Colchuck Lake Conditions - 16th Jan

[Ade]

Full TR in the works but here's what conditions are like up there.

 

Reasonable bootpack in to the lake we skied but mostly doable without floatation, especially if the weather continues as it is. Warm weather and rain has left a very thin, dense snowpack with patches of bare ground in spots.

 

The east side of the lake is not well frozen. We skied the west side near the shore and it was fine. Be very careful on the lake.

 

Snow cover is very low at the moment. Asgard pass has very little snow on it's upper section and the Colchuck glacier still has patches of blue ice showing. Not really great skiing yet.

 

None of the mixed lines on Dragontail are in good condition; Dragontail Madness, Triple Couloirs, North Face, or the Gerber-Sink. Very little snow or ice build up. Not that surprising most of these are late season routes anyways. The TC's have very little snow and there was significant rock falls down it both days we were there.

 

Another party climbed the NE Buttress couloir on Colchuck and said it was snow all the way. The NE couloir also looked reasonable. Definitely a better bet than the TCs.

 

Currently the inversion is making it much warmer up there than you would expect. Clear skys are allowing things to set up at night but even then it's really not that cold. The NWS forecast of daytime temps in the forties and no wind are pretty much spot on.

 

Cheers,

 

Ade

[esugi]

Thanks Ade, great TR and congrats! How is the road condition up to the Trailhead? skiiable?

Thanks

[Ade]

Icy and rutted but skiable (remember I'm from London and therefore the worst skier you've probably ever seen). There's a short bare patch about 1/4 of a mile up the road but othet than that it's good.

 

Ade