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Mt. Sneffels

Peak Condition Updates  
10/5/2024
Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/7/2024, By: FinnishFlicka
Info: We used the Southwest Ridge to ascend and South Slopes to descend - both routes still in full summer conditions. While I thought the ridge was a more fun scramble overall, the south slopes made for a nice loop and was not as loose as I thought initially. The fall colors are incredible in the area right now, both from the drive to the trailhead and when viewed from the summit. A great day for my 14er finisher! :) 
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9/25/2024
Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/25/2024, By: ryalsbr86
Info: Good conditions in both routes. No snow or adverse conditions. Road is dry and in descent shape to the upper lot(4x4, but no major new washouts. 
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9/19/2024
Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/20/2024, By: AnastasiaC
Info: It's been about 4 years since the last time we drove to the Yankee Boy Basin. I was really surprised at how much the road to the lower 4WD trailhead has deterioted due to washouts and landslides. If you have a high clearance vehicle with a small wheel base, you shouldn't have any issues getting to the upper trailhead. Worst part was the nasty washout at the bottom of 4WD road. For reference we drove Chevy Silverado. Southwest Ridge was dry, but with upcoming storm it will change. We took the standard route down. There is some ice in the notch, it made downclimbing a bit awkward. Microspikes made our descent quick and easy. I can't imagine not having them in that nasty couloir! 
9/19/2024
Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/20/2024, By: AnastasiaC
Info: It's been about 4 years since the last time we drove to the Yankee Boy Basin. I was really surprised at how much the road to the lower 4WD trailhead has deterioted due to washouts and landslides. If you have a high clearance vehicle with a small wheel base, you shouldn't have any issues getting to the upper trailhead. Worst part was the nasty washout at the bottom of 4WD road. For reference we drove Chevy Silverado. Southwest Ridge was dry, but with upcoming storm it will change. We took the standard route down. There is some ice in the notch, it made downclimbing a bit awkward. Microspikes made our descent quick and easy. I can't imagine not having them in that nasty couloir! 
9/8/2024
Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/9/2024, By: punkcl1mber
Info: Thoroughly enjoyed going up the Southwest Ridge, so much fun scrambling!! Once you get out from the gullies and have to move across some large scree rocks, this area can have some very loose sections. I was a bit down from the true ridge and ran into many loose sections. Perhaps closer to the ridge may be a bit more solid. Once you get through that section, the upper headwall with super grippy and super great rock to get to the summit, it's hard to find a bad section of rock! But in any case, double check what you are about to grab/step and make sure it's good(this is especially true for the gullies up the SW ridge). **Big Note, descending the south slopes is best for after this ascent. after dropping through the V notch which will be a challenge for those of shorter height, but there are holds there to use. Coming down the Upper gully, I mostly stayed on the left side using the wall for support, only venturing across when forced to do so, I moved pretty well down the side as one option. BE PREPARED for the nasty descent down the scree slope under the saddle of the south slopes. Poles can be helpful here. it's a tough call to find the route if there is even one there anymore. i found a mix of the boulders on the right side(going down) and some of the open scree slope worked alright. a large boulder from the right side(facing downhill) got knocked loose by other hikers while i was up in the upper slope, it sounded like a thunderstorm, no one was hurt thankfully. May not be the best first 14er for the unprepared hiker, start early and make sure you up for the class 3 sections. 
8/28/2024
Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/29/2024, By: Flips
Info: If you see this yellow reflector at about 13,200 to 13,300 elevation, just before the climbing starts, there are trekking poles behind this rock, covered by smaller rocks. If you take the poles, they are yours to keep. If you are doing the loop via the South route, they will be very useful to get down the death by scree slope. 
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8/28/2024
Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 8/29/2024, By: Flips
Info: The snow from last Sunday, 8/24/24, is completely gone. 
8/28/2024
Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/29/2024, By: Flips
Info: The snow from last Sunday, 8/24/24, is completely gone. 
8/25/2024
Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 8/25/2024, By: supranihilest
Info: I didn't climb Sneffels today but I can see it from my house and it snowed below 13,000' today. It'll probably melt quickly but be warned the next day or two might be wet/snowy/icy. The western side of the range didn't seem to get as much/any. 
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8/17/2024
Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 8/18/2024, By: Csteve30
Info: Perfectly clear day on 8/17. Drove up to the last pulloff area before the road gets real rough but wanted to camp so decided to start from a little lower where there is a small loop with some campsites. Ended up being about 5.4mi round trip from where we camped. Steep but easy going until you reach the trail split that starts the direct ascent to Sneffels. The scree-covered slope is probably the worst part of the whole hike. Starts off alright but the last 2/3 before you reach the saddle is super loose and with how busy this hike is you need to slow your pace to a crawl to prevent any rocks from tumbling down. The gully is steep but has larger boulders that arent as loose so found this easier to do. The one class 3 move isnt too terrible if you take your time. May be difficult for anybody less than 5'5" coming down to try and reach the last step down. Awesome 360 views at the top. 
1
8/9/2024
Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 8/11/2024, By: KHay
Info: After rain the night before, caught a cloudy day for Snuffles. Up the SW Ridge and down the south Slope. Route funding up was straight forward until the final section. The scramble looks stouter than class 3 but its an easy, solid route on the ridge. The route down was harder to find. We missed the notch and ended up in a gulley lower down. When you descend the obvious dirt trail from the top, stay toward the upper, leftmost gulley that lines up with the top of the saddle. Eventually we found a few cairns in the lower gulley and were able to down climb into the right location. Started at the trailhead around 5:30 and back to the car before noon. Overall a great day. 
1
8/8/2024
Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 8/8/2024, By: ssowalskie
Info: Summer conditions. The slope and gully are a slog, and the notch is dry and passable. I found more solid rock by sticking to the left side of the slope on the ascent and the left/center left of the gully. The notch was easy on the way up, just a little trickier on the descent, so depending on your comfort level you may want a spotter. Saw about half the climbers with helmets and half without (including some people that only had running shoes and a water bottle - please make sure to bring the necessary gear). Car to car it took just under 4.5 hours from the outhouse parking area. 
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8/3/2024
Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/3/2024, By: catward77
Info: Did the loop up SW, down South. Started from outhouse parking around 4:15am; Subaru outback drove up easily. Cut through Blue Lakes Pass past Wrights Lake instead of taking the road the rest of the way. Saw 10+ shooting stars. SW ridge was a super fun class 3 climb. Summit was busy. Descended south slopes which was just a bunch of loose, steep scree that I didn't enjoy as much. Recommend ascending SW ridge if you're comfy with just a tad more technical sections; it's very worth it in my opinion. 
1
7/29/2024
Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/29/2024, By: PearsonJohnP
Info: Wonderful day. I did the Southwest loop to the summit and then down the South side. On trail by 7, at the 2WD junction, and back by 1. Clouds came in around 12 but no rain. 
2
7/27/2024
Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/29/2024, By: Abowser7
Info: Great day on Sneffels, full summer conditions. Started at 4, summit at 5:30, back to car at 7. I drive a 4runner with a 3" lift and 33's and was able to make it about a half mile short of the upper trailhead. There is a large parking spot where myself and about 7 other cars parked. I would not attempt the upper upper trailhead unless you have even more clearance. There are a few sections of rock that just look like a staircase, only two cars made it to the upper trailhead and they were both very heavily modified tacomas. 
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