RMNP Conditions Report - Feb. 1st, 2010
The ski bum trades security for face shots, the future for the moment. Considering how hollow the promise of a corporate career has become, who can say the ski bum is not the wiser investor in his or her youth? Author Unknown
One could replace the words “ski bum” with “ski guide” and still have a fairly accurate observation. There are components to every job that one eventually comes to loathe or, at least, dislike. But one think I never get tired of hearing is people telling me that if they could do it over again, they would live their life more like a ski bum, that they would choose to invest their youth in reaping the dividends of the mountains. After all, money can be made at any point but youth only comes once in a lifetime.
I squandered a little more of my youth today skiing at Berthoud Pass, jumping off roll-overs and cliffs and having a blast in the witner mountains. Why Berthoud and not the Park, you may well wonder? Well, winter is having a very slow start snow-wise this year and the Park continues to remain relatively barren. But we did receive a few inches of new snow overnight which means that, so far in February, we are doing quite well. Let’s hope it lasts.
Cornices in the Park over the weekend were quite resistant to this ski bum’s weight but with much persuasion eventually did slide harmlessly off their perches without further event. At one point I counted 11 people in the West Dragontail Couloir, some skiing down, some boot-packing up. I feared for them all but as it turns out, thankfully, nothing happened. Despite the overall appearances of stability in the Park, I’m very sure our deep-slab instabilities still exist. We easily discovered the mid-pack faceted layer that the Colorado Avalanche Information Center has been warning us about. In other areas, it was very difficult to find or nonexistant. In some areas, these layers may be too deep for a traveler’s weight to impact; in other areas, it’s not. From the Bear Lake parking lot on Sunday, for example, it was easy to see a large crown near the Taylor Glacier, likely a natural release. Despite big, deep avalanches, our snowpack remains puny. Rocks are fully sticking out of the snow where I never knew rocks existed before. Mere skinning to various objectives can prove to be the crux of the day. That being said, for the committed and wise, good turns can still be found even in these most dire of snowpack situations. We should all remember that just ‘cause you ski something and ride away alive doesn’t mean you didn’t come within inches or pounds of tragic disaster. I saw a lot of people skiing big lines in the Park this weekend and I was scared at times. The new snow isn’t bonding well and the winds are creating a new windslab that is highly reactive.
Today, for example, I triggered one small slide (6”x40’x100’) merely by approaching a ridgeline convexity. Another larger slide (8”x200’x100’) either failed naturally as I stood watching it or, more likely, was remotely triggered as I approached it. Both were on a SSE aspect at treeline. As these winds form thicker windslabs, this type of activity will be a real danger for the backcountry traveler.
Sunny, calm, and warm weather created a very different Park experience over the weekend. The Glacier Gorge and Bear Lake TH’s were super full and there were lots of denim-and-cotton-clad travelers on the trails, many glibbly exposing themselves to unreal avalanche hazard without knowing it. When the weather’s nice, sneakers and jeans may seem like appropriate attire. It’s unlikely that you’ll spend the night or lose your way in such nice weather…but a sprained ankle/knee combined with poor clothing spells disaster.
For you ice climbers, I don’t have much new news as conditions this time of year don’t change too much. I doubt “Jaws” survived the latest extremely warm weekend but maybe. I don’t know. The “West Gully,” however, is reportedly in fine shape. “Hidden Falls” continues to grow. The “Overflow” is in good and is now seeing very little traffic. I should have an update from some alpine objectives later in the week. CMS Guide Chris Burke reported from the “NW Face” on Thatchtop, saying the route is in good shape. There was WI3 on the lower and upper sections with a bit of WI2 in between. His report indicates very little snow but some instability in what was encountered, even kicking off one small slab avalanche. For the most part, however, rock pro and good route-finding allowed the safe passage into the nuking winds above. Yummy!
Overall, we are having a very tame and mild winter here in RMNP. For some this is a blessing; for others, like me, it’s a bit of a sore spot so I’ll appreciate you not bringing it up in conversation, thank you very much. :) If you have any observations from the Park you’d like to share, or if you just have questions about your next visit, please shoot me an e-mail at acouncell@totalclimbing.com. I’m always happy to help whenever I can. Stay safe out there!
Andrew Councell is a CMS Guide and year-round Estes Park resident…one of the few!
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