Atlantic Peak

Route: Northeast Slope
Posted On: 6/11/2023, By: djacobson
Info: Friendly reminder with the gate closed you need to park at the Quandary TH (reservation required starting 17 June). This adds about 2.25mi each way to the start of the route. The road and most of the hike to the basin was dry. Some patches of snow below tree line but were mostly avoidable. Lots of running water due to snow melt. Flotation was not needed in the trees or on the way out to the headwall. On the way back, after ~9:30am, snowshoes were the only way to avoid post hole central and even with them there was some type 2 fun waist deep sinking. There are multiple areas where snow is above flowing water. Be prepared for wet feet if you don't have waterproof boots. The basin is full of snow but melting fast. The headwall was fully covered and I watched someone enjoy an epic glissade back down! I turned back at the headwall due to incoming storms. Ridge looked pretty good. See photos for more info. Absolutely gorgeous back there. 

Route: V Couloir
Posted On: 6/3/2023, By: k_fergie
Info: The V on Atlantic's east face is very in right now, didn't see or hit any rocks in there. Super socked in this morning, but a solid 6 inches of fresh, wet pow made it ski decently well and covered most of the previous debris. The new snow was bonding moderately well to the old snow, likely because the old snow did not freeze super well and had a wet, rough surface at the interface. Hand shear tests were minorly reactive in places of stiffer wind loading, but it held up for our boot up and we did not kick anything significant down for our descent. Was able to easily ski from summit down to about 11.9k at the unnamed lake in McCullough Gulch, could've pieced together some adventure skiing a little longer to maybe 11.2k but we didn't feel the need. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 5/2/2023, By: sean23
Info: The knife's edge was surprisingly blunt on Sunday. For most of the ridge, we had a relatively wide trail and could keep away from cornices. We used crampons, but you likely don't need to. Snow was hard when we started (5:30), but by the time we were descending the West Ridge, it was rapidly becoming slushy. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 3/31/2023, By: Jonathan Deffenbaugh
Info: Descended the West Ridge after climbing Pacific Peak's West Ridge. Overall the traverse over to Atlantic Peak did not require snowshoes, even though we carried them just in case, snow was fairly windblown/compact near the ridgeline. Had worn crampons (optional based on comfort level) on the way over to Atlantic's summit and down the West Ridge, however may have been overkill, microspikes would have sufficed if just doing Atlantic Peak was the goal by itself. On the way down, ended up being smooth sailing towards the sunset, beautiful route, no climbing difficulties involved, perfect descent route after doing Pacific, some good cornices along the way. Having an ice axe proved to come in handy for some glissading off the ridgeline. If doing Pacific/Atlantic Peak together recommend the usual winter arsenal (i.e. ice axe, crampons, helmet, snowshoes for the approach). As mentioned, snowshoes weren't required for walking the road into Mayflower Gulch where it terminates by the log cabins. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 2/25/2023, By: jbealer
Info: Took my CMC glacier travel students up the peak today, wind all day but we made it. 6 of us broke a great trail so get after it! Used snowshoes to the start of the steep climb, booted up to summit and used crampons on the way down. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 2/4/2023, By: stomblin7
Info: Descended Atlantic Peak west ridge - snow is very punchy and there are many trap doors. Snow is also very slick. I'm not sure if my traction helped or hurt. You still need snowshoes to gain the ridge from the trail cut off 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/13/2022, By: bsiegs
Info: Started at Mayflower Gulch - no issues getting to upper trailhead in the Subbie. Willows right at the start were pretty thick and muddy, but it's just a very short section. Gained the ridge to Atlantic and then traversed from Atlantic -> Pacific -> Crystal A -> Father Dyer. A few class 3 moves below the Pacific summit, but otherwise it's 2/2+ talus ridge hopping most of the day and dry conditions throughout. Was joined by a family of mountain goats on the Atlantic summit who then followed me most of the way to Pacific. To get back, I first returned to the Dyer/Crystal saddle, then cut to the left under Crystal back to the saddle with Pacific, then cut to the right under Pacific, eventually meeting up near the start of the Pacific West Ridge and dropped back into Mayflower Gulch. 

Route: From Pacific Peak
Posted On: 8/2/2022, By: csf-lhiver
Info: The hike over to Atlantic was good, solid dry rock. Didn't stay long on the summit. Lots of pretty green lichen on the west ridge descent of Atlantic... good to go slow over it if there was recent moisture. 

