RMNP conditions

Thanks Jack O

I may hike in this noche and fudge around. I'll be in touch for next week.

Ciao

How about lets have a little patience, and wait for things to form up better. Weather conditions are prime for ice climbing this year, if we can just wait a little longer.

England wrote:How about lets have a little patience, and wait for things to form up better. Weather conditions are prime for ice climbing this year, if we can just wait a little longer.

That's like asking a kid not to open at least ONE present on Christmas Eve!!! :0)

Deep Freeze has its two approach pitches in but the final pitch is a very small hanging dagger (much smaller than last years). Necro is only snow.

Anyone been up to Chasm Lake in the last couple of days and see how the Smear (or the stuff near Crazy Train) is looking? I walked in Wed but couldn't see a thing due to the storm that rolled through.

I'm heading up to Chasm lake tomorrow, will post conditions and pics.

Conditions album is up under my account. mountainproject.com/v/jerem…

Smear is half in, but the best ice is in the Peacock pool area below Chasm lake. Not sure how much has been climbed before, but there's a few decent looking lines. Watch for falling ice under Mt. Lady Washington, saw some big columns come down right over the trail. Loft is in, but the bowl above looks primed to slide with all the wind yesterday.

up below the diamond today and just posted some pics for a conditions report. Things were lookin pretty good.

Man things look like they have not gotten much thicker. Anyone know how much snow has fallen?

This will tell you:

wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/Co…

Just went up to emerald lake today (Sun Nov 1st), not a whole lot of snow, the trail is hard packed and icy in spots. The Squid is forming, but it's probably not the best idea to go anywhere near it right now, it's pretty thin. Hallet's Chimney is full of snow, and if you feel like freezing your ass off and risking you life while doing it, have at it. Dragon's tail has somewhat shallow snow cover the whole way up it appears, and everything seemed to be fairly well consolidated, I wouldn't worry too much about slides. Someone told me they climbed four pitches of thin ice near black lake, and I'm inclined to believe them. I'll post pics as soon as my partner emails them to me, hopefully by tomorrow.

I think I work with those gentlemen and I saw the pics...tis true.

I thought I recognized you Scott, one screw in a basketball size blob of ice, the rest protected on rock right?

Yep! That was a great picture huh? They guys said they got about 4 inches dumped on them that day. Way to see it through!

My contribution to the early season conditions report:
went up on 11/1 to do NE Gully of Thatchtop and it is IN (the gully to the left of Deep Freeze--I think its called NW on here). Found good solid ice the whole way making for a good early season first lead. The snow gulley up to the base of the real climbing was ok...slightly elevated avalanche danger but nothing too bad. Deep Freeze and Necrophilia were completely OUT.

Squid on 11-01-09, doable but sketchy

Hallets on 11-01-09, cold and wet

Dragontail on 11-01-09