High Altitude Adventures

Dragon Tail Couloir

I got invited to go climb the Dragon Tail Couloir this past weekend with a group of 3 other people. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get up close and personal with one of the best couloirs in Rocky Mountain National Park and an opportunity to check out the conditions for skiing and snowboarding.

With the variable conditions in the higher altitudes in RMNP we decided that we should make it an early morning push and get as far up the couloir as we could before the sun hit it and started to warm things up.

We left the Bear lake trailhead at 6:00am and made really good time getting up to Emerald Lake. As the sun was just peaking up on the east side of the lake at about 6:30 we had our crampons on and ice axes in hand as we started our 1800’ ascent.

The snow in the lower section was somewhat soft and you could see the left overs of a few sluff slides or possibly some really small wet slides but the debris was not very deep and did not leed to any concern.

As we made our way up the into the couloir onto the 45 degree slope we hung to the south side were the snow was packed firm and you could get a really good perch the whole way up. Also in the gut of the couloir the snow looked really good and as the snow hit it, it was perfect spring snow for skiing.

We went up the left side where the dragon tail splits into two different chutes because the cornice on the top of the right side was looking very large and unstable. At the 55 degree narrow section the snow was softening up a little bit but still giving great holds for both feet ad axes.  Where the normal 5.3 rock section is we actually ended up just being able to walk onto the rock, which was covered with about 2” of really soft snow.  This made travel a little interesting but certainly easier than having to climb it.  From here it was just an easy walk up out of the top where you meet the Flat Top Mountain trail.

The descent back down Flat Top Mountain was packed nicely and we had no trouble getting down quickly without the snowshoes that we decided to leave in the car.  We reached the Bear Lake parking lot around 10:00am just as the normal Sunday morning crowds that are so prominent to the area were showing up.

The conditions in the Dragon Tail were so good that I think I will have to go back in the next few days and drop in from the top snowboard.  So keep your eyes open for my posting on snowboarding this great 55* couloir.

Cheers!

10 Mile Tour: Conditions are Superb in Rocky Mountain National Park

After some great climbing in Boulder Canyon at the beginning of the weekend I decided I needed to get up to Rocky Mountain National Park and check out some of the spring mountaineering lines. To my disappointment anyone who would normally come along on a spring climb or ski was crammed with end of the year school work, so I decided I would just have to go on a fast hike and check out a few spots.

I got up to Estes in the late morning around 10:00 am and after getting some coffee at Kind coffee decided I should head up to check out the Loch, Sky Pond and Taylor Glacier.  After pulling into the Glacier Gorge parking area and seeing a lot of cars I decided that the trail would be fastest in just boots.  Although there were a lot of people on the trail I did not see a sole after I left the Loch lake until I reached Sky Pond, the trail was packed in really hard, and the conditions were really good except for where the winter trail followed the summer trail up the roll over to Glass Lake, this was a prime avi slope at 38* and looked like it was begging for a wet slide in the afternoon sun, but this did not stop 3 groups of hikers from going straight up it instead of skirting the easy rocks off to the side.

As for Taylor Glacier it looked like it was in prime condition at the time, although I figure an early morning ascent would be crucial since the sun was really baking the snow and softening it up.  There was a line going up the glacier that you can see in the picture highlighted in red.  Also the Cathedral Spires looked like they would be really good for climbing right now, the rock was getting good sun all day, but still might be cold up towards the top.

After a short break below Glass Lake I decided that I had enough time to head over to Emerald Lake and check out the Dragon Tail Couloirs and Hallett Couloir.  Both of these were looking excellent and I was really excited to see that the snow on the Dragon Tail was much softer than when I had been up there earlier this winter for a run at it, but found it to be a hard wind blown sheet.  Also I talked to a couple coming off of the lower part of Dragon Tail who skied it before it actually turns into a narrow steep Couloir and they reported that the conditions were great.  I did notice thought that all of the lakes in the Bear Lake area had become very soft from the sun and I actually put my foot through the ice on the far side of Emerald Lake so an early morning start is a good idea unless you want to hike around the lakes, but it might not matter regardless in a few weeks if these warm conditions continue especially if there are some cloud covered nights.

But overall the conditions in Rocky Mountain where looking excellent especially for the more east facing snow slopes and much of the rock that was not north facing.  It will be a fast spring ski season of steep lines before it’s time for some good alpine climbs in this area.

Cheers!