5/16/2018 Route: Northwest Gully / Northwest Ridge Posted On: 5/17/2018, By: jguerin211 Info: This was a hybrid ascent between the Northwest Gully and Northwest Ridge routes; descent was Northwest Ridge though. NW Gully still has snow in it and it's that very loose, sugary kind of snow - the kind where neither snowshoes nor microspikes will make any difference. I stuck to the rocks as much as I could; there were still small areas of snow I had to cross though. Eventually those areas got to be too dangerous where, had I lost my footing or the snow given way, I would have surely slid a long ways and probably to my death. I got to a point where I decided it was safer to cut directly up to ridge line - scrambling up rocks was much safer (albeit more exhausting) than taking a chance on the snow. It was around 13,700' that I made this turn. It wasn't fun but I think it was a lot safer. On deciding my descent, I did NOT want to return the same way. Eventually decided stable rock on a more technically difficult route was the best gamble. NW Ridge was bone dry and I was able to descend without any hiccups - took the Class 3 variant on the crux wall. I really really really wish I had come up this way! |
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5/10/2018 Route: Northwest Ridge Posted On: 5/11/2018, By: halite Info: Main trail is now flooded by the Huerfano river after TH. Followed social trails crossing stream a couple times. After Lily Lake split left on ascent I ditched the messy woods and climbed straight up the talus field below pt 12,410 finding the summer trail underneath Huerfanito. From there clear all the way up Northwest ridge. Crux is dry and took the airy class 4 variation. Great day with Iron Nipple and Huerfano peak tagged as well, with complete summer conditions. I should have descended the way I came up as the river basin underneath Huerfanito (regular climbers trail) is an absolute mess. Not sure which is more slippery the mash potato snow or the 2 inches of dead pine needles next to the drifts? Trail is near impossible to follow. Would recommend descending dry talus and save yourself a bit of frustration. Included is a picture of the North Couloir taken from Huerfano peak for those of you still itching for a ski. |
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5/5/2018 Route: Northwest Ridge Posted On: 5/7/2018, By: johnabowes Info: Trailhead road is totally clear, saw a newer, stock Honda CRV at the summer trailhead. The approach is pretty much snow free, and what little snow was present was very easy to manage, although the trail was easy to lose between the mud and snow. No snowshoes or even gaiters were necessary. On the ridge, there was quite a bit of snow which made route finding very difficult. Be incredibly disciplined about finding good holds on the crux, it's slick and exposed. Weather was beautiful with few clouds and a very light wind. |
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4/28/2018 Route: Northwest Ridge Posted On: 4/30/2018, By: denverfromdenver Info: Parked at lower trailhead due to some very large downed aspens on the way up to the upper lot. Without the trees downed, the road wasn't bad at all. Patchy snow, downed trees and wandering foot trails through the trees to the boulder field. We stayed on the snow hugging the bank of the river most of the way to the basin. I would caution this from here on out as the ice is no longer stable in many parts. Not a ton of snow to deal with in the basin up to the saddle. The ridgeline is in good shape with little snow and plenty of good rock. We wore gaiters and microspikes most of the day. I don't think snow shoes would have been beneficial at all. We also packed axes, but never needed them on our route. I wouldn't think about the gully without crampons and axe. |
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4/7/2018 Route: North Couloir Posted On: 4/8/2018, By: JulianSmith Info: Climbed Lindsey via the Northwest Gully and then skied the North Couloir. It was icy up high from the storms that rolled through the previous day. Crampons were a must in the Northwest Gully, but the hard snow made the climbing nice. Nothing has changed about the TH from the previous description by WildWanderer on 4-1-18. In fact, it would probably screw the road up trying to go much higher, as it is soft and muddy now. The post holing down low is epic, and the creek crossings are open now; full-on spring conditions in the Sangres. So, it is still totally in to ski from the summit to the valley floor, with only a few pieces of buried treasure. Is it the most intelligent thing to do? I will leave that to your judgement, as I am no towering intellect when it comes to 14-er skiing. |
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4/1/2018 Route: Northwest Gully Posted On: 4/1/2018, By: WildWanderer Info: Snowshoes required. I'm sure my GPS was right, but the trail it gave me wasn't safe/passable due to the depth of snow. As others did, I opted to follow the river up the gully. This is a great option right now as the ice is thick enough to hold weight, but will soon melt. The basin has snow, but after about halfway up to the saddle the snow is only present in patches. I hiked Iron Nipple and Huerfano today. Both had minimal snow and lots of wind. (I did Lindsey last summer). Now is a great time to summit if you don't mind postholing for most of your trip! See pictures for details. Edited to add: Mosquitoes. Lots and lots of mosquitoes. Be prepared! |
