Blanca Peak

Route: Blanca and Ellingwood
Posted On: 8/11/2019, By: wintersage
Info: Parked at 8500ft and hiked up Blanca's Northwest ridge, from there we traversed the ridge to Ellingwood point, all in a single long day (18mi, 6300ft gain). The hardest part of the hike was going up Lake Como Road, but the entire way is dry and free of snow. I brought my microspikes as always but did not have to use them at all. Routefinding to Blanca was easy but to Ellingwood is a nightmare because of social trails and aimlessly placed cairns that deviate from the GPS route. I suggest sticking to the GPS route if you are able to. Some sections of the ridge near Ellingwood had loose rock, but they were mostly avoidable. 

Route: Blanca and Ellingwood
Posted On: 7/29/2019, By: thomasdds
Info: Late afternoon rainstorms that rolled in quickly. Virtually no snow and ideal summer conditions for vast majority of route. With the heavier rain and weather, graupel accumulation higher up. Lots of water coming down the Hourglass Gulley of Little Bear with the ropes intact and serving well. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/23/2019, By: Cranfillpe
Info: Traversed from Little Bear, then descended standard route. They got 2-3 inches of snow yesterday, and it was lurking high on the standard route this morning. from ~13,000 feet to Blanca summit there was occasionally a thin layer of ice on rocks. Will probably melt off very quickly... Completely avoidable on the traverse. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/16/2019, By: James2015
Info: Blanca is almost melted out -- a few mostly low angle snow fields left that are still fairly supportive. I didn't feel the need for traction (and wished I'd left the crampons and ice axe at home), but to each their own. Mosquitos were a little aggravating -- not crazy or needing a bug net but very persistent. I doused myself in bug repellent (standard DEET) and it was mostly effective, but I definitely wished I'd brought the can along for a second coating. A ton of them around Lake Como, but once you get above Como they tailed off. A beautiful, if long, day... 

Route: Blanca and Ellingwood
Posted On: 7/12/2019, By: Cranfillpe
Info: I summited Ellingwood via S Zapata Lake, then traversed to Blanca Peak before returning the way I came. The traverse to Blanca Peak -can be- completely dry. I was not very diligent about following the official "route." Fro what I saw, it is not much better than taking off and finding ones own way. On the return to Ellingwood, I followed much of the ridge proper. I think I gained the ridge prior to the recommended gulley as I found some class 4 moves and maybe one or two easy 5s. Lots and lots of flexibility - B lines, C lines, etc.. This traverse was definitely the highlight of my hike. 

Route: Lake Como Approach
Posted On: 7/8/2019, By: nathanjones2410
Info: Hiked from the 4.5 mile marker of Como road. No snow, just lots of loose rock to the lake. Stream was crossed a few meters upstream to avoid getting wet. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/5/2019, By: axew01
Info: Possible (today) without any special equipment noting that I started early and the snowfields were reasonably hard. However, you can avoid steeper snow via rock (no fancy moves required but watch for ice on wet bits) although glissading was an option on way down. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/1/2019, By: repton11
Info: Summited Blanca on Sunday June 30. Camped at Lake Como, departed campsite at 0330 to avoid postholing on the way down. There were 3-5 major snowfields you had to cross depending on which trail you took (there were many different ways going through the snow). Since I left so early, the snow on the way up and down was still very firm from freezing the night before. I summited around 0630, and was back at my campsite around 0930 after glissading down most of the basin. I did not bring nor use any gear, although crampons or good microspikes would have made my trip easier on some of the ice. If you leave early enough, you do not need any flotation. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/24/2019, By: wanderingsteve
Info: No snow until just after Lake Como. The river crossing a mile below the lake is a little difficult: tread carefully on rocks just before the drop or head left to find some downed branches and large rocks. No flotation or traction needed until Crater Lake. I can't advise this strongly enough: bring crampons and an ice axe for the upper mountain, particularly the descent. Microspikes are not enough. It was almost midwinter conditions today: fresh snow, hard and icy slopes, blustery, and bitterly cold. 

