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 Peak:  Crestone Peak
 Route:  Not specified
 Range:  Sangre de Cristo
 Posted By:  tmathews
 Date of Info:  6/4/2011
 Date Posted:  6/6/2011
Condition Update

The NW couloir was a mixed bag of conditions. Snow was kind of soft at the base, but firmed-up as I got higher. There are several sections of water-ice that can be bypassed, but one large section near the top required me to remove my crampons, climb up some dry rock, and put them back on again immediately afterward (not comfortable enough on ice yet). The Red Gully was a sloppy wet mess. About half-way down, there was evidence of a recent slide -- probably within the last 2-3 days of my climb. Due to the rapidly-melting snow, there were also sections of water-ice on top of the snowpack. I had to again remove my crampons and downclimb some rock to my right. There is not enough exposed rock through the length of the red gully to NOT make this a snow climb right now.


Comments or Questions
kushrocks
User
Thanks for the update
6/6/2011 9:50pm
Did you make the summit or were the conditions still too crappy? How long of a day was it?


tmathews
User
Made the summit
6/6/2011 10:27pm
It was 17 hours from start to finish.


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