NORTHWEST:
--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.
--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.
--Forecast for Mount Rainier.
--The Washington State DOT recently sent out this message: "For those of you who are planning a trip this weekend - I'm giving you a heads-up. The forecast is calling for temperatures to reach the 80's and perhaps even the 90's from Thursday through Sunday. If that happens quickly, it could make every avalanche chute above the highway unstable and the worst case scenario would be having to close the highway. Our avalanche crew is concerned and will be staying in Winthrop all week making daily assessments."
--Clearly if there are avalanche warnings for the North Cascades Highway, then everybody should pay very close attention this weekend!
--There is still 4.5 miles of snow before the parking lot to the Heliotrope Ridge trailhead on the north side of Mount Baker. There is a lot of new snow in this area and the track up to the mountain is not well set. Most teams have recently had a very difficult time getting up to the glacier in the deep snow. Parties are commonly camping well below the normal sites due to the conditions.
--Northwest climbing superstar, Colin Haily, climbed the couloir between the Early Winter Spires this weekend. They found good conditions with a few short sections of AI 3. To see photos of his climb, log onto colinhaley.com.
--There's a great ski report from Silver Star Mountain here.
--For a ski report from Snoqualmie Pass, click here.
--The Washington State DOT recently sent out this message: "For those of you who are planning a trip this weekend - I'm giving you a heads-up. The forecast is calling for temperatures to reach the 80's and perhaps even the 90's from Thursday through Sunday. If that happens quickly, it could make every avalanche chute above the highway unstable and the worst case scenario would be having to close the highway. Our avalanche crew is concerned and will be staying in Winthrop all week making daily assessments."
--Clearly if there are avalanche warnings for the North Cascades Highway, then everybody should pay very close attention this weekend!
--There is still 4.5 miles of snow before the parking lot to the Heliotrope Ridge trailhead on the north side of Mount Baker. There is a lot of new snow in this area and the track up to the mountain is not well set. Most teams have recently had a very difficult time getting up to the glacier in the deep snow. Parties are commonly camping well below the normal sites due to the conditions.
--Northwest climbing superstar, Colin Haily, climbed the couloir between the Early Winter Spires this weekend. They found good conditions with a few short sections of AI 3. To see photos of his climb, log onto colinhaley.com.
--There's a great ski report from Silver Star Mountain here.
--For a ski report from Snoqualmie Pass, click here.
--AAI Guide, Joseph Anderson, recently went into the Cascade River Road to get to Boston Basin. The road is blocked at mile 12. Joseph and his partner attempted bike and ski into the trailhead. He indicated that you could mountain bike from mile 12 to 17 and then skin from 17 on. He found difficult conditions, but felt that with warming the conditions would get significantly worse. The NPS indicates that they may not fix the road until mid to late summer.
RED ROCK CANYON:
--Daily highs are now moving into the 90s. It's been a great season. Cool in the early fall, moderate throughout the winter and cool through the spring. It is likely that there will be two to three more weeks of comfortable climbing in the shade.
--There are open campsites at the 13 Mile Campground. The campground closes at the end of the month for the summer.
--The Red Rock Scenic Drive is now open from 6 in the morning until 8 in the evening
.--If you are doing a long route and don’t think that you’ll be back to the car by 8, then be sure to call 702-515-5050 to obtain a late exit permit.
--A new parking lot is currently under construction at the start of the Black Velvet Road. If you wish to climb in Black Velvet Canyon you will need to access it via an alternative route.
SIERRA:
--For up to date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.
--For the most part the skiing is still quite good in the Eastern Sierra. There is still quite a bit of good corn snow throughout the range.
-- A skier recently reported that the snow up Rock Creek drainage is quickly diminishing.
--The slopes above Lake Serena are completely suncupped and are currently difficult to ski.
--In the Palasades region there is continuous snow above the Second Lake.
--For the most part the skiing is still quite good in the Eastern Sierra. There is still quite a bit of good corn snow throughout the range.
-- A skier recently reported that the snow up Rock Creek drainage is quickly diminishing.
--The slopes above Lake Serena are completely suncupped and are currently difficult to ski.
--In the Palasades region there is continuous snow above the Second Lake.
ALASKA RANGE:
--AAI Guide Paul Ivaska, reports that the lower Kahiltna Glacier on Denali is in great shape this year. Last year it was a bit broken up, resulting in four crevasse falls throughout the season.
--High winds are predicted on Denali for the end of the week. The predicted 50+ mile an hour winds will probably keep most parties hunkered down for a few days. A team at base camp reported high winds last night.
ALPS:
--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.
--This website has snow reports for ski resorts throughout the Alps.
MOUNT EVEREST:
--Summit conditions on Mount Everest are updated every day here. Estimated summit conditions on Everest at 6 pm Nepal time: -28 C , winds 34 knots from the southwest some clouds.
