conditions on Stuart, Dragontail, & between

[dmdebruin]

I'll be heading to the Stuart Range in the first week of June with a couple partners (we're from outta state or I'd probably be there now). We are going back for round 2 on an attempt at traversing from Stuart to Dragontail with Sherpa, Argonaut, and Colchuck along the way.

 

Last year we attempted the traverse in the last week of May and the Stuart Glacier Couloir had barely enough ice left in it to go (though the rock on the West Ridge was very pleasant).

 

It's my understanding that the snowpack in the Cascades this year is quite low in general, but then I see week-old trip reports from the Triple Couloirs about how conditions are perfect.

 

Consequently, I'd love to know what conditions are looking like in that area right now. I'm also accepting everyone's predictions on what that means for conditions in 3 weeks.

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited May 10, 2015 by dmdebruin

[.chad]

I was in the area on Friday (5/8). Headed up NBC on Colchuck and descended Colchuck glacier.

 

Continuous snow started a couple hundred or so feet above the lake. The couloir and northwest face were generally well-covered with snow, though there were a few moves on ice/rock. Snow was firm as long as it wasn't in the sun (weather.gov overnight low for Colchuck Lake/Dragontail was 30F, and skies were clear). The summit plateau on Colchuck was mostly snow-covered. Glacier was all snow-covered.

 

At 1pm I was about to leave Colchuck Lake for the TH when I heard what sounded like rockfall coming off Dragontail. A few moments later snow started pouring out of the first couloir on Triple Couloirs, and continued (at a significant rate) for about 20 seconds.

 

No idea what things will be like in 3 weeks