The always impressive Dragontail. Photo by John Calder
--Last Friday John Calder headed up to Colchuck Lake for a little recon mission. He climbed the Colchuck Glacier to the col between Dragontail and Colchuck Peak, affording him a great perspective of the current conditions in the area. To read his report click here.
--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.
--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.
--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.
--Forecast for Mount Rainier.
--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adam conditions and recreation report.
--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth, and Highway 2.
--A party headed up to Rainy Pass last Friday to attempt an ascent of Black Peak. Among them was Will Baker, who posted a great trip report and photos on NWHikers.net. To read more about the great day they had in the mountains click here.
The great view towards Glacier Peak from Black Peak. Photo by Will Baker--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.
--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.
--The Tieton River climbing areas have been closed for the season due to nesting raptors. To read more about this closure, click here.
--It appears that a pair of peregrine falcons have nested on the classic line, Outer Space on Snow Creek Wall in Leavenworth. All routes from Outer Space, White Slabs Direct and White Fright, south to the descent gully, including Orbit, are closed to climbing until July 31st.
SIERRA:
--For information regarding wall closures due to falcon nesting in Yosemite National Park, click here.
--We found a recent update on road conditions in the Eastern Sierra region. Follow this link to read more.
--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.
--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass, and Yosemite National Park.
ALASKA RANGE:
John Frieh on evening commute home in the Great Gorge of the Ruth Glacier. Photo by Doug Shepard
--John Frieh and Doug Shepard just returned from the Great Gorge of the Ruth Glacier. They got in some great climbing and posted a fantastic trip report chock full of awe-inspiring photos (see above!) and good stories. Read more about their trip here.
--Our former Alaska Program Coordinator, Coley Gentzel, recently began work as a climbing ranger for Denali National Park. He returned from a scouting mission with some great beta on the current conditions in the Alaska Range that he kindly sent to us. Here is what he had to say:
Current Conditions in the Range
Overall, the snow conditions in the range are pretty good, better for lower angle glacier travel than higher angle more technical climbing right now. The surface of the valley glaciers have great coverage and the lower Kahiltna looks to be in awesome shape. The snowpack is fairly consolidated on lower angled terrain and a number of wind and ice layers have melded the snowpack together and seem to have locked up a really faceted and unstable layer lower in the snow pack. A recent storm cycle (April 25-27) dumped about three feet of new snow on the Kahiltna and Ruth glaciers with a bit less elsewhere in the range. The big concern with regard to snow conditions and the snow pack this year revolve around an ash layer subsequent to the March Redoubt eruptions. There is a fairly widespread layer of ash in the snowpack at varying depths between 3-4 feet down. I had the chance to observe the affect of the ash while it was on the surface of the snow and it was significant. When and if the new snow melts off and the ash layer is exposed, the surface conditions of the lower glacier will deteriorate very quickly. This is likely of greater concern to the later trips and I am sure there will be lots of communication on the subject between now and then. I am not really sure of any steps that could be taken to mitigate the issue, but rather it is just something to be aware of for now. The first Ranger team of the year is moving to 7800 today and should be at 14k setting up the NPS camp there within a week. There are currently about 30 climbers on the mountain and I don’t think any teams have made it up the fixed lines yet.
Approaching the Radio Control Tower
The approach to the Radio Control tower has changed quite a bit from what it looked like last year. I will try to mark up and send a few photos this evening. Currently there are two options for getting through the icefall on the approach to the route. Looking up from below, the far left hand side and the far right hand side. The far right hand side has less crevasse danger but it is very exposed to an active serac that avalanches across the only route through on that side. The left side is not threatened from above, but it requires some tricky navigation through some complex glacial features. Based on current conditions, I would recommend approaching and descending through the left side of the icefall. As the season wears on, things will change and if the left hand side (NW) poses a significant crevasse danger on the ascent, descending via the other side (SE) is certainly an option. Ascent on this side is not recommended as the time spent in the danger zone would be significant. Currently the left route starts on the outer edge of the icefall and follows a rib between a broken section and a deep slot. The rib ends at the top of a small slope and you are forced back to the right hand side of the icefall by a crevasse that splits most of the slope. This is the site of the crevasse fall from last year’s ARAM. The slots have opened up quite a bit wider than they were and are now impassable.
-Coley Gentzel
--Forecast for Denali.
--Webcam for Denali National Park.
--The Alaska season has begun and we are still accepting applications for our 2009 Denali Expeditions and our 2009 Alaska Range Mountaineering Programs. Please call our office (360-671-1505) for current availability.
ALPS:
--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.
--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.
RED ROCK CANYON:
--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.
--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.
--The scenic drive loop is back to opening its gates at 6 AM instead of 7 AM.
JOSHUA TREE:
--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.
--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.
