Blanca Peak

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 5/25/2020, By: drewshotwell
Info: I'll try to give this report as weather independent as possible, since we were fortunate enough to have impossibly lovely weather on peak day, which made things a bit easier. The Lake Como approach is entirely dry from the road to the lake. Snow starts in very short patches after the lake in the meadow. We brought snow shoes just in case, and, though we did use them on the way down, I don't think they were worth the hassle, since we ended up needing to frequently put them on and off. After the middle meadow, the scree trail around the waterfall is just about entirely dry, save some easily avoidable icy bits. There are some more snowy patches around the blue lakes and crater lakes similar to the ones earlier. The pitch to the saddle mostly dry except for some switch backs obfuscated by snow patches. Nothing cairns can't solve. Once you reach the saddle, the final pitch is just about entirely dry, nothing that distracts from the difficult class 2 climbing. On the way down we were able to glissade a bit to shave off some of the descent from the saddle--that should be possible for awhile. Last two photos are, respectively: Blanca-Ellingwood traverse, Little Bear-Blanca traverse. (P.S. If anyone finds/has found an old Sierra Club metal cup at the top, get in contact with me!) 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 5/10/2020, By: pirates14
Info: Trail is dry from parking spot 2 miles up the road at 8000 ft all the way up to lake Como. Camping spots around the lake are mostly dry as well. Past the lake a few snowfields remain, once at Blue lakes snow is semi-continous, though it is melting fast. Overnight freeze was nice to walk on in the morning however. The face and ridge are mostly dry, snow that remains easily avoidable. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 3/2/2020, By: PeakSixTD
Info: Summited Blanca peak on Saturday. I drove up to 8600 feet in my stock cherokee, then as others have mentioned, a down sloping icy stretch prevented me from going further. Could I have made it back up? Probably but didn't want to take any chances. The road went by quickly. Minimal snow to 10K then continous for the rest of the day. There is somewhat of a trench, it looks like it's been filled in and replowed several times. Once at Lake Como we chose to head straight around the left of the lake instead of following the standard line to the right. Much quicker if you have snowshoes! Snow in the basins was great quality. Higher up it was poorly consolidated and worsening with the rising temps. I planned the traverse to Ellingwood but didn't attempt it due to the snow conditions. Might have been fine, but as warm as saturday was I had my reservations about it. Used crampons higher up, ridge proper on Blanca held better snow than the slopes after the upper basin. Start early! 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 2/29/2020, By: Sawneagle
Info: No vehicles will get past 9600 feet. Past seasons I could get my vehicle to Jaw 1 no issues for reference. Parking to Lake Como: dry initially, then packed snow beginning around 9600 ft. No traction/flotation required. Lake Como to 13000 ft: post hole was set today, however snowshoes will be required. 13000 to NW Ridge: crampons recommended, microspikes will do. Deep snow. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 2/17/2020, By: brauda02
Info: Started from Lake Como Rd at 8100'. Minimal snow and ice to 10,200. We wore snowshoes all the way to the base of the steep pitch up to the saddle. Between us and a group of 3 ahead, there's is a solid trench. It's pretty slick and snow covered up to the saddle. Wore microspikes all the to the summit. Northwest Ridge holds snow between the rocks but it was a relatively simple scramble to the top. 

Route: Lake Como Approach
Posted On: 1/25/2020, By: supranihilest
Info: There's a trench in to Lake Como but no further. The lady half mile or so to the lake is incredibly irritating sidehilling. Will_E's trench is faintly visible past where we camped for the night. Feel free to use the tent platform I dug out near the lake but know that it's slanted a bit. Snow and high winds overnight and intermittent blowing snow all morning kept us at bay and may have changed conditions above the lake. Flotation is mandatory to the lake. 

Route: Blanca and Ellingwood
Posted On: 1/19/2020, By: Will_E
Info: Summitted Blanca and Ellingwood today. Lake Como road was a pleasant surprise, I started all the way at the bottom, I used nothing for the first 3.5 miles, its very windblown up to that point. Shortly after putting on snowshoes, a trench appeared! It only lasted a few miles, but still helped speed up my pace. The trench disappeared maybe 1.5 miles before lake Como, and was a mix of thin snow and heavier trail breaking after that. The worst snow was just beyond Lake Como, it doesn't last long, but was thick and heavy in the steep sections. I kept snowshoes on until the last lake up above treeline. After that I didn't use anything. I brought the full ensemble, micro spikes, crampons, and an axe, but apparently it was all just training weight. Ugh. Beautiful day up there. 

Route: Blanca and Ellingwood
Posted On: 11/11/2019, By: stickmann
Info: South Zapata Lake approach. Real snow starts around 11k feet as you descend towards the last stream crossing. Nothing more than a few inches up until Zapata Lake. The previous footsteps are starting to become icy but avoidable. Snow at the lake but no issues, deepest portions were drifts around 1ft deep. Never need snowshoes or traction for the approach. Took C2 in the morning. Mixed conditions make it difficult to navigate. On the way up we stayed on rocks and avoided the snow as much as we could. On the way down C2 we used microspikes and ice axe, trying to stay in the deeper sections. Snow is sugary and isn't deep enough to warrant crampons in the current state. A lot of sliding down with microspikes on in the snow. Past C2, the route is free of snow all the way up to Ellingwood's summit. Traverse has spotty snow on some of the 'route' but is soft enough to not cause major difficulties. Mostly can be avoided. The upper sections of Blanca has patches of snow along the route that didn't warrant spikes. Took some shots of Crater lake and it does look snowy down there. 

Route: Blanca and Ellingwood
Posted On: 10/15/2019, By: TieDye
Info: Some snow dustings in the shadows of the final summit ridge, but largely insignificant. Full summer conditions up to that point from 8000'. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/6/2019, By: ma1919
Info: Some refrozen snow and ice on north-facing aspects, mostly above 14,000'. Microspikes were helpful but not strictly necessary, as there were always options to get around the snow. Fall colors were excellent today in the Sierra Blanca! 

Route: Blanca and Ellingwood
Posted On: 9/29/2019, By: jweimar
Info: Blanca is still snow free the entire way for the traverse from Ellingwood. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/19/2019, By: HikesInGeologicTime
Info: Not quite winter yet in terms of snow and ice (there was a minuscule, easily avoided spit of snow near the summit), but in terms of cold and wind, it seems summer had left the building. I had to bail on plans to do the Ellingwood traverse out of a desire to preserve my fingers and toes. If I return for Ellingwood anytime soon, I'm bringing my ski parka and mittens. Oh, also, the Lake Como Road truly is atrocious. It may meet all the definitions of a Class 1 trail, but I've done Class 3s that made for easier walking. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/25/2019, By: Briley
Info: Trail was all clear except for some mud in a couple areas between Lake Como and Crater Lakes. As others have mentioned the carins are a bit tricky to follow once you hit the ridge line but staying on the ridge was a great climb. Minimal snow fields are left and none are on the trail/need to be crossed. 

Route: Little Bear & Blanca Traverse
Posted On: 8/18/2019, By: pbandchoc
Info: Lots of spice on this route but solid rock the whole way. Cairns are not always super easy to follow but if you lose them go up to the ridge. One spot of snow encountered that was easy to maneuver around. 

Route: Blanca and Ellingwood
Posted On: 8/13/2019, By: jslove1
Info: I found the higher of the two traverses to be quite nice in its current dry condition. Fairly easy to route find in both directions. Pretty solid where there's any exposure and lots of cairns. Only had to lift my dog up one brief section.