Route: Northeast Slope
Posted On: 6/13/2022, By: coclimber2
Info: Trail was mostly dry up to treeline. Once above treeline, there is still plenty of snow. With warmer temps at night, no refreeze but the snow was supportable enough in the early morning hours to not need floation. Spikes needed to go up the saddle but at no other point were they needed. Summited around 6:30 and by 7:30 the snow was very soft. Floation needed for the way out down to treeline. 

Route: Northeast Slope
Posted On: 5/14/2022, By: zinj
Info: McCullough Gulch road is closed. But what snow remains (15% in the morning, more like 10% four hours later) would be easily crossed in even the most feeble AWD vehicle if the road were open. It's a top-quality dirt road. Once on trail after the long road walk, the day goes sideways pretty quickly. Lost the trail after the first mining hut and post-holed so frequently that I just started ascending to get above the trees and seek out colder/ harder melt/freeze snow and rock. That kind of worked…there was better support of my 200lb body on fully exposed snowfields than in the forest. But the support didn't last long as the snowfields started giving way too - especially along the edges as you'd expect. Took forever to get to 11,800. Sat down and considered some of my poor life choices, and decided I didn't want to endure same fight on the descent (but worse with warming) AFTER being further exhausted by slogging up Pacific and Atlantic, WHICH I would anticipate are a whole lot better than the Gulch. Bailed. And the descent WAS worse. Even when I finally found the trail. Poles useful. Gaiters ESSENTIAL. Never touched axe or crampons that I had with me. Flotation might have helped in some places Snow is melting fast. Once the hip-high drifts in the forest melt down a bit, McCullough Guch will become serviceable. Several of those post-holes have my blood on the edge or adjacent as I struggled to extricate myself. But I'm out and off, so don't call it in to the authorities. Or something. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 4/28/2022, By: JasonCrane
Info: As humanity, we tend to showcase our successes & remain shy of our shortcomings. It was challenging & character-building week this week in the Sangres, Sawatch & Tenmile Range, resulting in 0-for-3 summit bids on 13ers/14ers. Most importantly, 3-3 in making it down safely. Attempted Atlantic Peak on Thurs & reached 12.5k ft. It's an easy, well-trenched hike from Mayflower Gulch for ~1.3 miles before cutting perpendicularly across the willows & river basin the start of the West Ridge. Wore snowshoes from TH to the talus field just above tree-line. Snow was surprisingly supportive both hike in & afternoon hike out. Booted from talus field up to the lower false summit, @ 12.5k. West Ridge is a knife-edge, but in winter conditions, wind-blow cornices obscure the rocky ridge & create a “balance beam” of snow. I wasn't willing to risk crossing precarious cornices to the summit & back, however a 2-person or team of climbers with ropes, crampons & ice axes may have better results. Good luck & be safe! 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 3/27/2022, By: TheAmateur
Info: Trail is packed all the way to turn off through the willows, hard pack snow until the sun came out and made postholing a problem from the willows to the ridge. Ridge is mix of hardpack and rock, with unconsolidated sugar snow and rock. Amazing conditions on the summit. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 2/6/2022, By: backcountrybrodes
Info: The Mayflower Gulch road is gated but completely packed down; we turned left as a shortcut from the summer route and hit deep powder all the way up to the top (I can only imagine what it would have been like to ski down!!), where it became increasingly more windblown. Be careful up there though, we saw some minor slab cracking on the steeper slopes as we went up, and saw evidence of a couple small avalanches off of the Atlantic-Fletcher ridge. Yikes! Ended up making it to 13,645 ft and had to turn around because of heavy snow-blowing wind. Great introduction to using crampons and an ice axe for me, and still a fun adventure nonetheless! Minimal glissading on the way down because the pow was just sooo deep (skiers and skinners get out there!) and there were rocks underneath. We left our snowshoes in the car because we were worried about the extra weight, but definitely should have brought and stashed them halfway up to avoid the post holing. Eeew. I'll definitely be back when the snow melts off to go up the west ridge of Pacific to get some spice factor and then over to Atlantic in the summer. Might even take a dip in the tarn. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 1/7/2023, By: arnavxv
Info: Attempted the West Ridge today. Spent hours breaking trail alone through very deep snow to the base of the West Ridge around 11,800'. Took longer than I thought and so I turned around due to limited daylight. The ridge itself is pretty dry and looks like it would go easily. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 10/24/2021, By: NittanyLion14er
Info: Ridge from Pacific dry until low point then snow filled ridge up to dry summit. Ridge/trail down to bowl is snow-filled with some tops of rocks exposed. 90% of trail under snow until down to bowl. Trail along stream packed snow until tree line, traction not needed but would be better.