Mt. Eolus

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/31/2016, By: Doctor No
Info: Scattered snow up high, but nothing anywhere remotely close to the route. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/10/2016, By: Daytona500
Info: All of the Chicago Basin routes are basically snow free and require no extra traction or gear. Wild flowers, wildlife, and views are bountiful. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/3/2016, By: thebeave7
Info: Ascended the NE ridge from North Eolus. Ridge is clear and no snow on top. I climbed up to the tarn between North Eolus and Glacier Point via the obvious couloir from Twin Lakes from the high basin. Snow was continuous on 6/29, but getting thin and soft for the last 200ft at the top and might be melted out by now. Snow in the basin between North Eolus and Glacier Point was bottomless much with knee to waist deep postholing. The standard approach to Eolus from the Twin Lakes junction had some snow in the lower basin below the SE face. Both approach slopes to the high basin and ridgeline between Eolus/N Eolus were solid snow. I used microspikes and ice axe, some may prefer crampons. These slopes make for a good glissade. Sorry no photos. 

Route: E Couloir
Posted On: 5/30/2016, By: bmcqueen
Info: Climbed Eolus and N. Eolus 5/27, Sunlight & Windom 5/28 and Jupiter 5/29. Approach from Needleton generally dry up to ~10,300, then intermittent snow into Chicago Basin. Some post-holing inevitable on the approach. Most campsites still snow covered although a couple can be found without snow. In the upper basins, still lots of snow that is prime for climbing in the early AM with your crampons and prime for punching through by late-morning (bring snowshoes to stash for the way down). 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/23/2015, By: WillRobnett
Info: Climbed N. Eolus, Eolus, Windom, and Sunlight. Fall colors are mostly holding back in the basin. Starting to show pretty well on the Silverton-Durango train. Fall colors are near peak coming into Silverton from both Durango and Ouray. Hwy 550 south from Ouray has construction road closures. Hwy 550 is closed Monday-Friday 8:30AM to noon and 1PM to 5:30PM. Last night (9/22) it snowed in the Silverton/Chicago Basin area. Climbed Sneffels today 9/23. Sneffels was clear of snow on the standard route. From Sneffles we could see Chicago Basin, Pigeon, Turret, anything near Chicago basin had snow down to at least 13,000 on north aspects in the morning. Sneffels had snow on the north face as well. Thin layer most likely melting fast. 

