Snowmass Mountain

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 5/27/2025, By: skythian
Info: Optimal conditions. Most of the "snow boulders" on the approach have melted or at least are manageable. No snow at logjam. Also most of the scree/boulder field is still covered by snow. They have really improved the trail in recent years. I used snowshoes starting just after the switchback. Did not pack crampons or microspikes. Camped at the lake, started at 2:30 and summited a little after 6. By 7 the snow was already getting soft, I don't think a summit would have been possible much after that. Direct variation is possible but sketchy! 

Route: West Slope
Posted On: 5/27/2025, By: Clarethebear
Info: Trail to the lake is mostly free of snow until the last 2 miles. Starts with patchy knee deep snow then goes to consistent knee to waist deep snow for the last mile. Left camp Saturday morning at 3 am and the snow was perfect. We made it all the way to the ridgeline about 400 feet from the summit and turned around. Not enough snow, too much ice and loose rock. Snow conditions back down the mountain stayed good around 9 am and probably had some more time before it was too bad. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 4/23/2025, By: Snow_Dog_frassati
Info: Conditions are good - but the approach is interesting. There was a lot of new snow and we did it but I expect that to melt relatively quickly. Kind of annoying because the snow line is mostly The same elevation as the first 3-5 miles. It was off and on switching between post holing, skinning, and hiking. Pick your poison, It's probably going to suck a little bit. Log jam was totally snow covered and not an issue. Plenty of snow up high, lake frozen solid. Pics below. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 10/4/2024, By: stimko
Info: Still full summer conditions from the lake to the mountain. Campsites were dry and bug free. 

Route: West Slope
Posted On: 10/3/2024, By: Sail3733
Info: West slope route was clear of snow on 9/28/24. LKB 4WD road wasn't too bad. Got my wife's stock '17 Sequoia up and down no problem. Bottomed out a few times only bc I wasn't paying attention and we were doing it at night. More careful driving would have prevented that. Don't tell my wife. Switch backs aren't too bad with plenty of room to back up a few feet to make it need be. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 9/8/2024, By: taylorharris50
Info: Summer conditions. Amazing day in the Elks. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 8/6/2024, By: Isaac1621
Info: Quick update on the stream crossing at 11,600 ft. The snow melt has slowed so the standard route can be followed and stream can be crossed at 11,720 ft. without getting wet. That being said, the scree slope on the standard route is quite difficult, we still found it easier to cross at 11,600 ft. and climb up between the 2 streams. You will need to pick your way through a few willow patches, but footing on the grass and rocks felt much more solid. All snow can be avoided climbing standard route. We found the rock gully leading up to the ridge to be fairly solid, the loose rock is most noticeable on the left side of the ridge as you make your way up to the summit. We preferred the ridgeline direct for the final summit push (last 75-100 ft. of gain). Wildflowers are in full force, happy peak bagging!! 

Route: West Slope
Posted On: 8/4/2024, By: bangerth
Info: We camped at the Lead King Basin which is in fantastic shape with wildflowers abounding. Then hiked up the S Ridge and down the West Slopes. The ridge is outstanding, with long and sustained class 3 climbing. The West Slopes I did not enjoy so much with how steep and loose it is. It's all summer conditions. If you have a bit of time, make the detour to Siberia Lake, which is just a pleasure in blue, with plenty of brook trout with bright red fins. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 8/3/2024, By: frodacious
Info: Did one push from car to summit and camped at log jam. Very much regret bringing traction and ice axe. Never deployed either of them. You can do the whole thing without touching snow if you want to. Helmet is a pretty good idea though. Mosquitos are pretty gnarly right now. The willows and the scree made this one pretty punishing. 

