El Diente Peak

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 6/21/2012, By: Nelson
Info: Climbed El Diente today via Kilpacker. I had crampons and ax but they were unnecessary. The snow on the north side is pretty much melted out. The fastest easiest way to the summit is the standard route. I went up on the ridge and came down the standard. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 6/3/2012, By: Nelson
Info: I went up via Kilpacker yesterday. From the TH to the ridge the route was in great shape. From 12,600 to the organs pipes there is a fair amount of snow. Traction is necessary. There is some snow under the organ pipes which slowed me down but was not really a problem. Once you swing around to the north face there is a lot of snow. The problem now is that, with the warming, it is very soft. I was trying to stay in old tracks and started postholing immediately. I felt this this snow was a high avalanche risk. A short slide will take you over cliffs. There was also some rockfall with the warming. These conditions were unacceptable for me and I turned around 150 ft. from the summit. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 9/25/2011, By: phlakin
Info: South side was completely clear of snow today. When we got to top, we weren‘t surprised to see north side was snowed in. We had to climb the ridge to get to the top. Exposure increases, as does difficulty. We avoided most of the snow that was on the ridge, but there are places where it is unavoidable. We took cramps and axes but did not need them. Hope this helps someone who‘s planning to climb before it‘s too late. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 8/27/2011, By: Rcizzle
Info: Talus, talus, and talus. Nothing out of the ordinary. The San Juans have been POUNDED with moisture recently making El Diente and Mt. Wilson real slick and slippery. I did traverse to Mt. Wilson and drop of the west face back to Kilpacker. I have some pictures and beta if you are interested and I‘ll try to fill curious climbing brethren in with some info if so desired. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 8/8/2011, By: Swamp Fox
Info: Only 3 small snowfields remain in the basin and below the watermarked cliffs, but can be avoided. Axe and crampons are not necessary. 

Route: North Slopes
Posted On: 7/26/2011, By: Mountain Woman
Info: RE: Wilson‘s Trifecta. I wish to warn others of the caution necessary in climbing here at this time. I ascended El Diente from the North Slopes approach from approximately 0600-0830. It had stable hard-packed snow which necessitated use of crampons and ice axe. Also, the coulior could be carefully (but dangerously) diagonally climbed to the left, where the most stable rock lay; however, this rock did not have the best grip at some points and was a dangerous choice. Two others and I were sure to call out falling rock and small hard ice/pack snow pieces. A helmet was sufficient to provide protection from these. From the top of the coulior to the summit of El Diente, I felt a false sense of security from the seemingly hard,secure rock and did as much Class 4 climbing as I could. Retrospectively, these areas had a few rocks I encountered that were slightly loose (I didn‘t test them long enough to determine exactly how loose they were as I was reaching for stable rock, of course). These were rocks which were large and appeared well attached/connected to major other ones. I maintained 3 points of contact at all times. All hard rock continued with similar conditions across the traverse (we made to the Saddle before making an unplanned descent due to weather). What is unsafe is (a) the rock which would probably normally be stable being loosened by water (my assumption) and (b), on the "emergency" descent we took, the unstable dirt/mud/rock slides which could result in a fall and subsequent sequalae or a crush injury (we did a Class 3-4 descent on the north side of the Saddle). It is hence my opinion, that it would be safest currently to ascend these peaks as an earlier spring climb. For those who are curious, we camped at Lake Navajo the night of the 24th, ascended on the 25th, spent the night in a rain storm, then hiked out this am (the 26th) with the mountains still covered in clouds. In one area on the trails we saw about 10 feet long of an area 1/2 foot deep of large hail. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/22/2011, By: dmccool
Info: We summitted El Diente from Kilpacker on Wednesday, 7/20. The approach is dry. Above the waterfall, there are a few snow fields, but nothing too difficult to cross. Definitely bring an ice ax for the upper route - even micro spikes/crampons wouldn‘t be a bad idea. Also, the route is very loose. We summitted both Wilson Peak and Mt. Wilson from Navajo Lake on Thursday, 7/21. The trail to the upper basin crosses a couple snowfields, but at a very low angle. Wilson Peak is dry. I can‘t recall crossing any snow from the Rock of Ages Saddle to the summit. Mt. Wilson has many snow fields - some are very steep. When looking at the standard route, you see that you cross at least 3 snow gullies. All 3 have snow still, but you might be able to avoid the first 2 by either crossing below it or taking small rock bands between the snow. The snow gullies you encounter as you angle up high toward the notch (climber‘s right of the summit) cannot be avoided and make for a pretty steep snow climb - 40+ degrees I would say. An ice ax is a must and micro spikes/crampons would provide much needed safety up high. I cannot post pictures as I am still living out of my truck. 

Route: North Buttress
Posted On: 7/5/2011, By: Monster5
Info: Packed in Saturday. On Sunday, climbed the buttress, traversed to Mt Wilson, then descended straight down the face due to weather. Attempted Wilson Peak immediately after but the weather patterns shifted and I turned around at the Gladstone saddle. Returned to WP in the morning. Navajo Approach: Mostly dry with some wet spots. Plenty of dry camp sites around the lake. North Buttress: Basically snow free until the last hundred feet. Nice, solid scramble. Numerous lines and options. Last 100‘ has two parts - a softer, low-angle snow knife edge/traverse followed by a shady, moderately steep couloir (top of the Luttrell?). I used an axe and crampons on trail-runners for the snow. Traverse to Mt Wilson: Mostly dry. Ice axes were used for comfort a few times. Again, plenty of scramble options. Met jbchalk and his wife, Kristin, on the El D summit and had an awesome time traversing with them. Had to wait for a lull in the storm to reach the summit. Descent off Mt Wilson: Standard route looked mostly dry with a few couloir crossings. A few groups were on it. I went straight down the gully from the summit. It was steep and soft enough to warrant facing in for most of it. Speedy descent route. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/5/2011, By: jbchalk
Info: Climbed ED Sunday, July 3, with my wife via Kilpacker & the South Slopes. Axe & Microspikes worked fairly well up the below the organ Pipes. Class 4 direct ridge variation to ED‘s summit was dry and fun. Met Monster5 on ED‘s summit. Traverse to Mt. Wilson was mostly dry...a few areas where minimally an axe is necessary to cross a few snowfields. The coxcomb crux before Mt. Wilson is dry, however. Class 4 Mt. Wilson summit pitch is dry as well. Descended the southwest couloir from Mt. Wilson back into Kilpacker and out. A few conditions pics below. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 6/2/2012, By: Nelson
Info: I went up via Kilpacker yesterday. From the TH to the ridge the route was in great shape. From 12,600 to the organs pipes there is a fair amount of snow. Traction is necessary. There is some snow under the organ pipes which slowed me down but was not really a problem. Once you swing around to the north face there is a lot of snow. The problem now is that, with the warming, it is very soft. I was trying to stay in old tracks and started postholing immediately. I felt this this snow was a high avalanche risk. A short slide will take you over cliffs. There was also some rockfall with the warming. These conditions were unacceptable for me and I turned around 150 ft. from the summit.