Route: Chicago Basin Approach
Posted On: 9/21/2015, By: jonandmalia
Info: Perfect conditions! No snow at all doing Eolus or N Eolus. Mountain is dry. Well cairned to summit on Eolus. Weather was great and leaves are changing. Chilly nights/mornings, so go quickly! 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/7/2015, By: Sunshineof1985
Info: I climbed all three peaks in one day. Mt. Eolus brings my total count to 37 fourteeners this summer. My hope is to climb them all this summer. You can read more on this hike and others at Sunshineof1985.com. Enjoy! Windom Peak Route: West Ridge Sunshine Peak Route: South Face Mount Eolus Route: Northeast Ridge Distance: 12.17 mi. Elevation Gain (from Needleton Stop): 12,000 ft. elevation gain overall, and 9,000 ft. in one day. Time started: 3:00am End time: 2:30pm Time to Summit Windom Peak from Chicago Basin: 4 hours and 15 minutes Time to Summit Sunlight Peak from summit of Windom Peak: 1 hour Time to Summit Mount Eolus from Sunlight Peak: 3 hours Time to Descend Mount Eolus to Chicago Basin: 3 hours Overall Pace: 1.1 miles per hour *GEAR (to bring): Bear spray, helmet, water purifier, first aid kit, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, headlamp, flashlight, toilet paper, GPS, extra batteries, extra socks, phone, SPOT Satellite Tracker, Map, Topo Map from 14ers.com, hiking boots with 2 pairs of socks on, extra change of clothes, wear a tank top, long-sleeve, wind-guard/raincoat, light weight puffy coat, lightweight gloves, overnight pack with water sack and extra water (160oz), food for two full days (large bag of jerky, large bag of trailsmix, 4 protein bars, and 4 granola bars). *Road Condition: You need to park in the town of Durango. If you are tight on a budget like myself, park in the residential area not far from the train station for free- just be sure to look for parking signs. Train costs $100!! You can also take the train from Silverton- which I recommend. If you call them, you can get a discount- tell them you‘re being dropped off at Needleton either way. *Trail Condition: Needleton Stop to Chicago Basin (6 mi.): Trail is very well marked and an easy incliine. The best part of the hike is about 3 miles in (lots of waterfalls). Eolus: Cross the stream near Twin Lakes. It‘s steep, but there are steps in the start, but it then turns to a lot of scree. After the "Cat Walk" DO NOT continue up the ridge line. It‘s high exposure, and a lot of class 4 moves. Instead, keep an eye out for cairns that follow switchbacks right below the summit. It‘s much safer. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 8/2/2015, By: Andymcp1
Info: The route is snow free and in summer condition. No need for traction/ice axe. Go get it. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/21/2015, By: ryanclimber
Info: The path is snow free up until the ramp. The snow is still very icyfirm in the morning around 6:00 AM. Ice Axe is a must to stay safe, and crampons highly recommended. We saw one person slip on the snow and go flying into the rocks (she was okay). By late morning (9:30 AM) the snow is soft enough to kick steps and do plunge steps down. From the base of the Ramp up to the Catwalk there is snow the entire way still. Most of the snow can be avoided by staying on the rock, but the snow melt causes a frost to make the rocks very slick at times. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/18/2015, By: lukedog
Info: Not much change from previous reports. We climbed sunlight on the 14th, Eolus on the 15th, windom on 16th. All required us to deal with snow at some point. There were people doing them with no traction or axes but we used both and I would agree that ice axe is mandatory, microspikes sufficient, crampons good and snow shoes definitely not needed. Each peak requires something slightly different and you won't need traction or protection for long periods but you'll want them at some point. Hopefully things melt out soon. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/14/2015, By: LoveThisSite
Info: Still significant snow starting maybe 600 vertical feet above the lakes upto the notch. There was a good boot track as of 07/12 up that snowfield. You can make quick work of it with crampons and an axe, if you want to use the snow. I did it without traction (I had poles) - I took my time and was very careful with foot placement. An axe would have made it a lot safer. I was definitely concerned about down climbing it. However, as we found out while coming down, there is another option - an exit ramp which is dry and avoids all the upper steeper sections of the snowfield. You‘ll still need to cross one small low angle snowfield from the top of the ramp to the notch if you decide on the ramp option. The catwalk and face are snow free, albeit a bit slippery due to the overnight rains - we had to be very careful. So, in summary, do-able without any traction or axe, if you take the proper exit ramp. I suggest at least an axe if you want to stick to the snow. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/10/2015, By: TheseThousandHills
Info: Still with significant snow above 13,200. Perfect for crampons on 7/9, microspikes not quite enough early in the am - ice axe necessary for safety - our group had to do one self arrest near the top of the ramp. Conditions variable. Someone climbed as a night climb the day before us with no traction. As noted in the last report, once you make the saddle between Eolus and N Eolus no traction or ice axe necessary. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/6/2015, By: Phill the Thrill
Info: As of Friday, July 3, there is still considerable snow from 13,000 ft. We used ice axes/microspikes from the beginning of the ramp (photo #16 of route description) to the connecting ridge between Eolus/N. Eolus. We noticed a couple other climbers who did not use any traction. The catwalk is clear of snow except for some snow/ice at the end of the catwalk, but it is easy to walk around it to climb the final pitch. With the warm July temperatures the snow gets soft very early (by 9 am) but held up well enough for us to enjoy some fun glissading on the descent. The climb from the catwalk to the N. Eolus summit is completely snow free. The Sunlight/Windom basin is still holding a LOT of snow. We did not make an attempt to summit those on this trip, but I have attached a couple photos for reference. Some climbers were able to summit Windom/Sunlight with snow gear - others were turned back after postholing waist deep at 13,500 ft. The snow is melting FAST, and I would expect summer conditions within a few days. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/30/2015, By: JoseDeMoor
Info: The ridge is an amazingly fun route, thanks to the hikers who suggested it over the "face", snow free from the saddle between Eolus and N. Eolus, snowy from Twin lakes to the saddle however. Snowshoes helpful, crampons if uncertain, snowy for a few more weeks I would estimate. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/29/2015, By: c_dickson
Info: Summited Eolus and North Eolus on Thursday, June 25th. The previous day I was able to summit Windom and Sunlight. There is a lot of snow in the basin, but if you get an alpine start (between 4-6am, back in camp by 9-10am) then it makes for EXCELLENT snow climbing conditions. Bring an axe, crampons, and decent boots and you can get up all 4 of these summits pretty easily right now. But, be warned, by 10am, the snow surface is absolute slop and can make for some miserable postholing. Overall, I had an epic trip into the basin and was 1 of only 3 people summiting these peaks.