Route: Blanca and Ellingwood
Posted On: 6/11/2019, By: CaptainSuburbia
Info: Traverse from Ellingwood to Blanca was in excellent condition and took me 1.5 hours. Wore crampons the whole way. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/2/2019, By: LetsGoMets
Info: No snow from start of Lake Como Road to about .3 miles before the lake. After the Lake, it's a ton of snow all up into the basin. Conditions on the NW Face direct were superb for climbing (pre-sun hitting the face). Never went to the ridge, instead followed a boot pack on excellent snow directly up to about 50 feet below the summit. Attempted Ellingwood but quickly turned back, the sun had baked the face and there was a lot of wet slide action all over that side of the basin - it didn't feel right. If I had to do it again I would have climbed Ellingwood first and then over to Blanca, as the sun hits the face last. Carried flotation, axe, cramp-ons and spikes. Used axe and spikes on ascent. Flotation would be needed in the basin after 10:30 AM or so, it's warm up there. Car to car @ 8'000 feet was 9 hours. Saw nobody all day. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/2/2019, By: Kjell W
Info: Started at the 2WD parking around 2 am. Passed a few campers partying or sleeping low on the Lake Como Rd but nobody else until I came across 2 climbers camping at the lake. No snow until about 1/4th mile below the lake, then plenty after that. No problem walking on top of the hard snow this early in the morning all the way up into the swirling snow and fog. The final 1,000 feet got much harder as the snow got softer and the terrain much, much steeper. I stayed on the face to avoid the fun features on the ridge line, though the face was quite steep the final few hundred feet. The clouds burned off just as I hit the summit, revealing an awesome view of the Sangres and the high desert around Alamosa. I was grateful for the soft snow on the descent, the first few hundred feet or so of which was nonetheless a little scary. I descended facing the wall and slowly backed down my steps from the ascent, planting my ax shaft between each step until the terrain relented a bit and I felt comfortable plunge stepping the rest of the way down to Crater Lake. I passed only one other climber who was ascending while I descended; I was surprised by seeing so few people. I was also grateful to return to Lake Como by about 10 am. The snow was already getting really soft, though I never bothered with the snowshoes, and there was evidence of recent wet slide avalanches all over the canyon walls. I planned to be out of there before they started up again in the hot sun, and everything went according to plan. The trip back down the road was long, uneventful, and painfully memorable; I went from freezing to hot as hell in 6,500 vertical feet. Surprisingly, I didn't see any other climbers coming up the road. 

Route: Blanca and Ellingwood
Posted On: 5/27/2019, By: Col_Forbin
Info: Current coverage on northwest face. Partner had enjoyable turns coming off the summit. Northwest face was great for plunge stepping. No pics of Ellingwood, but snow provided excellent cramponing and there is a solid bootpack leading to the summit ridge. Carried and used flotation beyond Lake Como. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 4/4/2019, By: Hjelmstadlt
Info: Blanca Peak is in excellent shape this year. The North West face has continuous snow off the summit with ample coverage of most rocks. From the 2WD parking it's about a 2.5 mile hike before hitting snow at around 10,000 ft. There is a trench all the way up to the lake, with little need of floatation but traction wouldn't be a bad idea. The upper basin has a bit more fresh snow, maybe 2-4 inches in spots and the face is mostly letter box snow with a few sections of soft powder. Possible to ski off the summit, tough but possible. Also Ellingwood looks great! 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 2/17/2019, By: NEArbpro
Info: No snow on the early part of the road. Snow started where it got steep some ATVs made it past the living with wildlife some sign but not to the Blanca peak road sign past that sign snow shoes would be advised. I made it Como lake but was balls deep a lot I would have turned around but two snowshoers passed me at about 10500. Snow was falling as I got back to the road and found my car stolen