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Cameron Pass Conditions Febuary 9th

Kevin Landolt — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:27:42 +0000

A couple of friends and I made it up to Cameron Pass on Tuesday and found great conditions. A couple weeks worth of mild weather allowed for the consolidation of the snowpack’s upper layers while the weak storm cycle that came through this past weekend dropped several inches of low density precipitation with little wind. Unfortunately the winds picked up Monday night and began their usual cycle of destruction. By Tuesday morning the face was a blank slate with few tracks from the weekend visible, (though soft sastrugi –like wind runnels were obvious on most exposed slopes). Another party of backcountry enthusiasts were skiing the slopes of South Diamond that slid back on January 10^th and it looked like they had triggered a small slide near the summit ridge. Other small pockets of natural activity were visible on the center of the face as well.

Note the snow being blown off the ridge.

We lapped Ptarmigan Run several times, enjoying fast and soft turns in boot-top, slightly wind-affected powder. The winds gradually increased and changed direction (from W/NW to due North) and the low-density snow was being stripped off the exposed faces at a rapid pace. We also found some good turns on the SE shoulder of North Diamond. With its exposure to sun and wind this face is best skied immediately following a period of fresh-precipitation and low winds and we got to it just in time. Down in the trees the snow was deep and dreamy.

Derek skinning up N. Diamond. Wind ripples evident.

Pits on E and NE slopes revealed little bonding between the fresh precipitation (which is quickly being re deposited and forming touchy pockets of wind slab) and older layers. The long period of warm weather created a melt-freeze crust (good bed surface) on aspects exposed to the sun, so be weary of what’s below you. That 90cm layer of hard-slab is still down there, resting on nothing but depth hoar, so slides (especially on steeper, unsupported slopes) have the potential to rip big and deep. We’re not out of the woods yet, but good skiing is to be had!

We're not complaining.

Tour safe and have fun,

Kevin L.

- And if you’re thinking about heading to RMNP check out Eli’s site. It looks like he’s been skiing some sweet lines lately and has some cool viddies up highlighting the action.

Cameron Pass Conditions January 21st

Kevin Landolt — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:02:45 +0000

No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place. - Zen saying

A small cell over the Never Summers has allowed for some light and varied accumulation. Winds have been whipping around and redistributing what has fallen. I skied up Seven Utes on Tuesday and found decent skiing. Though the area had been heavily tracked out over the weekend, enough new snow had fallen to partially cover the old tracks and allow for some pleasant skiing.

An un-named peak appears out of the clouds in the Silver Cr. Drainage.

Digging pits on N/NE aspects at tree line revealed the now familiar scene of 90+ cm of fresh precipitation and decomposing/fragmented particles on top a 60+cm bed of large facets and cup-shaped crystals. Compression tests revealed moderate results: CT-15/ECT-20, propagation appeared less reactive, and shears were Quality 2+ at the facets.

Decomposing/Fragmented Particles and Precipitation Particles form a slab over a bed of facets.

Reports on Powderbuzz indicate steeper lines are being skied without consequence, but be mindful that the current issue of depth-hoar is rooted in the base of the snowpack and the overall snow-depth on most slopes is still relatively shallow. The trend of light precipitation and moderate winds is forecasted to continue through the weekend. Be wary of fresh windslab on N/NE/E aspects above tree line.

And it never hurts to pray for more snow.

Cameron Pass Conditions January 11th

Kevin Landolt — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:49:39 +0000

“I love the winter mountains, but dread them too, as any sane person should. In a city it’s easy to think of the earth as fragile. Out here it feels otherwise. This place doesn’t seem weak. This earth won’t shatter at our touch. What seems fragile is how we think of ourselves. Out here I feel the immensity that lies beyond thought. In our minds, we make a small, safe place in which to live. But the world is a presence beyond our acts and dreams. There are blue mountains and white storms. We can prepare, but not predict.”

- C.L. Rawlins

Ptarmigan Run saw some action earlier this week.

This past Friday a friend and I scouted out Longest Run and some glades up around American Lakes. Although I didn’t observe any fresh natural activity, the snowpack was extremely tender and reactive. Temperatures remained in the low 20s, but with little wind. Aspects below treeline exposed to sun were especially worrisome and by the end of our day shooting cracks and settling were non-stop. We ended up retreating from both our planned descents. Pits dug on Longest Run (N. facing, below treeline) revealed a thick and fairly hard slab – 75cm of / (Decomposing & Fragmented Particles) and 30cm of + (Precipitation Particles), suspended by 75+ cm of FC (Faceted Crystals) and ^ (Cup-Shaped Crystals – Depth Hoar). An ice lens near the ground was still apparent in some areas. Up near American Lakes we found a shallow and less complex snowpack on NW/W aspects but of the same nature: Slab on a deep layer of facets, a “suspended snowpack”.

The layer of concern.

On Saturday around noon a large chunk of the N/NE face of S. Diamond slid. This is the third year in a row this slope has avalanched. Apparently it was a busy day up there; skiers and riders were farming turns on Ptarmigan Run, kids were hucking jumps at the base of Main Gully, and several parties were traversing the bench below the face. Fortunately no one was caught in the slide. It is still unclear whether the avalanche was natural or remotely triggered by a party skiing along the ridge or down on the bench.

Looking up the slide from the S. end.

