Peak Condition Update | Mt. Massive

Peak:	Mt. Massive
Route:	Southwest Slopes
Range:	Sawatch
Posted By:	LivingOnTheEdge
Date of Info:	6/21/2015
Date Posted:	6/21/2015

Details
Was planning on getting the Tour De Massive done today. Left the trailhead at 6:30am on the Southwest Slopes side. No snow until about 12k. Then it increases until the summit. We postholed a few times before 8:00am crossing a few of the snow fields and the summer route is a no go unless you have traction. South Massive is almost completely dry. The ridge over to Massive is a good mix of snow and rock and we were happy to have microspikes coming down and axes to glissade with. We didn't get over to Massive Green or North Massive, but it would definitely be a mixed climb with some spice; still tons of snow especially on the east side of the Massive massif. Also, Mt. Oklahoma's southeast slopes are still completely covered with snow. PM me if you need more detailed photos. I may have what you are looking for.

Details

Was planning on getting the Tour De Massive done today. Left the trailhead at 6:30am on the Southwest Slopes side. No snow until about 12k. Then it increases until the summit. We postholed a few times before 8:00am crossing a few of the snow fields and the summer route is a no go unless you have traction. South Massive is almost completely dry. The ridge over to Massive is a good mix of snow and rock and we were happy to have microspikes coming down and axes to glissade with. We didn't get over to Massive Green or North Massive, but it would definitely be a mixed climb with some spice; still tons of snow especially on the east side of the Massive massif. Also, Mt. Oklahoma's southeast slopes are still completely covered with snow. PM me if you need more detailed photos. I may have what you are looking for.

Comments or Questions

G Bernier	East Slopes Route 6/22/2015 9:06am Any thoughts about the East Slopes route? Planning on taking that this Thursday. Thanks.
LivingOnTheEdge	East Slopes/Southwest Slopes 6/22/2015 11:45am The East slopes are caked right now. Saw plenty of people coming up it, but didn’t know what equipment they brought. Most people we saw at the summit had some form of traction as there are a few spots on the ridge that a slip would send you on a long glissade down the East slopes. There aren’t many obstacles, but it wouldn’t be fun to climb back up it. I should also mention that the Southwest slopes are doable without traction and there was plenty of people managing it. You just can’t stick to the summer route because it’s still covered by a ton of snow so we went off trail and improvised.
mdscommercial	East Slopes v. Southwest Slopes 6/22/2015 12:14pm G Bernier, if you could post your thoughts after your trek on Thursday I’d really appreciate it. Hoping to take the East Slopes route on Saturday.
LivingOnTheEdge	Photo Update 6/22/2015 10:14pm G Bernier and mdscommercial, I added some photos and you can see a lot of the upper East Slopes. Hopefully this helps.
mdscommercial	Photos 6/25/2015 9:46am Thanks!

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