6/6/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 6/6/2024, By: RobMcG Info: Easy and dry to the Fourmile Creek TH, but it was very warm, 47F and windy at a 0630 step off from the gate. We never really found frozen snow all day. Very slushy and wet everywhere, even on the summit by the time we got there at 1000. We really took our time picking a route to avoid Wet Slide Avi Hazards, and swapping Micro Spikes and Snow shoes back and forth several times. Post holing a lot across unavoidable snow fields. We climbed to the ridge to the north of the collapsing cornice line that crosses through the saddle between Sherman and Sheridan. Tough way up, but the climb was fantastic, and once we made the south ridge, it was a nice easy walk in micro spikes. We made a loop for our return, and came down the east facing open snow field toward White Ridge, then dropped straight to the TH, island hopping across the smallest snow fields we could find. Post holing if we didn't put on the snowshoes. 6 hours total trip. Great day. The snow will be way more melted away in another week or 2 with such hot weather. Lots of animals, birds, insects, and beginning of new vegetation. |
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6/2/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 6/2/2024, By: syrupgravy Info: Found great corn for a ski on the south slope! The main part of the route as it turns to the summit plateau (~13k ft) is no longer continuous and requires stepping 2 ft or so over rock. You might be able to find another way through. Started at 5:55, summit at 8:35, and dropped at 9:10. Can ski straight off summit. Upper face (I went skiers right of the climbing route, see photos) was a bit crusty still, but below the rock transition mentioned above it was perfect corn! Really fun and still great! Came to 5.4 mi RT from where the snow starts on the road. |
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6/2/2024 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 6/2/2024, By: masonzastrow Info: Started at 4:30, summited at 6:45, back to car at 9:15. We intended to do the summer route, but saw a considerable cornice running along most of the saddle between Sherman and Sheridan. With a solid freeze and no fear of it falling, we checked out a notch in the cornice right where the summer route takes the ridge. You could get over it with an ice axe, but it would be inadvisable to come down the same way, so we went around the north end of the cornice instead and climbed angled NW up the south slope to eventually meet the trail. Wore spikes the whole way and only sunk once or twice. GREAT glissading conditions, with an axe I was able to slide down maybe 600 feet total throughout the descent. Expect to park one mile below the gate, unless you have a real rig. I got to the trailhead fine in a Nissan Juke. |
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6/1/2024 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 6/1/2024, By: yoanna Info: Perfect condition! Barely any wind till the ridge. Started at 7:30am (late but oh well) and back to the car at 11am. Parked a mile away from the summer trailhead at the gate. The upper layer of the snow was soft enough in the morning so I was able to make the entire trip with only cleats. If I were do it again, I may start early before 6am to avoid the postholes on the way down specifically the section close to the parking. |
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5/30/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 5/30/2024, By: doeeth Info: Started around 330 am, was able to drive up to 0.9 miles past the lower 2WD trailhead with my 2WD Mazda 6. Snow had a strong overnight freeze, with snow continuous from where I parked to the summit. Didnt even have to concern myself w any shark dodging at all. Since I started skiing around 630ish, the snow was still very much frozen solid. If I were to estimate, Id say about 1-2 weeks more of decent skiable snow on the south slopes of Sherman. Fun day out, good way to get back at er |
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5/25/2024 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 5/26/2024, By: Sschweiss Info: Road is clear up to .8 miles above Leavick Mine site. Then a mix of snow and clear up to the gate. All snow above that. |
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5/17/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 5/17/2024, By: pblais18 Info: I made it about 1 mile before the actual trailhead in my Outback, but did get stuck briefly past the mill as that's where it starts to get bad. I snowshoed the entire way via the South Slope route and it took about 3 hours to reach the summit. Lot's of snow still as you can see from the recent pictures. Didn't see another person all day. |
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5/16/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 5/16/2024, By: MattSepu Info: In a Subaru Crosstrek, road was drivable up to the mill at 11,300'. Parked just after the mill and skinned up to 13,150' on continuous snow. However, given how warm it will be coming up, this could change rapidly. See photos for trail conditions at various elevations. All photos taken from the South Slope trail. |
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5/5/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 5/5/2024, By: kcovingt Info: Was going to ski south slopes until we saw how thin it was. Vastly different from this time last year! |
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5/4/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 5/4/2024, By: HikesInGeologicTime Info: Skiable from summit to the last of plowed road at 11,600 as long as you are willing to put in a few feet of billygoating at the 13.5k choke point. Some diversion through the willows necessary to avoid dry patches on the road up to the turn-off for S. Slopes. Decent bootpack up through and past the choke directly up to the summit ridge, though smarter skiers/splitboarders will want to keep skinning up the mellower line, as those who did so today looked they were having a way better time. Snow was in pleasantly fine shape following an 11:15 drop-in; some expected variability with the most wind-affected aspects right off the top, but still some good turns to be had, then some corn to harvest once I had minced down through the choke. Who knew Sherman could be that much fun! Will add pics when I have a better signal. |
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4/18/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 4/18/2024, By: Ericsheffey Info: Drove to 11'600 (4WD needed to get to this point though). Skinned up the South Slopes, snowboarded from summit to TH, only having to unstrap 3 times due to noncontinuous snow, although that could perhaps also be prevented with picking a better line for the descent. If you are the hikers that saw me tomahawk about halfway down... no you didn't. Lol Snow was largely icy and wind affected for the majority of the route. Some chalky snow on top in sections. Ski crampons would've been nice for the uphill. |
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4/13/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 4/13/2024, By: hokiehead Info: Continuous snow from car to car (well, we stepped over a small dry patch on the way out, but didn't need to de-ski). Just over 5.5 hours from car to car (11,600'). |
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3/24/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 3/25/2024, By: ellenmseb Info: Picture of Sherman's south slopes taken from Horseshoe. Looks like good skiing! Parked 5mi from summer Four Mile Creek TH but probably could've driven further. |
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3/10/2024 Route: CR2B to Dyer, Gemini, Sherman Posted On: 3/12/2024, By: Lubellski Info: Roads nearly dry to CR2B. From there we were on snowshoes, with a lot of breaking trail, all the way to the summit of Dyer. Ditched them on the saddle between Dyer and Gemini, continued boot packing to summit of Gemini and Sherman. Snow was not too deep, lots of time spent on rocks. Very fun route. Saw 2 other people on the summit of Sherman who had skied up from Horseshoe Gulch and were about to ski back the same way. |
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3/9/2024 Route: South Slope Posted On: 3/10/2024, By: illusion7il Info: The route is currently 14 miles round trip. Some people drove up the road about a mile farther but that's about it. As of yesterday, only people on skis/splitboard made it. Everyone in snowshoes turned around due to deep postholing section on the road. Good ski conditions from the summit, but you are guaranteed to hit a few rocks. There was one section on the way down around 13.5K that had to be booted. |