11/29/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 11/29/2019, By: WildWanderer Info: Last report still valid. Not a lot of snow. Wore spikes, snowshoes were overkill. |
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11/28/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 11/28/2019, By: jonwfr Info: I had a super awesome summit day with this guy. I will have to try Cupid and Grizzly next time when it isn't so windy. The trail was still good. Still a lot of snow up on the peaks. Make sure to stay close to the rocks as you will probably fall through a lot of the snow which will make it slow going. It was very obvious where you were supposed to go next; there are no signs or anything like that other than cairns and they are few and far between. It isn't a hard route to read from a map. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! |
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11/23/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 11/23/2019, By: ilikereds Info: Trail conditions still pretty good. No issues getting to TH in any vehicle.. There are some deep pockets of snow and I brought flotation, but wasnt really needed (could have used them in a few spots but not worth the effort for the small patches that was 12-18 inches deep). Traction was very helpful coming down as it was slick in quite a few spots but you could get away with it if you dont want the added weight. Beautiful day with very few people on the trail (I didnt see anyone else actually summit Sniktau). |
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7/28/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 7/30/2019, By: kingshimmers Info: Dry trail. Storm clouds leftover from overnight evaporated by around 11am into a bluebird day. Wildflowers are fantastic right now! |
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6/27/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 6/27/2019, By: Thevirtualsherpa Info: Trail is dry as a bone - nothing needed but something to put on your feet. |
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6/9/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 6/9/2019, By: Bombay2Boulder Info: No traction needed. There is some snow, but it is pretty packed down and where it isn't the main trail is visible. |
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5/30/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 5/30/2019, By: emroka Info: Used spikes but not sure they were necessary. Maybe 2-3 inches of powder with deeper sections that were avoidable. |
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5/18/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 5/20/2019, By: bludwig Info: Started at 6:06AM for sunrise pictures. Trailhead was clean and had no issues getting there. The snow was extremely hardpacked so no flotation or even gaiters were required. Reached summit just before 7:30. Around 7:30ish, visibility got down to about five feet or so and the storms hung around well after I left. I imagine it left a few inches of fresh powder. Picture 1 is sunrise from the ridge. Picture 2 and 3 are conditions before it became full white out. |
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5/5/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 5/6/2019, By: fireguyCO Info: Started at 7:00 AM. The skies were clear and the temperature was around 32 degrees. Calm winds at the start of the TH. When I got up to the ridge the winds were heavy at around 40 plus mph. When I got up to the false summit the winds calmed down some and it was more bearable. The trail was clear if you stayed more to the left. I avoided the right side of the trail due to the deep snow and the huge cornice that resided on that trail. Definitely avoid that at all costs. When I got to the summit the wind was pretty calm and was able to eat and readjust. Going down was just as windy and the temps from that wind felt like it was in the 20's. The trail was packed down well and post holing was not an issue. The cold temps on that mountain held that snow together pretty well for that morning. I was able to do this without snowshoes. Spikes are definitely recommended especially on the descent. When I got back down there were a lot more people going up. |
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5/3/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 5/3/2019, By: WildWanderer Info: Trail was well packed down from the parking lot to Point 12,915, and from there not packed down but the route is obvious. I wore snowshoes (and was grateful for them) but everyone else I saw was just wearing spikes and did fine, only postholing 6 inches or so. |
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4/27/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 4/27/2019, By: pcsongei Info: VERY windy this morning. Started around 7:15 and there were several others out hiking as well. Wind was the toughest up on the ridges and peaks. Most of the way up to the turn off to Sniktau was windblown or hard enough snow that post holing wasnt an issue. Brought my microspikes and never even put them on, although it would have been helpful in some spots. Tried for Grizzly Peak after the Sniktau summit but the high winds and clouds continuously rolling in turned me back. Got to the first unnamed peak area on the way to Grizzly and then headed back |
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4/4/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 4/4/2019, By: Trotter Info: Most snow I think I've ever seen on Sniktau. 6-12 inches deep on slopes up, and ridgelines. Its all trenched, so don't need snowshoes or gaiters. Traction recommended but not required. The snow is that dry light stuff that acts like powdered graphite, so it is slippery. |
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4/4/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 4/4/2019, By: Scotty21 Info: Most of the snow were wind blown along the ridgeline. Watch out for snow cornice including the final approach. Few postholing near the summit. Worn microspikes the entire time. Didn't need snowshoes at all. |
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3/16/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 3/19/2019, By: kingshimmers Info: Not sure how helpful this is, but here'a a picture of the ridge from Loveland Pass to Sniktau, taken from a distance. |
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2/28/2019 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 2/28/2019, By: NicoleBly Info: I agree with mtree on the cold and windy, but I had the opposite experience in that the wind got worse for me when I hit the ridge. I turned around shortly after making ridge due to gusts too strong to keep myself upright. Trail is in great condition as is TH. Traction was necessary (IMO), great walk-up, just check winds ahead of time. |
