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Quandary Peak

Peak Condition Updates  
1/1/2013
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 1/1/2013, By: mtnmike
Info: Good snow cover on Quandary. Trail is pretty well packed below treeline and hardpacked above. Snowshoes/traction not really needed, but some folks might want ‘em. Technically, there‘s cover from summit to trailhead, and if you‘re careful with your line you could ski the whole thing! Good climbing conditions today, although a bit chilly...7 below at 8am to start! Should be in good shape ‘til the next snow dumps! 
12/2/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 12/3/2012, By: ezabielski
Info: Almost entirely dirt. Short/medium sections of ice and packed snow on the trail can be avoided if you don't have spikes. Between the TH and 12,500 there is very little snow, only one section to walk around if you don‘t have spikes. Above 13,100‘ where the ridge is stepper, there is a lot of packed snow and ice on the trail itself. It can be avoided by walking on the talus. Either trekking poles, spikes, or both would be a good idea though. Bring plenty of protection from the wind on this ridge! 
11/23/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 11/23/2012, By: a94buff
Info: Climbed East Ridge today; started out at 430AM and watched the sunrise from the summit. (well, technically the sun came up about half an hour before I summited but those are the breaks). The trail is mostly dirt still; there is a shocking lack of snow up there, though there is some hardpack & ice in sections. I was glad to have my microspikes, you won‘t need them all the time but I found they came in handy and were worth leaving on, both ways starting & ending at about 12K feet give or take. There‘s plenty of hardpack on the last 800‘ pitch, though much of this could probably be avoided, but spikes let you just take it on. 
11/14/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 11/14/2012, By: randybear4
Info: I climbed Quandary today up the east ridge trail. There was probably around two inches of snow on the ground. The trail was well packed and easy going with my micro spikes. It was a bright sunny day with no problems except the wind above treeline.The short blue lake road off of highway9 was in good shape to the trailhead 
1
11/3/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 11/8/2012, By: kingshimmers
Info: Weather was beautiful, around 40 degrees with some gusty wind. The trail was pretty clear through the trees and up to the ridge. Above treeline up until about 13,000‘ there was a decent amount of very slippery snow pack, which got icy in numerous spots. Above 13,000‘, there was a good soft snow pack on the trail. I used poles on the way up, and both poles and microspikes on the way down (though I saw many people who used nothing on the way up, and only microspikes on the way down). I‘m just very cautious about falling I suppose. It was very windy at the summit - had to break out the face warmer while sitting up there. Overall, the route was much slower going for me than usual because of the ice between treeline and 13,000‘, but again, there were many people moving much faster than me. 
10/31/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 11/1/2012, By: rjennings
Info: Climbed Quandary Peak via the East Ridge on Halloween. Was contemplating going up the West Ridge, but had my dog and was unsure about ice and whether pups could make it. So I set out around 9:45 am since weather was supposed to be perfect. Weather stayed beautiful - about 45 degrees with very little to no wind Made it to summit by about 11:20 am and talked with a Breckenridge local for about 20 minutes under a clear, blue sky and slight breeze. Going through the trees, there was a bit of snow and some icy patches, but nothing that was bad and/or unavoidable. Above treeline, there was some icy patches, but again, nothing unavoidable. At about 12,800‘, route was packed snow to the top. I was carrying microspikes and poles, but didn‘t need either on the way up. On the way down, broke out the poles, but didn‘t use my microspikes (although it wouldn‘t have been a bad idea). All in all, the route was in pretty good shape and made it off the trail by about 1:00 p.m. Weather for Quandary over this next weekend is supposed to be beautiful and I expect most of the snow to be pretty soft as long as you aren‘t hitting the trailhead before sunrise. 
10/14/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 10/18/2012, By: gabsimonelouise
Info: Started at trailhead at 9 AM, got to the top 2.5 hours later. Not much snow on top (but just enough to make a snowman), and definitely no ice. Mild winds, clear skies, and somehow all the snow clouds were lingering above the mountains bordering Quandary and not the peak itself! Perfect. Any snow on the trail had basically melted by the time we got back down. Some locals decided to block the trail too! 
10/6/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 10/7/2012, By: nperrault1
Info: Started hiking at 7:40 am and made it up to the top by around 9:45. There was a little bit of snow/ice on the trail but still easily made it up without a hassle. Windy and chilly on top. Made it back to the car by 11:40. Was an easy enough hike. 
9/30/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 9/30/2012, By: Kaydubs17
Info: A mix of snow and mud once you get closer to the top, deceptive ice patches on the way down. We got tripped up on the loose rocks a few times so just take each step carefully. We reached the summit right at 11:55 AM and mini hail stones started to fall just about 15 minutes later. Not bad except when they smack you in the face haha. Gorgeous views. 
9/29/2012
Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/30/2012, By: Mike Cormier
Info: Doing the West Ridge route of Quandary sheds a whole different light on this mountain. I didn‘t see a single person until I got to the summit. The south side of the ridge had no snow at all. The north side was different - see the pictures. I was glad to have my gaitors. I had microspikes, but didn‘t use them....perhaps I should have. There was 2-8 inches of dry powder. It seemed especially deep in the most inconvenient places, covering the rock and (I felt) increasing the difficulty. This route is spicy, and the snow increased that factor. There were a couple of places where I would not have felt comfortable trying to downclimb on the return trip, so I opted to take the East Ridge trail down to 13,100 then dropped south back down to my truck parked at Blue Lakes TH. 
9/18/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 9/18/2012, By: Bayou
Info: Approach from the east is still very doable. The last 1000 ft or so was a mix of mud and snow today. Rather slippery coming down. 
9/16/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 9/20/2012, By: czechmark
Info: The weather was beautiful on top September 16, 2012 and to my surprise there was a couple cooking pancakes. I couldn‘t stop myself from taking a picture and posting it on the forum. Here is a picture of Pancake Man and Hotcake Woman; thank you for your hospitality on top of Quandary. May we meet again, keep the griddle hot. 
9/9/2012
Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/10/2012, By: hvolmer
Info: Attempted West Ridge approach after coming down Fletcher. I encountered just enough fresh snow in the class 3 area very near the top. I was forced to turn. (It is entirely possible that I was off route, but after several back-tracks, I could only come up with alternates that appeared more than class 3. I decided that it was safest to save this for next summer.) Take the warning on the main peak page to heart: this is a serious route! 
9/1/2012
Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/1/2012, By: esagas
Info: Summer conditions everywhere. Very easy trail to follow. A fun route that avoids the weekend crowds on the East Ridge (we came down that way). 
9/1/2012
Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 9/1/2012, By: bclinto
Info: Hiked today up Quandary via the East Ridge and returned on the same route. Great conditions in the morning. Arrived at the trailhead around 6:45, had to park a little down the road, but not too much. I hike very slowly, we summited in about 4.5 hours. Trail was packed, but everyone was very nice and positive. Stayed on the summit for a while, but clouds were moving in. Left the summit around noon and took about 3 hours to come down (again I'm slow). Got sprinkled on a few times, smaller than pea size hail a couple of times, and had a couple of strong gusts of wind, but nothing a light jacket didn't protect us from. Also, no lightning today.