RMNP Conditions 2026

Chasm View Wall

Good to go! All cruxes on Directissima are dry; one wet jam (if that's what you're into) in some 5.8 at the top. Go get it!

The Diamond

Moist.

The Air
Thinner than usual, especially if you've been breathing standard flatland air. Definitely bring 3-6 canisters of the O2 they sell in the DIA gift shops.

Speaking of thin air,
Gentle Reminder

There are better ways.

Chasm Lake

The ice rink is officially closed for the season. Paddleboard rentals and the snackbar open June 15th.

The Hilton

It will take the facilities crew a few weeks to dig it out.

Department of Stealing Your Lunch

Awake and excited to eat your shoes.

Have fun out there!

Thanks for the report!

Pic of the snowfield below sky pond (just below the waterfall) Friday 6/5:

Dryer than I expected. Microspikes and poles were nice but probably not necessary.

Talus field below the towers was almost 99% snow free. Easy route on the petit was totally dry.

Anybody been up the Spearhead or Hallet?

Coming @ you live from the Hilton 

Chasm lake was half walkable on snow 

Yukon Cornelius wrote:

Anybody been up the Spearhead or Hallet?

I hiked to Frozen Lake on Monday 6/8. There were three parties on Spearhead. There was a little bit of snow below Black Lake, but easily hikeable. From the bivy sites below Spearhead, it was a snowfield to the base of the climbs, but I watched two parties hike up without poles.

Pervertical was glorious today. Crampons axe and rope were appreciated for north chimney and traverse to the route

Diamond/north chimney from today 

Also Ellen, I think this might be you on pervertical? Super small dots but we saw a party somewhere over there today. (Zoom I'm required lol)

Pervertical 6/21 - Crampons and single ultralight axe still near-mandatory for the lower 2/3s of north chimney. No boots necessary to access any of the PV/D7 area, or casual pillar. PV was dry, primo condies, last few easy slab moves to table ledge were running but mostly avoidable. Upper kieners was 99% dry. Descended cables which is melting out fast and has a mega booter, but still very snowy.

Cables/North Face on Longs was still very snowy on 6/21. There was snow all the way down from well above the top eyebolt, which we couldn’t find and presume was buried under the snow. The snow was quite variable, from crusty hard to sloppy, with ice underneath anywhere from 6” below the snow surface. We were very glad to have piolets and crampons would have been perfectly welcome. Be safe, have fun!

Microspikes and light axe were nice on cables 6/23.  Based on the various leave-behinds, someone had an epic up there recently!  Hope ur ok.

if you could find the eye bolt I’m curious to know why the tat was needed

agreed, why on earth would you do that? I am struggling to imagine a scenario where that would increase speed/safety/literally anything else

ur not missing anything.  Homies were probably scared and a bit over their heads

No, they just didnt know any better.  They still had to thread their rope so this would have taken longer.  

Edit:  i know some of you speedy cats just drape the rope over the eyebolt but clearly that wasnt in consideration here.

Nathan M wrote:

No, they just didn't know any better.  

This. Route attracts a lot of beginners. I know because I was one of them 22 years ago. First mountain I ever tried to climb, first epic, and first time I had to rappel. Had no idea what I was doing and left tat behind in the wierdest of places (not on the cables though). That day was the closest I ever came to dying in the mountains when a rappel pulled on me as I weighted it. Everybody starts somewhere.

Cables was my first "alpine climb" in Dec 2009. My carabiners would not fit in the eyebolts, so we threaded runners through the holes and tied figure 8s to clip. We left two to bail because the pitch took us 3 hours and we were scared.

Chiefs Head and Spearhead snowfield conditions 6/24

Does anyone 

- know whether snow gear is needed to access chasm view wall with a post-sunrise start 

Or 

- have a picture looking toward chasm view wall from the diamond?

  View today from Wizards Gate

Ellen the Felon wrote:

Does anyone 

- know whether snow gear is needed to access chasm view wall with a post-sunrise start 

Or 

- have a picture looking toward chasm view wall from the diamond?

We kicked some steps over there at 9am a few days ago. Maybe only a 3-400ft section of snow we had to cross, clean sliding if you biff it, this pic is all I got unfortunately 

Ellen the Felon wrote:

Does anyone 

- know whether snow gear is needed to access chasm view wall with a post-sunrise start 

Or 

- have a picture looking toward chasm view wall from the diamond?

Seriously doubt it, Grant and I went up directissema on the 13th and didn't take anything for snow. No spikes, no axe.