Route: S Ridge/West Slopes
Posted On: 7/30/2024, By: climbingyogi
Info: My group and I ascended the S Ridge and descended the West Slopes yesterday. After bailing on the East Slopes route in June (about 500 ft from the summit), we decided this route looked like a good option for us. We were very happy to see this side of Snowmass and to get to experience all of the major routes up this mountain (with the exception of Satan's Ridge - ew, lol). We started hiking just after 5am fom the Lead King Basin TH (thanks to Brandon for his capable vehicle!). It was a pleasant hike up to Geneva Lake + then Little Gem Lake. Around 8:30am, we got to the base of the access gullies + rib. Upon further inspection, we decided the class 3/4 rib looked like a good option for us. There was a short class 4 section at the start of the rib that two of us chose - one of us chose to find a class 3 line there. The rest of the rib was easily class 3. I don't feel like there's much to report on the S Ridge, other than make sure to stay as close to the ridge as you can. There were times we would venture off just slightly left of the ridge, but I think we stayed close to ridge proper for the majority of the climb. This might've been the most sustained class 3 route I've been on with non-stop, fun scrambling. We did encounter the class 4 crux and all of us opted to go for it. It definitely was harder than the rest of the ridge but wasn't too bad overall. If you feel hesitant, then I suggest taking the notch bypass on climber's left. We got to the summit of Snowmass at 11:26am and hungout until a little after 12pm. We had a wonderful day of mostly blue skies and very little chance of rain, which was great for this route! And while we intended to descend the S Ridge initially, we changed our minds and decided to descend the West Slopes route instead. I believe it took us about 2 hours to descend the West Slopes, and we were back at the TH at 3:30pm. The uppper part of the West Slopes was definitely the loosest and steepest, but it got much better the further we descended. Super great day out and so lucky to get to experience Snowmass from the South/West side! The wildflowers are out of this world over here. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 7/29/2024, By: terribletigzy
Info: Route is mostly dry, there are some snowfields above 13k, but they are low angle. I didn't put spikes on, but I would bring them depending on your comfort. You could probably avoid all of the snow if you really wanted, but it would take some unnecessary zig-zagging. 

