Mt. Sneffels

Route: Visual from afar
Posted On: 12/8/2014, By: d_baker
Info: Views of Yankee Boy peaks from the S. I don't have info on conditions in the basin, or about how far on the road one can drive. Snow conditions in the Red Mtn Pass area on S/SE/E aspects at and above treeline were supportable/firm with a few inches of slough on top. Didn‘t feel instabilities on slopes up to ~30ish*. Pix: #1 -- Gilpin & Sneffels (l. to r.) #2 -- Cirque, Teakettle, Potosi (highpoints l. to r.) #3 -- T0 (far left) & Dallas (center) 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 10/5/2014, By: LadyClimber
Info: I was really looking forward to a snow climb, but as we made our way up the basin it became pretty apparent that it was unlikely. The SW facing slopes only have patchy snow, while the northern facing slopes still have a thick blanket. The difference in snow coverage on the varying slope aspects was really pretty astonishing. Lavender Col is still a miserable scree slog with ribbons of breakable crust snow. The gully heading toward the V notch was knee to thigh deep slush. The notch itself was choked with snow. We had a motivational crisis at that juncture and bailed. We parked at the lower TH where the toilet is, and hiked the road up which was snow free for the first half. Then it is mostly snow covered (it looked like a few jeeps had attempted to get up but obviously failed). The trail from the upper TH is patchy snow. Snow shoes/skis would be useless since you‘d have to take them off frequently. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 9/30/2014, By: BagginPeaks
Info: Made an attempt on Sneffels today despite the heavy snowfall on Monday. No trouble getting to the lower TH but definitely used the 4WD feature on my truck to get up there. The mountains are pure white and you would think its the middle of January not the end of September. Deep drifts and post holing up the couloirs. The ‘V‘ notch (pictures 26/27 in the route description) was the crux of the route and we had to turn back at that point. The rock was covered in rime and snow and there is serious exposure below the notch. Without a rope to protect the move we decided it was just too dicey and not worth it to continue. Met a couple all-mountain badasses at the TH and we ended up being the only ones brave enough to attempt the mountain. All previous groups either wandered around off trail aimlessly or turned back at the apron of the ascent gulley. Fun day, but be prepared for full on winter conditions up there! 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 8/10/2014, By: barryfagin
Info: The route is completely dry and clear except for a stretch of about twenty yards in the col below the V-notch, which remains covered with snow/slush/ice. I didn‘t see many people with shoe spikes, but I had mine and was glad I did, made things much easier. Couldn‘t believe how many people didn‘t have helmets, though, particularly given that I heard at least three "rock!" calls. Wear a helment on Sneffels, people. ‘nuff said! --BF 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 8/10/2014, By: joeygoat9
Info: Still a bit of snow for a short portion in the couloir. Maybe about 50 feet at a relatively mild angle. The rest of the route is completely dry aside from a few stray patches of ice. I would recommend an ice axe, but most people on the mountain were using a sharp rock as a substitute. This should be gone within the next couple of weeks. No gear needed really. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/4/2014, By: TakeMeToYourSummit
Info: A small patch of snow exists at the notch (pic 21 of the route description). It should be gone within a week or so. Wet rocks on the next steep pitch made it the crux. As the last report noted - The Lavender Couloir is still holding snow in its upper portion. Having my ice axe made the descent 5 fold safer. Took the descenders right variation out of the LC (class 3 downclimb). pic1 - steep wet crux pic2 - Lavender Couloir pic3 - LC variation 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/30/2014, By: photomichael
Info: The Lavender Couloir still has snow in the upper third. It requires climbing about 100 yards of snow to reach the notch. Not recommended without ice axes or hiking poles to stabilize in the snow. I witnessed two people struggling to control their descent without ice axes, poles or crampons. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/13/2014, By: sunny1
Info: Prior report by Ldub 7/3/14 remains good information. Ascended the SW ridge - there's a gully with soft snow and ice underneath after you drop down to bypass a gendarme, reascending the gully. Traction and an axe are ideal for this spot. We ended up ascending the gendarme on rock, C4 -low 5 climbing, then cutting across the snow higher. On the standard route, after the notch on the descent, the gully remains full of soft snow/ice. People are bypassing it on the rock rib to the right (climber's right on descent), staying out of the gully. Agree it's C2+ - C3 on this bypass. The scree descent from the saddle is muddy/wet up high, but dry lower. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/15/2014, By: ezabielski
