or slushy even on the way back.

having said that, I would get an early start regardless.
I did QW early July and the snow was soft and ankle deep ~ 10am on the upper parts.

I've been on Ptarmigan Glacier in Aug and Sept, but not this year, as for the Fingers, most likely they would be hard snow-ice and mixed snow/rock, but once again, I have no recent knowledge.
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ash-ish
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by ash-ish »

Lurker - thanks for the beta! Will be in Colorado after August 19th. So looks like Queensway may be too thin by then. Any other (not super-technical) climbs than what I have listed for this time of the year?
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AlexeyD
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by AlexeyD »

ash-ish wrote:Lurker - thanks for the beta! Will be in Colorado after August 19th. So looks like Queensway may be too thin by then. Any other (not super-technical) climbs than what I have listed for this time of the year?
I was also on Navajo the same weekend, and I have to say that my impression of Queen's Way was that it looked pretty good up to the small saddle several hundred feet below the Apache summit. From there it would talus hopping to the top. I do agree that it might be pretty icy and warrant a second tool/pickets, but I wouldn't discount it for being too thin. But, just my $0.02/
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by AlexeyD »

bump! any recent updates?
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by Monster5 »

Pitiful Taylor from Lumpy Fri:
Image
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by ash-ish »

Thanks guys. Any recent conditions beta on Queens Way or ptarmigan fingers or tyndall glacier? Thinking about doing one of those it this Friday.
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by AlexeyD »

Monster5 wrote:Pitiful Taylor from Lumpy Fri:
It actually looks less pitiful than I'd expect...looks like the main couloir is still continuous all the way to the top of the ridge.
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Mike Shepherd
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by Mike Shepherd »

So I guess I have a question tangentially related to this thread...I'm looking to get into ice climbing this coming fall/winter so I picked up one of the few guidebooks on the subject, and it seems almost all of the routes listed are waterfall ice. Ideally I would like to climb both alpine ice and waterfall ice but it seems that there is scant info out there compared to rock/snow routes. The snow climbs book lists a handful of routes that turn to ice towards the fall. Is there a better source for info or is there just not much alpine ice to be had in Colorado?
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rpb13
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by rpb13 »

Alpine ice in Colorado does form, but its usually pretty short lived and difficult to predict exactly when a route is going to be in alpine ice condition. Its pretty common to head out to a climb hoping for alpine ice and being treated to a snow climb instead. Our water ice routes tend to be more consistent I think.
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by Mike Shepherd »

OK thanks. I presume is really determined by when the first snow is, so far as duration?
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Re: Late Season Snow/Ice Climb Conditions

Post by rpb13 »

Our alpine ice usually forms from old snow during the summer and fall on shadier aspects. Once the snow starts sticking later in the fall it's pretty much over for alpine ice. It's all about water ice beyond that.
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