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Grizzly Peak

Peak Condition Updates  
3/15/2020
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 3/16/2020, By: Thevirtualsherpa
Info: Windy day up on the pass. Packed snow from parking to ridge line. From ridge to cupid, mix of sugar and hard snow. Trail is very easy to follow. Cupid was very Windy and 0 options for wind blocking. From Cupid to Grizzly D, initial downclimb was mix of dry and sugar snow. Be sure to avoid a number of cornices that are hanging out in the standard eastern facing ridge points. There is one that is cracking pretty significantly, but very easy to avoid if you see it. From low point on ridge to Grizzly D is a mix of loose scree, hard snow, thin layers of ice and dry ground. Be sure to stay right to avoid massive cornices on the northern ridge of Grizzly D. Overall, a pretty mellow day on the mountain with the typical pain in the ass Loveland Pass winds. Gear: Spikes, wind proof clothing Optional: Hiking Poles, gaiters Not Necessary: Crampons, snowshoes, mountain ax On a separate note, it was INCREDIBLE to see how many people were flocking to Loveland pass to ski/board. If you are heading out, IMO a hike up to grizzly would not make sense or be very safe. The slopes are loaded with cornices and thin-ish snow. As always, feel free to reach out to me on IG for any questions/more info. 
2/1/2020
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 2/2/2020, By: daway8
Info: Route was largely wind blown. Didn't put on microspikes until final drop just before Grizzly but left them on for the return trip which made dropping back down to Loveland Pass quicker/easier. Lots of wind cornices on the leeward sides of the ridges but easily avoidable by sticking either to the ridge top or slightly to the windward side. Brought snowshoes but never took them off my pack (left the extra weight on so as not to get blown away!) 
11/9/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 11/11/2019, By: pthomps17
Info: Such a great November day. The ridge from the saddle short of Cupid all the way to Grizzly was almost completely wind-blown and dry. I was up here two weeks prior and there were deep snow drifts along the route to Cupid, so I was surprised to see such little snow. Was grateful to have my spikes in one section on the ridge where it got a bit more narrow and scrambling was involved. In retrospect I probably could have avoided that entire section, but I didn't know where the summer route was (this was my first time on this section of the route), so chose a class 2+ down-climb into sugary snow. It felt totally safe to me, but I realized it was avoidable once I finished that section and looked back. The final 800 or so vertical feet to the summit of Grizzly looks far more intimidating than it actually is, though I would imagine it could get treacherous later into the winter/early spring when it holds more snow and ice. On Saturday, though, there was hardly any snow on the final push up to Grizzly. Incredible views of Grays and Torreys and the A-Basin ski area. Summits of Cupid and Grizzly weren't windy at all, but every other section of this hike was very windy! 
10/12/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 10/12/2019, By: HikesInGeologicTime
Info: Trail mostly dry with largely avoidable snow up to Cupid. Unconsolidated sugar up to a foot deep in places beyond that, mostly where the route dips east of the ridgeline + along steeper portions of the final pitch. Microspikes were helpful but not an absolute necessity; gaiters highly recommended. The final push up to Grizzly was the worst in terms of wind - I was glad I had my usual ski outfit, but short sections of the trail were a tad warm with it. 
7/13/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 7/15/2019, By: thebeave7
Info: Through run/hike starting from Bakerville up G&T over to Grizzly. There's still a couple hundred feet of snow on the ridgeline between Torreys and Grizzly. We kicked solid steps in with just trail runners, no issues. Some that are less comfortable on snow may want microspikes. No snow on the North side descent toward Cupid until after the saddle, then a few small patches to cross that one may be able to navigate around pretty soon. 
7/5/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 7/5/2019, By: beachrya
Info: Snow free for 99% of trail. The section of trail covered by snow was going down Cupid towards Grizzly and easily avoidable by scrambling rocks to the west. 
7/2/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 7/2/2019, By: EMan
Info: Summary: 95%+ of the trail from Loveland Pass to Grizzly Peak (13427) is snow-free. Where the trail is covered in snow, it can be circumvented to the right (west) and snow is avoided entirely. Outbound: Descending from Cupid (13117), the south ridge trail has snow and rocks. These can be avoided by dropping down to the right (Cupid's west slopes). Inbound: Ascending Cupid, I took the partially snow-covered summer trail on the eastern slopes of Cupid. 