Route: West Slope
Posted On: 7/29/2024, By: lauradaughtry
Info: Pure summer conditions. I drove to the Lead King Basin Trailhead in my '17 4Runner in 4WD Low and had zero problems; the drive took about an hour and a half from Marble. (Beware: the road is narrow at some points, so you may need to negotiate passing others.) You will have to do a little bushwhacking (overgrown plants and some muddy willow sections) on the trail up to both Geneva and Little Gem lakes, but it's worth it; you will see miles of meadow with wildflowers. It was gorgeous and perhaps the only thing worth experiencing both the ascent and descent of the 2,500' vert gully. The gully is as daunting as people say: assume every rock moves (because they do) and check every hold/step. It's a slog and will mentally/physically test you. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 7/29/2024, By: Miles P
Info: Please read this long post in its entirety if you are planning to climb Snowmass for the first time, AND will be potentially climbing the boulder field / scree slope that is past/above Snowmass Lake in the dark. My climbing partner and I made a massive mistake yesterday which I think others could potentially make. The result of the mistake put us in a dire situation - in 40+ years of hiking/climbing in the Rockies and 40+ Fourteeners summited I've never found myself in a worse or scarier situation. On this page you will find several Condition Updates about the East Slopes route posted over the past few weeks which recommend crossing a waterfall / stream at about 11,600 feet. I'm not saying those condition updates are wrong and I don't want to get into an argument with their authors. However I crossed at 11,600 feet according to my Garmin GPSMAP 66i (which is highly accurate) and ended in a heap of trouble. Hear me out: Imagine you have just hiked past Snowmass Lake. The lake is now on the climber's right - to the north / northeast of you as you hike west toward the boulder field / scree slope which looms high above you. Photos number 11 and 12 in the 14ers.com route description give a great view of how you will hike up and along the climber's right of this massive field. As others have pointed out, there is a stream that runs down this field and you need to find a good place to cross it (from your left to your right). Approaching the boulder field / scree slope in the dark you won't be able to see the "stream". As you approach the boulder field you will hear running water far off on your left. Ignore this - it has nothing to do with anything you have to cross. Put it out of your mind and climb on. As you push up into the boulder field / scree slope you will eventually begin to hear running water on your right. This is the stream that you need to focus on crossing at some point; it is the stream (or sometimes "waterfall") that is referenced in several Conditions Updates over the past few weeks. There is a nuance to crossing this stream and here is what it is. Think of the upper case letter "Y". The stream that you are hearing on your right, at least at first, is the lower part of that "Y"...it is formed after two steams emanating from higher up on the slope come together about mid-way up the slope. The upper right branch of the "Y" is a highly flowing, heavy stream that plows down through boulders and scree and skirts several cliffs from the far right side of the upper slope and in some places forms many strong waterfalls on the upper part of the slope; if you hike up in daylight you will unmistakably see it on the right high above you as it barrels down. The upper left of the "Y" is a much smaller stream which enters the scree slope more toward the top edge / center of the scree slope; in daylight you could probably spot this smaller stream but it would be far less obvious. These two streams converge together mid-way down the scree slope and then flow as one on the far right side of the slope (climber's right) . Various paper and digital maps and route files do little to nothing to make this clear, and you certainly will not be able to see this nuance in the dark hundreds of feet still ahead of and above you. THE STREAM THAT YOU NEED TO CROSS IS THE SMALLER ONE WHICH IS THE UPPER LEFT OF THE "Y" AS I DESCRIBED IT ABOVE. Do NOT under any circumstances cross the stream at it's lower part (the lower part of the "Y"). I made this mistake. My GPS read 11,600 so my partner and I crossed this fairly formidable lower part of the "stream" in complete darkness...it was a huge error on our part which we compounded several times over by making a series of stupid upward moves up unhospitable terrain to then try to find the trail on the other side and stupidly climbed onto increasingly dangerous ground (there is NO trail over there, just danger). According to my Garmin GPSMAP 66i, the point at which these two streams converge is actually at about 11,660 feet. Later that day, on the way down, we found that the best place to cross was at about 11,700 or perhaps 11,725 feet. But GPS can be wrong so instead of arguing online about altimeter readings HERE IS WHAT YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO KNOW: If you find yourself crossing a stream that has significant flow, could arguably called a fast-moving, rolling creek, and where if you slipped would result in you getting wet to at least your knee, if not your lower thigh (I'm 6'2"), then you are crossing at the WRONG point...TOO LOW on the slope. You need to keep pressing straight upward, forward, higher until you pass the point at which the two upper streams (the two upper arms of the "Y") have converged. By passing this convergence point and then crossing, you will actually be crossing the smaller stream (the upper left branch of the "Y")...this is a stream which as of July 28th is flowing at a rate where if you stepped in it would perhaps result in getting your boots or ankles wet. It is much lower flow - this is the CORRECT stream to cross. Effectively by crossing where I am describing you will end up between the two arms of the "Y" as you push upward, and from there you will find a trail that continues up to the top of the scree slope and on to much easier terrain. If you do what my partner and I did, you will cross at the bottom part of the Y, and end up entirely on the climber's right of this "Y"...and let me tell you that is a bad, bad place to be. I hope I've adequately described this. I'm sorry for the long post, but I'm hoping it will prevent anyone from making my mistake and putting themselves in severe danger. If you are concerned and have questions please PM me. There is of course an easy way to avoid this predicament. Either go with someone who has been up there before, or wait to push up through the boulder field / scree slope until the sky gets light enough for you to read the terrain that is high above you - you will still have plenty of time to summit. Otherwise: conditions good. Log jam is easy. Plenty of water along the trail if you have filter or iodine. There is running water coming off of the highly melted snow mass so you can still get water in the 12,000 to 13,000 foot area. Snow mass is highly melted. I used an ax and crampons to be safe but saw other people get up with microspikes and trekking poles. One person went up without any traction (just boots / shoes) and slid down about 50 feet and luckily stopped well short of some rocks. Very windy once you cross over the ridge on the way up. Waterproof your boots as there are plenty of streams and muck. On the way down saw a lone large cinnamon colored Black Bear about 15 feet off the trail 2 miles before we got to the parking lot; scared the poor guy half to death I think - have never seen an animal disappear so quickly. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 7/24/2024, By: Dan Kearney
Info: Hiking up to the bottom of the snowmass has no challenges. Logjam is stable, and the trail around the lake was easy to follow, albeit with some face level willows. On the snowmass, I took the standard approach, and was absolutely fine with spikes and an axe. Crampons are 100% not needed. You can easily get onto rocks before the snow gets too steep. Ran into a group who ascended the direct route the day before, and they ascended with only spikes and an axe, but that looked a bit spicy for my beginner level snow travel acumen. Sorry for the lack of photos, my flip phone camera is the definition of useless. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 7/24/2024, By: sunburnt
Info: Did this two part. Hike in to lake was fine, camped at lake. Did both the 16,600 cutoff up and the 16,800 down, that 200 feet makes a difference, go lower. Hit the snowfield at 7:30, normal route was dry so opted for direct. On top by 9, used crampons and axe. Top 2 of snow was loose, lots of kicking in twice. Tried to scoot down direct instead of down climbing, broke free and barely missed the rock pile below. Not fun, down climb it. Glissaded the rest of the way after that, still fast.