I drove up early Sunday morning to examine the scene. I was amazed by the length of propagation: from S. Gully to the center of the face, a couple hundred yards easy. The crown appeared to be between three and seven feet in depth, and the slope slid on a prevalent basal crust. Tongues of debris (10+ feet deep in areas) crossed the bench and petered out in the glades. The rocky steps on S. Shoulder slid as well, though possibly at an earlier date. I dug pits on a similar aspect to the slide and observed a layer of hard slab (95cm in depth – 65 / and 30 cm +) resting on top of 65+ cm of facets, on top of a thin basal crust… Nothing new and pretty universal for these aspects in the zone. I also saw easy results (CT-9 / ECT-14 / Quality 2) with stability tests.

Debris on the bench was 10+ feet deep in areas.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. I found good turns above treeline on the E. face of North Diamond. Though slightly wind/sun affected the snowpack was relatively shallow/consistent and offered up some good carvable turns on a styrofoam-like surface. It’s been a warm week up in the high-country and the wind has died down a bit. Don’t let these calm, sunny conditions fool you. Expect lingering sensitivity for some time to come.

Here’s a quote Ethan Greene of the CAIC posted on the 8th: “We are issuing a Special Advisory Statement for the Northern Mountains and the Sawatch range. Dangerous avalanche conditions currently exist in backcountry areas. A very weak snowpack and weather earlier this season have created conditions where natural avalanches are unlikely, but human triggered avalanches are probable.”

As always, be safe and have fun.

Kevin L.

- There’s some good pics and discussion about the recent slide on Powderbuzz.

Cameron Pass Conditions, January 5th

Kevin Landolt — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:40:32 +0000

“How strange and wonderful is our home, our earth, with its swirling vaporous atmosphere, its flowing and frozen liquids, its trembling plants, its creeping, crawling, climbing creatures, the croaking things with wings that hang on rocks and sour through the fog, the furry grass, the scaly seas.”

- Edward Abbey

D-Rock surfing the good stuff.

I made it up to the pass twice this week and found safe and stellar skiing on both occasions. As everyone knows, this season’s snowpack is delicate and reactive. We have a widespread issue with depth hoar that will likely plague us for months to come, and the complexity of the snowpack can drastically differ from location to location. Digging around on various aspects in different drainages near Cameron Pass I saw very little in common pit to pit. One constant was a large (35-65cm) bed of FC (faceted crystals) beneath various layers of / (Decomposing and fragmented precipitation particles) and + (Precipitation Particles).

Incredible turns on Ptarmigan Run

The cold weather, wind, and fresh precipitation of recent weeks has allowed for the consolidation of soft-slab/hard-slab on most aspects above and below tree-line. While touring use a ski-pole as a probe and poke around the snow beneath you; get a feel for what you’re standing on, dig hasty pits often, and take into account reports of remotely triggered avalanches by parties traveling below and away from the slide area. Also avoid steep terrain; recent slides in the zone have slid at relatively low angles. As always be wary of shooting cracks, settling, and natural avalanche activity: all of which are great indicators that can help you make sound terrain choices while out touring.

My friend Derek and I enjoyed incredible conditions yesterday on South Diamond’s Ptarmigan Run. 35+cm of fresh, dry and light precip unaffected by the wind allowed for my first face-shots of the season. Temperatures remained in the 20s, and while we enjoyed a wind-free day on the N/NE face, we were immediately pummeled by W/NW gale force winds once we crested the summit ridge. We took into account the growing cornice threat on the ridgeline from S. Diamond well over to Montgomery Pass. The recent slides on point 11,588 were visible and we determined the crowns from these large slides were easily 7+ feet in depth – they ran to the ground. Be safe, have fun, and tour wisely.

Here’s some useful links.

Climbinglife.com

CMS RMNP Conditions

Powderbuzz CP-Conditions thread

Happy New Year

Kevin Landolt — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:46:53 +0000

“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”

– Goethe

Welcome to Alpine Ambition blog, my name is Kevin Landolt; I’m twenty-one years old and live in Fort Collins, CO. I’m an avid climber and backcountry skier pursuing a career in mountain-guiding and climbing/ski instruction. The purpose of this blog is to document that process as well as to share thoughts on training, climbing, skiing, and life in general. It is also a top priority of mine to share weekly conditions updates for Cameron Pass. I have been blogging since early last summer. Feel free to check out my old blog at alpineambitionblog.blogspot.com.

Skiing along the ridge towards Mt. Mahler

My lone tracks off the ridge E. of Seven Utes

The past couple of weeks have afforded me some incredible ski-tours in the Never Summers. I’ve been touring here since I was old enough to drive and I’m always psyched on the place. Lately I’ve gotten really excited about pushing longer trips into some of the more remote drainages along the Divide. While the usual Diamond Peaks, Montgomery Pass, Seven Utes, Lake Agnes area, etc… are all great destinations that offer good skiing, studying the RMNP border area on the map has me amped on longer, more committing tours. Snow-caves and heavy packs anyone?

Here in town I’ve been training pretty hard at the gym. You can expect from me a fair bit of splatter about “training”. I dig it. More in an armchair athlete sort of way, but I still try to remain disciplined and stay fit even when I can’t find a climbing partner (usually) and end up punting around on skis or going for a trail-run. I think reading and re-reading Kiss or Kill is what did it. Anyway, happy new year everyone. Talk to you soon.

Campusing with the tools