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6/30/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 7/1/2019, By: eecummings_
Info: Basically summer conditions now. There is still lots of snow/a few cornices to the left but you only realistically have to walk on snow twice to stay on the trail. 
6/7/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 6/10/2019, By: ilikereds
Info: Access to TH super easy and no issues with parking at 0600. Getting to the top of the first hill (towards Sniktau Mt) was relatively easy with some snowy patches. Heading back down towards Cupid point was easy and started seeing some more snow once at that summit. Some deep snow that you will need to post hole to get past. Stay well to the right on the ascent to Grizzly Pk, as there are some big cornices that make it difficult to discern if you have a solid foundation under the snow. Summited at 0900 and made my way back. Started seeing snow melt on trek back and the snow was discernibly softer in places. Most the snow was clearly on the north and east faces! 
6/6/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 6/6/2019, By: pirates14
Info: Started at 430 am. From loveland pass, initial ascent was relatively free of snow up until halfway up. At this point, on and off snow becomes short and hard packed with occasional regions which would result in ankle deep posthole. The ridge was a mix, sometimes you were on a dry, clear trail, and at times the the snow was significant and engulfed everything. Early in the morning however, I still only needed microspikes. On the hump between Cupid and Grizzly, there is still a large cornice on your left as you begin descending this region (the hump). To the right is snow free so it should be easy to avoid. Final ascent to Grizzly a mix as well, nothing too bad. All of this will probably change soon as the weather is warming up. Summit at 7 am, and it was eerily still. Almost no wind. 
5/17/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 5/17/2019, By: JeffR
Info: Since the previous condition report didn't really give any route conditions, I'll throw this out there. I was surprised at the amount of bare patches along the ridge, especially since there was a buttload more snow up here just a few weeks ago. Guess the warm weather has been doing its job well. Up to Cupid, the route was mostly bare. After that, it was mostly snow covered, although a lot can be avoided by angling to the west side of the ridge. The snow was mostly firm on the ascent and just slightly less so on the descent (probably due to the fairly overcast day and the freeze the night before). With one or both of those missing, I assume the travel would be much less friendly. Argh, can't add pics, for some reason. 
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5/15/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 5/15/2019, By: Scotty21
Info: There's a very large cornice about 30 feet long ready to break away from the saddle between both Cupid & Grizzly Peak D. Stay towards the right away from the cornice heading towards Grizzly Peak. 
5/4/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 5/4/2019, By: dwoodward13
Info: A really nice trench being put in today up to PT 12,915 with all the people out. From PT 12,915 to Cupid there's nice mix of bare dirt and snow. From Cupid to Grizzly, mix of a dusting of snow to deeper drifts depending how close you get to the ridge proper. There is a nasty cornice that's about to go in this section, with a pretty cool fault line forming. I don't think it would be worth it to lug up snowshoes even if you got a late start or there was a weak freeze overnight (I brought them but never used, started at 445 am). I didn't feel the need for spikes until the way down Grizzly. Fantastic bluebird, windless day! 
5/3/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 5/3/2019, By: WildWanderer
Info: Trail was well packed down up to point 12,915. Snowshoes weren't needed here, but I was glad to be wearing them. After Cupid there are several very large cornices that look ready to fall. Today snowshoes and an ice axe were necessary to summit Grizzly. 
4/20/2019
Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 4/20/2019, By: mbnat
Info: Hiked Grizzly D from Loveland Pass on Saturday in good conditions. It was pretty much dry up to Cupid (there was snow, but it was either avoidable or easy to walk on in boots). Between Cupid and Grizzly, we were happy we had microspikes. We postholed a few times, but it wasn't worth lugging snowshoes all the way. There is a massive cornice on the ridge here too, and it looks like it is getting ready to collapse. We saw a big crack across it that was noticeably bigger on the way back. Spikes were useful up to the top of Grizzly, but by staying on the trail (which was visible for the most part) it was mixed rock and unconsolidated snow. The snow on north facing slopes was not consolidated at all above ~12,500'. Felt more like winter than spring. The south facing slopes were more solid in the morning and a pretty soft on the way back. The last part of the climb up Grizzly was easier than it looks from Cupid in my opinion. We saw lots of people skiing too and it looked like a great day out there!