Info: Some snowfields to cross in the basin. Easily done without any gear. On the class 3 SW Ridge route, there are some snowfields to carefully walk around. On the standard route, you have to cross the snow at the very top of a couloir near the summit which must be done carefully. There are other minor snowfields that are easily crossed/avoided above 13k. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/7/2014, By: Ldub
Info: mostly snow free except for the gullies. We had to make around 5 short snow crossings, most of which were not too bad. The exception to this was by the "small notch" on the ridge. You have to drop about 50‘ and the gully is filled with softer snow. We cross it by hanging on to the rock and taking as few steps in the snow as possible. Felt more like class 4 than class 3 due to trying to avoid the snow. We had to head down fast due to a storm at the summit. The standard route still has a lot of snow in the gullies until the saddle, most of which gets pretty soft. Made for some tricky down climbing. Standard route below the saddle is mostly snow free, but is a loose dirty mess. Not a fun decent. Overall either route is doable, but neither is "easy". know what you‘re doing and watch the weather, the ridge is not a good place to be if it gets bad. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/6/2014, By: hilo21
Info: Hiked up from lower TH, some snow to cross in the basin, the first gully has some snow, easily avoidable. There is plenty of snow in the 2nd gully, snow was very firm and icy in the early morning, we used micros and axes for ascent and descent. Some snow after the notch as well but clear near the summit. Snow is melting fast. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 6/23/2014, By: Generalcuz
Info: Peak had plenty of snow still but it made for epic glissading. The couloir is pretty boot packed and it was a blast with micro spikes. Upper trailhead is not accessible but the hike up from the lower TH wasn‘t bad. Each week that passes should make it even better. Just be safe on the snow. There is the potential for things to go wrong if you slip. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 6/15/2014, By: esagas
Info: We did the Lavender Col from Yankee Boy Basin and found excellent snow conditions both ways. We started at 5:00 am and the snow was firm (like styrofoam!) both on the approach to the Lavender Col and the "scree slope" that leads to the summit. There‘s a cornice on the V notch which is easily avoided by scrambling on the rocks to the right. Just a couple of easy moves. No postholing at all on the way down, and a fun glissade. Attached is a pic of the slope leading to the lavender Col. 

Route: NE Couloir from Blaine Basin
Posted On: 6/15/2014, By: jared_j
Info: I did a solo climb of the NE Couloir of Mt Sneffels as described in the Roach guidebook. I wanted to do the Snake, but was concerned about the Class 4 scrambling to reach the summit, and also about having difficulty finding my way back to Blaine Basin via the East Slopes route as I haven‘t been on the mountain before. That said, the lower Snake looks to be in good condition. Anyway, like a lot of other couloir reports right now, this couloir is fat, I‘d say the upper portion is around 40 degrees. A minor bit of scrambling west at the col at the top of NE Couloir puts you in a broader snow slope from which Lavender Col / Scree Col is visible. Moderate snow slope traversing can bring you to this col where you can take the standard route up. The NE Couloir is shaded from the east and the snow was extremely firm quite late into the morning compared with Blaine Basin. In the afternoon I was able to glissade from 13,400 to almost 12,000 continuously, stopping only to redirect to avoid a few rocks and to give my butt a break. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 6/8/2014, By: KTC88
Info: Climbed Sneffels via the standard route today. Significant snow melt since the last conditions report. Patchy snow from the 2WD TH to the 4WD TH with lots of water flowing over the road. I found trekking poles helpful in keeping my feet dry during these crossings. Still significant amount of snow from the 4WD TH to the summit. Made the summit at 7:15 and used crampons from the 4WD TH to the summit. Snow was consolidated and frozen, so crampons and ice ax were a necessity. No troubles climbing the rock on the right side of the V notch to make the last pitch to the summit. Things softened up considerably once the sun hit the snow, but unless you are descending much after 9, I wouldn‘t bother with snowshoes.