9/17/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 9/19/2023, By: Piotr Info: Dry on 9/17, might have changed with incoming weather. |
|
7/28/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 7/28/2023, By: Logan5280 Info: Route is totally in summer condition. The rock quality is excellent the whole time |
|
7/28/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 7/28/2023, By: kritifer15 Info: Was nervous about this one (rock not being solid etc.) but all the info I was hearing from other hikers was totally correct. Definitely solid rock on the exposed ladder section and final pitch to the summit. I definitely concur with the takes on the flies. They were worst on the summit and 1 mile from the trailhead on return. |
|
7/26/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 7/27/2023, By: tlgold1990 Info: One snow patch that can be avoided. Otherwise summer conditions. Flies are still an issue. Wildflowers are amazing! |
|
7/17/2023 Route: Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn Combo Posted On: 7/20/2023, By: Thighs Info: Grabbed both Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn in a day. Started at 3:30 and made it back around 1:30. Pretty slow and it made for a long day but I definitely recommend doing Uncompahgre first and then grabbing Wetterhorn. A few intermittent snow patches but no need for traction or an axe at any point. Flies are awful though so be careful about the annoyance. |
|
7/11/2023 Route: West Cimmaron Approach Posted On: 7/11/2023, By: Wentzl Info: If you are interested in accessing Wetterhorn from the north via Owl Creek Pass and the West fork of the Cimmaron, this report is to show you that there is still some snow going up and over Coxcomb Pass to get into Wetterhorn Basin that must be crossed. I went over in trail runners and without an ice tool, but I got a late start and the snow was soft enough by 11:30 a.m. to get over it. But I think it would be enough to give some people pause, especially if early in the day. I went up the steeper, shorter section on the right of the photo, came down the longer, easier section on the left. At 5:30 p.m. and I could heel step even in trail runners without heels! |
|
7/8/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 7/10/2023, By: Split_the_FR Info: Sumitted Wetterhorn, Uncompahgre, and Matterhorn on 7/8. Parked at Matterhorn Creek 2WD trailhead, left my car at 4:05am. The route is essentially summer conditions all the way through. There are very few snow crossings throughout, and those that exist are very short. From the car to the summit of Wetterhorn took 2 hours. The final sumitt push was tons of fun (easy class 3) and completely dry. After enjoying the sunrise, I trecked over to Uncompahgre and decided last minute to go up Matterhorn on the way back to Matterhorn Creek TH. Matterhorn was a blast as well - I reccomend it to anyone doing either of these peaks. I'd love to come back for the Wetterhorn/Matterhorn traverse one day. Back at the car at about 12:15pm. There is no traction needed on this route at this point. |
|
7/2/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 7/5/2023, By: Tcash Info: A few snow crossings on the way up, but nothing sketchy enough to need microspikes, either the icy morning or for the slushy descent. Definitely recommend a helmet if you got it since their are so many rocks/holds that are primed for falling along the route. It's a shorter hike, but plenty of opportunity to refill on water if you fancy, would recommend it if you're going to snag Uncompahgre in the same go. |
|
7/1/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 7/2/2023, By: infinitealpine Info: Basically summer conditions. Only snowfield to cross was below the saddle and it didn't require any traction. Some of the trail is wet and muddy so it was nice to have waterproof boots. Above the saddle is 100% snow free. Very easy class 3. |
|
6/24/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 6/27/2023, By: backcountrybrodes Info: Road to 4WD trailhead is completely clear. You can make it up if you have a 4x4 or a high clearance SUV and determination. Some small snow fields above tree line, but no snow on any of the class 3 sections except for the large notch about 150ft down from the summit (easily navigable). I would suggest bringing an ice axe for glissading off the ridge down low - don't try to go down the east face, very unstable snow. Have fun and go get it! |
|
6/19/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 6/21/2023, By: scott_s Info: Wetterhorn - Uncompahgre combo from Matterhorn creek TH via ridge stock driveway trail. Alpine start is worth it! Tons of snowfields to cross on both mountains and snow was still rock solid in the early am, getting pretty soft and messy by mid morning. On Wetterhorn the first gully around 13.6k is mostly snow filled, there were a few unavoidable segments requiring 5-10 steps of steep snow climbing, wouldve been uncomfy without an ice ax. Class 3 section is dry. Uncompahgre has a few moderate snow fields to traverse on the upper slopes, the class 2 section near the top (with 2 options in the route description) is snow filled on the easy side, dry on the steep side which makes it almost class 3. Microspikes and ice ax highly useful on both peaks right now but conditions are changing fast with the warm temps. |
|
6/15/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 6/15/2023, By: Flatlander618 Info: There was still quite a bit of hard packed snow/ice from tree line through the boulder field. It made the boulder field super easy to negotiate because you could just float above it. There was one small section on the peak with snow, but it was nothing. I carried micro-spikes in my pack and never considered using them. Hit the summit at 1100. I got chased off by incoming weather so I didnt linger. Glissading on the way back down from the small saddle down the East side of the boulder field helped me bypass the field altogether. I hit 4 good slides and linked up with the trail just above tree line. May have that for another day or two. |
|
6/11/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 6/12/2023, By: Devil_in_sky Info: Climbed the east face, decent coverage up to the base of the summit block. Started good and early, and there was a decent freeze the night before so the snow was good and firm for climbing early on. Definitely evidence of wet slides on areas of the face from previous days. The snow itself is somewhat suncupped and variable- I think it'd be tough to ski. The summit block is almost entirely dry with only a small spot of ice on the class 3 section. Still I was happy to have my crampons on the way up for that one icy spot. I think it'll be basically summer conditions on the actual summit block within the next few days if there isn't any new snow. Cool route and great day for 14er summit #100! |
|
6/3/2023 Route: Southeast Ridge Posted On: 6/3/2023, By: amitchell Info: The road is snow free to upper th. At the fork that points toward matterhorn th, it gets considerably more rowdy. I'd recommend 9 inches of clearance with 4x4. I decided to just park my suby crosstrek at the fork and walk the extra mile. Flotation required once you get out of the trees. Some guys got to 12500ft without snowshoes but got turned around and had a porthole descent from hell. There was about 2-3in of new snow on the ground. Get it while yougell. Everything up to the summit block is pretty fun. Requires mixed snow and class 3 climbing. The summit block itself is treacherous. Crampons and ice axe required. Be comfortable with using them like your life depends on it, cause it will. Hopefully in the next three weeks or so the snow will have melted off that last pitch. |
|
6/3/2023 Route: East Face Posted On: 6/3/2023, By: winter_wisher Info: I was able to reach the upper TH with my stock 4Runner, though there were a few tricky spots along the way. Similar to the SE Ridge update from today, crampons and ice axe are critical for the East Face route, perhaps more so. I climbed the face, tapped the summit, then boarded down. On my descent I (intentionally) released a pair of small wet-loose slides to get rid of any potential surprises. Underneath this loose, shallow layer of new snow was a melt-freeze layer of ice rounds. It was this grainy layer that made my ascent prone to slipping. Though it was manageable with a few good crampon kicks, that much kicking took me a while. This layer also made the ride down quite icy until halfway down the face. After that it was smooth sailing. |
