North Maroon Peak

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/22/2015, By: dereferenced
Info: Climbed up south maroon, traversed, down north. North facing slopes above 13k are holding snow, all other aspects are dry. Traverse was okay since the harder moves are all south facing. Getting down from south to the saddle was slow, traction would be helpful. The snow was mostly not a problem for descending north maroon (I used microspikes but no axe), except that the class 4 chimney was icy in spots. Downclimbing that was probably the technical crux of the day. Conditions will probably all change after the next storm so... not sure how useful any of this is. Maybe conditions will be similar after the next melt? 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/20/2015, By: appleseeds
Info: The standard route is completely dry until you reach the ridge around 13200. From there on, there is a consistent snow cover that ranges from 1-6 inches. We expected it to be mainly a dusting but took microspikes and an axe just in case, and it‘s good we did. The snow was surprisingly crusty and the spikes were very helpful (though not required; other people were climbing without them). It‘s not very solid though, and it often cracks when you step on it. Given the snow, we were not certain about doing the class 3 bypass around the chimney, though the chimney turned out to be doable but rather difficult. Many of the holds were covered in snow/ice, including the good handhold that many people use to pull up on the final ledge. We were unable to find that hold in the ice and had to wedge ourselves between the rocks and shimmy further up until we could step onto the ledge. We did try to clear off the snow from the ledge so maybe it will melt out over the next few days. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 8/2/2015, By: JenGa
Info: We hiked up the N. Maroon cutoff trail and found camping a few hundred yards below the second cutoff. No bears up there :) Started: 6am Sumit: 10:30 Back to campsite: 2:30 pm No snow, great hike. This hike was great! Compared to S Maroon and Pyramid I would have to say that this was the most exhausting of the three. Although it is not overly difficult in terms of scrambling, it is steep and long, and the uphill is relentless, unlike S. Maroon that is also difficlut but without significant elevation gain on the ridge until the final gully. I felt exposed the entire hike on N. Maroon. Pyramid is the most fun of the three, the class 4 green wall is just more exposed scrambling. The class 4 move on N. Maroon right near the top and I was so tired by the time we got there. Route-finding is easiest on S. Maroon. I love the Elk's - any hike there is going to be beautiful and challenging. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/27/2015, By: mspalding
Info: The route is snow free and beautiful. The chimney was dry. It would be a tricky down climb the chimney as the bottom is an overhang. If you go about 300' to the west you may find the easy class 3 down climb we found. It is like walking down big stairs. It is marked with a purple paracord, but you won't see that until you get close. Say hi to the 3 legged goat while you are up there. FYI: There were 3 campsite bear incidents last week. We saw a mom and cub on the way down. You may want to do your overnight in a hotel. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/18/2015, By: yingyangsoup89
Info: Snow-free and good to go. Be careful when it rains because the rocks become very slick. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/30/2015, By: NittanyLion14er
Info: Climbed Bells Traverse South to North; South is clear to the summit minus one small snow field but we were early enough was still hard, could kickstep into though. Traverse north side still has some snow but it is avoidable. North Maroon above 13,600‘ we needed spikes and mt axes. Nothing holding snow that wasn‘t avoidable or made the climb more difficult than normal. Temps were up so the snow was soft on North by noon. Some post holing in spots. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/25/2015, By: marcstrawser
Info: Perfect below 13,600‘, some snow above for class 4 sections. No different than 2014 at this time. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 6/13/2015, By: Cool Hand Luke
Info: Did not climb anything, unfortunately, so no updates up high. Just wanted to provide a quick idea of the current conditions 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/19/2014, By: jjarrard913
Info: Summited North Maroon peak on 9/18. Thanks to the recent warm weather, most of the climb is snow free. The class 4 chimney hand and foot holds are snow free. There is a small amount of snow at the top of the chimney, but it was pretty easy to side step. The pitch above the chimney had a little bit of snow, but it was either avoidable or not too bad to step on. The rocks in the section above the chimney are pretty loose, and the ice/snow definitely had potential to complicated things. It‘s definitely doable, just take your time and choose your steps carefully. As an added bonus, the aspen leaves are definitely starting to turn! Happy Climbing! 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/15/2014, By: jrock
Info: Traction definitely needed on the north face of North Maroon (microspikes would be perfect). The class 4 chimney has ice and the class 3 alternative scramble is pretty packed down and slippery. We climbed to the left of the chimney which involved a low class 5 move - it was dry and a fun alternative. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/7/2014, By: Cool Hand Luke
Info: Got a few shots of the Bells today, but did not climb. Hope the shots help. Ran up Buckskin Pass and Pt. 13,039 yesterday. Few snow crossings on Buckskin, but were completely manageable in worn out trail runners. Overall a really nice run, but 4 pass as a run is still a few weeks away. 

Route: North Face direct
Posted On: 5/21/2014, By: One Sierra Charlie
Info: North Maroon is in very good condition right now (see picture 1). The Mother's day snow has settled fairly well and the dust layer is buried more than 2 feet deep. The new snow is still rather soft, which makes for fantastic and safe skiing. Booting is a bit of work (see picture 2), but should be much easier now that we set a track (you can thank us later). The ski moves required to clear the Punk Rock Band seem fairly tame compared to pictures I have seen from other years. There is sufficient snow to cover most of the rock so you only need to side step into it, ski backwards away from the East Face once in and then start turns on the relatively low angle slope underneath the rock band. The rest of the descent is fairly straightforward given the soft snow and good coverage (see picture 3). We only needed to sidestep through one tight choke in the central gully. There is virtually no ice or shark fins. Surprisingly, our biggest difficulty was the low approach and exit. A good-sized avalanche has covered much of the Buckskin trail close to the junction with the West Maroon trail. There is a confusing maze of tracks in this area as skiers have attempted to get through the mess. We lost the trail and ended up following tracks up the slide path. This takes you way too high and north of the Minnehaha drainage. Don't follow our tracks! If you have a gps, use t from Crater Lake until you are definitely on the trail past the avalanche debris. If you don‘t have a gps, it might be wise to contour parallel to the lake shore until past the debris field and then head up. You should then intersect the trail where it is easy to follow. Use an altimeter to make sure you do not cross the trail and climb too high. Note that the trail takes a low-angle traverse in this area. Going too high in this area is a real bad idea due to lack of snow, thick timber, and loose scree. If you have been considering doing this route, now is the time! Conditions may change greatly after the next thaw and wet slide cycle. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/7/2013, By: TakeMeToYourSummit
Info: Yeah it rained a little... even some hail... but not until we got down to the Rock Glacier - So it worked out! Some wet spots up higher but most were avoidable. Went up the Rock Band & down the Alternative Rock (pun intended). Glad I saw both shows :P *Edit added photo caption* (Cleve on the precipice) 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/26/2013, By: gpeoples
Info: The NEW trail that starts past the stream is awesome. It takes you all the way past the grassy slope (11,400\‘) and then to the rock glacier in Bill\‘s N. Maroon description. A lot of goat activity around the \"2nd large gully\" so keep to the trail left side to avoid rock fall. Great mountain and 14er finisher... 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/4/2013, By: WarDamnPanic
Info: Summer conditions on North Maroon, took axe/spikes but never took them out of my bag. Tiny snow at base of the chimney, but avoidable.