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Snowmass Mountain

Peak Condition Updates  
6/8/2014
Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/9/2014, By: chevrechamoisee
Info: Lots of snow still on the trail past the log jam to Snowmass Lake. Deep snow around the Lake. Continuous snow from the lake to the summit. Climb the rocks along the ridgeline to the peak to avoid sketchy snow conditions. 
6/8/2014
Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/9/2014, By: [climber]
Info: Five of us went up from Snowmass Creek on Saturday, June 7. Starting at 10:00, we reached Snowmass Lake around 4:00. The beaver dam crossing is a little shaky, probably from all of the runoff these days, and two of us dunked our boots. Some postholing started about a mile from the lake. Started from camp the next morning at 2:30. After getting around the lake, the snow was solid to the summit. The west side of the ridgeline is still pretty covered so we stuck to the ridge all the way and it was solid. The snow was slushy crap on the way down but that‘s just how it‘s going to be this time of year, so start early. 
2
6/6/2014
Route: West Slope
Posted On: 6/9/2014, By: RobertKay
Info: We drove up from Marble to Crystal City and the road is completely dry except for the occasional puddle or small amounts of runoff. We were able to drive on mostly dry conditions to within about 0.8 miles from the trailhead before deep snow stopped us. The snow was only in the forrest area and once we walked about 200 yards it was dry again. The route directions provided here suggest taking FR315 and that appeared to be dry except for the descent on the switchbacks to the trailhead which were covered in snow. The trail is snow free to just below Geneva Lake and 100% snow (2 to 4 feet deep) above the lake. The snow on the west slope was rock hard in the early morning until a little into the snow filled gully that I chose to use where it quickly degenerated into a rotten, sugary snow where I decided it was too dangerous to continue. I was front pointing one moment and wallowing in hip deep snow the next. 
6/1/2014
Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/2/2014, By: blacomb
Info: We skied the East Slopes of Snowmass this past weekend. Made it to within 500 ft. of the summit and turned around as the snow conditions were getting a bit sketchy. It rained pretty heavily the night before and had been warm the past 6 days. While we didn‘t see any active wet slides, there were remnants of several recent ones below the summit. We turned around at 9:00am and it was already very warm. Perfect corn skiing at the top and mushy/grabby at the bottom in the dust layer. 
6
5/26/2014
Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 5/26/2014, By: 2aron
Info: Still quite a bit of snow above 10K... take the direct snow route to the summit... the ridge was a little sketchy... we ascended the ridge and descended the direct snow route 
9
3/15/2014
Route: West Slope
Posted On: 3/18/2014, By: dannyg23
Info: Nate (thegreatcamillo) and I climbed snowmass Friday 3/14 thru Sunday 3/16. The road from marble was beginning to melt out, but several trucks had attempted to drive it and gotten stuck. Best to just park at marble in the short term. The road to Crystal City was well packed and easy snowshoeing. From Crystal City to the summer TH was fairly well packed, but required a traverse of one very long slope, which may be unstable now with the warming temps. From the summer TH to Geneva lake required much trail breaking, maxing out at perhaps 2‘ in snowshoes. this section also has a very long and unavoidable avvy prone slope. From Geneva lake to the base was some very cool scenery, and fairly enjoyable snowshoeing. We climbed a rib toward the south, opting to stay out of the snow filled gullies. Our concern wasn‘t that the gullies would slide as it was pretty stable snow at the time, it was just very difficult to climb in them as the snow was really deep. At times we had to traverse across chest deep snow. We made it back down to the base of snowmass in 45 minutes thanks to some awesome glissading. For perspective, that face took about 4 hours to ascend. 
2
7/6/2013
Route: S Ridge
Posted On: 7/7/2013, By: dpage
Info: Went up the S ridge which was completely snow-free and came down the West Slopes which still held snow in the lower portion of the gulley. An ice axe was helpful when not on the loose rock. The snow could be avoided staying on the rib instead. 
7/6/2013
Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 7/7/2013, By: vorticity
Info: Climbed July 6th. You do not need crampons, but an Ice Ax will come in handy. Still a lot of snow in the basin, but it's mostly firm and walkable with a post hole here and there. We were able to easily climb the east route which is snow free after the climbing starts. No snow on the south side of the peak or ridge. Largely un-cairned, but the route is obvious and easy to follow. We were able to drop off the ridge on the down-climb just east of the summit, kick in steps to down-climb the chute there, then glissade for about 800 feet of vertical drop. This is where the ice ax is mandatory if you want to try this. However, the snow is melting fast. There may not be enough in the chute to do this. Vort. 