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2/3/2018 Route: Northwest Ridge Posted On: 2/4/2018, By: gumby3bh Info: I brought microspikes, crampons, and axe. No snowshoes. I didn't regret those choices. There's a decent trench to the frozen river. It doesn't follow the summer route, but it gets the job done. I climbed the river in crampons and then stayed below where the actual trail goes, cutting up the gully until I got on it again. Above treeline, there's not much snow. I post-holed a few times off trail, but never above my knees, and it wasn't enough to wish I had brought snowshoes. The ridge was almost completely dry. There was a dusting of snow that kept me alert, but it wasn't an issue as long as I was careful. I didn't wear traction in either direction. I went up the class 4 chimney on the crux wall and descended the class 3 bypass. Both options felt like climbing in summer. Get that "snowflake," people! |
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1/27/2018 Route: Northwest Ridge Posted On: 2/1/2018, By: MatthewWatson Info: Snow was deep on the road and made driving difficult, even with chains and 4wd. Got to the landslide. Broke trail up to treeline, no snowshoes necessary. About 3 - 9 inches of snow. From about 11,000' to 11,500', it's faster to simply walk up the frozen stream with crampons. |
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1/20/2018 Route: Northwest Ridge Posted On: 1/20/2018, By: jknappe17 Info: Made it to the lily lake TH with FWD no problems. Sangres still looking quite bare; no need for snowshoes today and minimal use of microspikes to navigate the frozen river in sections. Nice boot-packed trail below treeline. NW ridge essentially free of snow including false summit and most of the traverse to true summit. Beautiful "winter" day with potential for snow coming in soon. |
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1/14/2018 Route: Northwest Gully Posted On: 1/16/2018, By: Giant hills Info: Road to trail head needs 4wd or awd with snowtires for the last mile or 2. Snow continuos to the saddle but with a great boot print. Ice was in the gulley that was in treeline but nothing microspikes cant fix. The north face gulley had snow all the way to summit ridge which had great consolidated snow all the way up. Ice axe and crampon is a must..rocks were possible also, used them on parts of the decent..tried to take the ridge down but couldnt find a good down climb on the crux wall so decided to take the gulley. The ridge had no snow also..perfect blue bird day and a great peak.if youre going to go for it go now while the getting is good. |
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1/13/2018 Route: Northwest Ridge Posted On: 1/14/2018, By: Furthermore Info: A Jeep made the trailhead (beefy tread) while most 4x4 vehicles made it within a mile of the trailhead. This last snow storm didn't add much snow. There is about ~2-4 inches of new snow - trench/path is easy to follow and well established - below treeline. It is wind swept and mostly dry above treeline; only a light dusting on the ridge and ~2-4 inches in the bowl. It should be noted, in the gully just before reaching the upper bowl, I would highly recommend crampons or micro-spikes for a few hundred yard section of ice. We stayed on the northwest ridge directly on our ascent which had some snow and descended the couloir just north of the ridge crest. The snow in the couloir was surprisingly hard and would actually make a very enjoyable climb. We expected soft, unconsolidated wind drift in the couloir but that wasn't the case. (zero avalanche concern) -Did NOT use/need snowshoes. -We did use an axe for the descent of the couloir. (Partner used crampons for the descent while I did not) Pic 1 ridge and couloir Pic 2 scramble on ridge |
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12/30/2017 Route: Northwest Gully Posted On: 12/31/2017, By: asarsam Info: No more than a couple inches of snow all the way to tree line on the summer trail. There is a sheet of ice covering the summer trail near top of the gully where you take a left from the valley and ascend following the creek, it can be bypassed by going up and around climber's left. Minimal snow after the trees to the saddle. Main route couloir is covered with ice in the center and very soft snow on the edges. We used climber's right to ascend using the class 3/4 ledges after the initial crossing with crampons and ice axe. Recommend staying on the ridge proper if it's not windy like it was for us. |
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12/24/2017 Route: Northwest Ridge Posted On: 12/25/2017, By: Wight Walker Info: Some snow, no traction needed. Mostly rock hopping above tree line. Winds were higher than forecast, so we turned around after reaching the saddle, cause class 3/4 scrambling in 50-60mph gusts is interesting! |
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11/25/2017 Route: Northwest Ridge Posted On: 11/25/2017, By: Flyingfish Info: The trail below tree line is partially snow covered and hard to follow. Make sure to bring a GPS as I would have been lost without it. Above tree line the trail is blow clear. The ridge is nearly dry and the snow that is on it is easily avoidable. I used my summer hiking shoes and gaiters. Much more than that is complete overkill unless the area gets new snow. |
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11/19/2017 Route: Northwest Ridge Posted On: 11/20/2017, By: JtheChemE Info: Got to upper TH, but road is turning into a slip and slide with powder over ice in the tire tracks. Particularly hazardous on the way down, with evidence of many recent vehicle run offs. Variable depth of snow on approach, ranging from 2-15", however, there is a solid trench in place to the saddle. NW Ridge is in good shape, what snow there was did not impact the route meaningfully. Observed three others come up behind us, but they took the standard gully up. We encountered them on the way down, and they told us they encountered difficult conditions, highly variable snow, and mixed sections. They descended the NW Ridge. |
