Peak Condition Update | North Maroon Peak

Peak:	North Maroon Peak
Route:	North Face direct
Range:	Elk
Posted By:	One Sierra Charlie
Date of Info:	5/20/2014
Date Posted:	5/21/2014

Details
North Maroon is in very good condition right now (see picture 1). The Mother's day snow has settled fairly well and the dust layer is buried more than 2 feet deep. The new snow is still rather soft, which makes for fantastic and safe skiing. Booting is a bit of work (see picture 2), but should be much easier now that we set a track (you can thank us later). The ski moves required to clear the Punk Rock Band seem fairly tame compared to pictures I have seen from other years. There is sufficient snow to cover most of the rock so you only need to side step into it, ski backwards away from the East Face once in and then start turns on the relatively low angle slope underneath the rock band. The rest of the descent is fairly straightforward given the soft snow and good coverage (see picture 3). We only needed to sidestep through one tight choke in the central gully. There is virtually no ice or shark fins. Surprisingly, our biggest difficulty was the low approach and exit. A good-sized avalanche has covered much of the Buckskin trail close to the junction with the West Maroon trail. There is a confusing maze of tracks in this area as skiers have attempted to get through the mess. We lost the trail and ended up following tracks up the slide path. This takes you way too high and north of the Minnehaha drainage. Don't follow our tracks! If you have a gps, use t from Crater Lake until you are definitely on the trail past the avalanche debris. If you don't have a gps, it might be wise to contour parallel to the lake shore until past the debris field and then head up. You should then intersect the trail where it is easy to follow. Use an altimeter to make sure you do not cross the trail and climb too high. Note that the trail takes a low-angle traverse in this area. Going too high in this area is a real bad idea due to lack of snow, thick timber, and loose scree. If you have been considering doing this route, now is the time! Conditions may change greatly after the next thaw and wet slide cycle.

Details

North Maroon is in very good condition right now (see picture 1). The Mother's day snow has settled fairly well and the dust layer is buried more than 2 feet deep. The new snow is still rather soft, which makes for fantastic and safe skiing. Booting is a bit of work (see picture 2), but should be much easier now that we set a track (you can thank us later). The ski moves required to clear the Punk Rock Band seem fairly tame compared to pictures I have seen from other years. There is sufficient snow to cover most of the rock so you only need to side step into it, ski backwards away from the East Face once in and then start turns on the relatively low angle slope underneath the rock band. The rest of the descent is fairly straightforward given the soft snow and good coverage (see picture 3). We only needed to sidestep through one tight choke in the central gully. There is virtually no ice or shark fins.

Surprisingly, our biggest difficulty was the low approach and exit. A good-sized avalanche has covered much of the Buckskin trail close to the junction with the West Maroon trail. There is a confusing maze of tracks in this area as skiers have attempted to get through the mess. We lost the trail and ended up following tracks up the slide path. This takes you way too high and north of the Minnehaha drainage. Don't follow our tracks! If you have a gps, use t from Crater Lake until you are definitely on the trail past the avalanche debris. If you don't have a gps, it might be wise to contour parallel to the lake shore until past the debris field and then head up. You should then intersect the trail where it is easy to follow. Use an altimeter to make sure you do not cross the trail and climb too high. Note that the trail takes a low-angle traverse in this area. Going too high in this area is a real bad idea due to lack of snow, thick timber, and loose scree.

If you have been considering doing this route, now is the time! Conditions may change greatly after the next thaw and wet slide cycle.

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