6/25/2013
Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/26/2013, By: joe21louis
Info: Snowfield melting fast. Snow is hard but penetrable in the early a.m. before sun exposure. Softening quickly with some Sun...all to be expected. Axe and cramps obviously are buddies. Nice, cold, and relatively snow free on the opposite side. First image with some morning alpine-glow, taken at 5:45. 
6/23/2013
Route: West Slope
Posted On: 6/25/2013, By: jmanner
Info: I went up the west slope route Sunday. There is still plenty of snow in the gully/couloir, which is bullet proof both on ascent and descent, crampons and an axe are a must. The S-route clear of snow, except on the entry point. I included a few pictures of the west face/slope and on the slope. Glissading the slope on descent is not currently possible and frankly it would seem pretty crazy! Pic one:about a third of the way up the slope looking up on descent Pic two: looking down from towards the top of the slope ~13,900 ft Pic three: looking at the west face from across the valley at ~11,800 ft in the AM Pic four: slope in the afternoon 
1
6/22/2013
Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/23/2013, By: mtgirl
Info: Compared to pictures from a week ago, a ton of snow has melted. We hit the snow about 6:15 AM, and it made for some good snow climbing conditions. Firm and enjoyable all the way up to the ridge. After crossing the ridge, there were a couple snow patches which could easily be avoided by staying high on the ridge. The rock high on the ridge was surprisingly solid (for Elks standards). On our return, we hit the snow again about 10 AM and it had already heated up and was slick as snot toward the top (even with crampons). My partner took a slip on the top 20 feet of snow (at it‘s steepest point) and began a FAST slide. Snow was the consistency of a slurpee. He was lucky enough to self arrest before hitting a rocky outcropping (with the melting snow, rocks are beginning to surface). Although I did see one girl with only microspikes, I would highly recommend and ice axe and crampons. If you‘re looking to get a snow climb in, hit it quick. Water could be heard running under the snow and runnels were beginning to form with lots of suncups. Here are a couple conditions pictures. 
6/2/2013
Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/3/2013, By: Emily
Info: The Snowmass Creek trail is dry until about a mile from Snowmass Lake (after the switchbacks up the slope where it reenters the forest). Bring snowshoes or be prepared for a lot of postholing here. The trail beyond the lake is completely snow-covered. We started around 4:30am and had great firm snow the whole way up. It is possible to get very close to the summit on steep snow and avoid traversing most of the ridge. 
4
6/1/2013
Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/3/2013, By: BobbyFinn
Info: Here‘s a pic of Snowmass from Thunder Pyramid. 
1/19/2013
Route: West Slope
Posted On: 1/21/2013, By: RWSchaffer
Info: Put in trench from Marble to the base of the west slope. Followed FR 315 to the Lead King Basin trailhead. The first third of the road had seen snowmobile traffic, while the remainder was fresh snow. (Photo 1) Followed the summer trail fairly closely to Geneva Lake. (Photo 2) Above Geneva Lake, kept to the right of the stream to climb to the base of the west slope. This proved to be more convenient than the summer route because it avoided both the steep traverse leading to Little Gem Lake and the descent from Little Gem Lake to the base of the west slope. (Photo 3) The west slope was relatively dry, but what snow there was consisted of slabs that were so hard as to required toe-pointing or step chopping, alternating with knee deep decaying powder that offered little support. Predominantly the latter, which resulted in my quickly running out of time once I reached the steep stuff. (Photo 4) 
2
7/22/2012
Route: 
Posted On: 7/23/2012, By: Zambo
Info: We tackled the "S" Ridge on Sunday, 7/22. It had rained quite heavily the days before the outing, which made for an interesting climb. The gulley used to reach the ridge was horrendously loose. Loose to the point that the climbing became much more difficult and dangerous in the gulley itself. Despite all efforts to be careful, we loosed many large rocks which got sent down the steep gulley. It would have been very dangerous for any climbers below. The ridge itself is clear and in fine condition. With some exceptions, the ridge crest was usually the most stable and best option. More exposed sections can always be passed on the West side of the ridge. We descended the West Slopes route, which was also terribly loose, due in part to the rains. The quality of rock slowly improved during the descent, but the first 500 - 1,000 feet down was an absolute nightmare of shaky slabs and untrustworthy rocks.