Kit Carson Peak

Route: S face
Posted On: 5/30/2015, By: lodgling
Info: South face of KC is stacked. 

Route: Outward Bound Couloir
Posted On: 3/30/2015, By: druid2112
Info: * From TH to first ridge there is snow in the trees, not terrible. * From first ridge (sunny side) to the stream crossing is almost all dry. * From the stream crossing to the headwall there is plenty of snow. * From headwall to the lake is deep snow. Firm enough in the mornings, but without floatation in the afternoon you are going to posthole the whole way. Even with shoes it's not that fun. * From lake to bottom of the OB its off and on but snowshoes were helpful for a good portion of it, especially after noon. * The OB is in good shape, the bottom part has a little unconsolidated here and there underneath a crust, with consolidated pack under that, the upper part is very firm. * The back side of KC is holding a pretty good snow pack, in varying condition. I was off by 11 and glad to be. 

Route: Spanish Creek to Cole Couloir
Posted On: 1/25/2015, By: ap snow
Info: Spanish Creek to the Cole Couloir. Spanish Creek has no real trail and quite a few downed trees. The skiing conditions are excellent and it goes from the summit! Great day out with Money Mike, Dr_Jon and Krullin_14ers. 

Route: South Colony Lakes approach
Posted On: 10/18/2014, By: mtn_nut
Info: Climbed Kit Carson, Challenger, and Columbia from the south colony lakes side. There was minor snow along the entire route, with some areas with drifts ~2-3‘ deep. The avenue is full of snow, but its soft sugar snow that‘s easy to plunge step though. 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 10/8/2014, By: +101RouteHog+
Info: From Challenger Point I wouldn‘t have traversed had it not been for frozen-in footsteps. The first length is snow bound and crux, the second a bit less. 

Route: Any
Posted On: 9/29/2014, By: jdorje
Info: Quote a bit of snow today. 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 9/21/2014, By: mlayman09
Info: Perfect, dry conditions on Challenger and Kit Carson via Willow Creek. Fall color is near it‘s peak in this area! 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 9/19/2014, By: Bob Kocher
Info: As of 9/14, there are no condition changes from capetrekker‘s report on 9/11. Just confirming excellent conditions on the North Ridge, the Avenue and the descent down Challenger Point. Very fun route to the summit! Not so much descending Challenger‘s north slope--we carried poles and were glad we had them coming down. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 9/12/2014, By: capetrekker
Info: Excellent conditions on the North Ridge, the Avenue, and the descent down Challenger Point. Climb this sublime ridge while the opportunity remains! 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 9/8/2014, By: 4 LO
Info: Still summer conditions. I‘ve read on here that side skirting Challenger on the way back from Kit Carson can be a pain, but it really was not that bad. Just try to stay on the stable rocks (there are plenty) and you‘ll be fine. 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 9/3/2014, By: bdloftin77
Info: Summer conditions 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 7/27/2014, By: Keelintime
Info: The flying insects are still there but manageable with insect repellent. The route from above the lake to the saddle below (before) Challenger Point is loose dirt and loose small rocks. I agree with the previous condition report, that this made the route treacherous. Many found going off trail into the surrounding larger and more interlocked rocks safer but much more time consuming. There is snow on the mountain but none was encountered on the entire route to Challenger Point or up to Kit Carson Peak. 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 7/14/2014, By: addrock528
Info: Still lots of mosquitoes about... Esp. at TH and just before the lake. No camping spot is safe! The "Avenue" has two little patches of snow that are completely manageable. The way back down via Challenger standard route was treacherous; wet and loose. 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 7/4/2014, By: marcstrawser
Info: Great conditions on the peaks, mosquitoes were awful by the lake and trailhead. Avenue still has some snow on the south side but only a very short section, no snow gear needed. 

Route: (any)
Posted On: 5/22/2014, By: jdorje
Info: 6/19 UPDATE: MOSQUITO ALERT. Bring protection or suffer. 5/22 : There has been an insane amount of snow over the last month; however, the ongoing daily dust storms certainly make it crappy in places, and probably particularly on west-facing slopes. 5/26 : Much new snow over the weekend, on top of the red-looking dust layer. 5/29 : Despite the dumping of the last weekend, 3 straight 80-degree days have resulted in the melting of almost all snow below 13k feet. Gibson and 12740, both of which had nearly full snow cover even before the weekend storm, are now nearly devoid of it. Many west-facing slopes still have good snow cover above ~13k feet, and north-facing slopes and gullies probably have good snow well below that. 6/5 : Heavy melting. Much snow still remains on the Avenue. See picture. 6/14 : Despite a couple minor snowfalls there has been extreme melting. Most peaks are snow-free to the summit, with snow in just a few gullies and the occasional small snowfield above 13k. However, the avenue still has significant visible snow and I would guess is 1-4 weeks from being "in". Also, be sure to check out the other conditions reports on the peak that have more precise information on specific routes: http://14ers.com/php14ers/peakstatus_peak.php?peakparm=23