Sayres Benchmark

Route: Grand Central Couloir
Posted On: 5/22/2025, By: andy_schlichting
Info: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The entire approach on the way in was great except for fighting through some willows in a few spots. Intermittent snow started around 1.5 miles in from the La Plata trailhead and continued until exiting the trees around 11,500. It was all frozen solid from the night before. I skinned from a little below treeline to about 12k when I switched to crampons. The snow in the couloir was pretty solid, though a little powdery in some spots led to a bit of slipping and shin-deep postholing in spots. The ski descent at 10:30 was great. The upper couloir was a little crusty, but consistent good skiing. From around 13k on down, it was excellent, soft snow. Perfect for this time of year. All was good until just before treeline when I had to switch back to boots. The three miles of intermittent snow (mostly snow, but not enough to put skis on) was awful. Constant postholing between knee and waist-deep. One of the biggest sufferfests I've had. Not sure how the skiing will be after the heat for the foreseeable future, but I can tell you you won't enjoy the hiking part right now. As always though, no regrets. 

Route: X-Rated Couloir
Posted On: 5/20/2025, By: dweiss45
Info: Nice skiing still to be had! Up the Grand Central, down X-Rated. Grand has plenty of life left, X-Rated's choke was still skiable, but only just (inch or two on top of rock), about a ski width across. The choke will probably need to be sent or downclimbed here in the near future, but won't be a big deal either way. Dropped at 11:30ish on a cloudy and windy day, warming was not an issue on this particular day, although it could be on a warm day seeing the sloughing happening on the ascent when it was still sunny. Don't underestimate the postholing or mandatory skis on/off on the approach (pick your poison). Skinable from just above treeline up. 

Route: Grand Central Couloir
Posted On: 5/3/2025, By: JerJerBinks
Info: This mountain has been calling my name so I'm stoked to get the summit today. I love the way the upper gulch frames it and almost makes it seem like it's in a globe. I wouldn't wait on this one. Seemed pretty thin at the top in my opinion. Willows were surprisingly supportive in the upper gulch area. Very little falling through all day actually. There's a super highway of skin tracks to the base of the couloir, so navigating is a breeze. I met up with a couple of skiers who led the charge up Grand Central before dropping in about 1/2 way up the second leg. Toughish mountain to get solo from there, but it felt way better on the descent and I was even able to glissade a large portion of the bottom. A few chutes to the left of x-rated seemed to have minor slides I noticed when hiking out. Not sure how well the pics will show it. 

Route: X-Bar couloir
Posted On: 4/26/2025, By: Geckser
Info: Arthurspiderman and I (along with our 45 closest friends) skied a variation of X-Rated today. The approach was fairly easy, though snow was not consistent until 10,800. On the way up we took the La Plata trail which was pretty unpleasant and partially melted. Skinning through the basin was easy and most of the willows are still pretty well covered. At this time we noticed the choke half way down X-rated was significant and appeared to require down climbing. We made a booter up the Grand Central couloir, (there were some folks above us who skinned all the way up!). Good snow for a booter. We were the second group to descend our X-rated variation where we took the same entrance and exited through a side couloir. Snow was passing and rocks were present. A snowboarder ended up hitting the proper x-rated and he said the downclimb through the choke was sketchy, he crushed it! For the descent we followed the creek on skis bypassing parts of the La Plata trail. This was fun but it is melting fast and will not be safe to do very soon. Overall a super nice line on a beautiful peak! 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 10/11/2024, By: SionaRW35
Info: Dry, no snow. Boring and ugly though. Best to do this one blindfolded or wait till spring snow for x-rated couloir to be in. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 6/30/2024, By: pbergmaier
Info: Summer conditions. One very short (15 feet) snow crossing as the trail begins to ascend up to the ridge between Sayres and La Plata. It will be gone within a week or two. The route along the ridge to Sayres is dry, but the rock is quite loose. 

Route: Grand Central Couloir
Posted On: 6/2/2024, By: sarahmariekirk
Info: Climbed Grand Central today with Cash Terry and descended via the same couloir. Conditions are similiar as the most recent reports, with the apron becoming extremely soft and unsupportive with how warm it has gotten. Snow is melting fast and it was a postholing nightmare on the descent with snowshoes. 

Route: X rated
Posted On: 6/1/2024, By: kyrawhitworth
Info: Not much to add other than we found it a bit difficult to find the deviation point from the La Plata trail even w gpx. There is a great little log bridge across the willows and stream once you do find it (we had it just south of the 11000ft contour line). We tried to deviate too early and lost time wandering. Also! Fun thing to point out is theres a bunch of porcupine quills in one spot as Sayres really comes into view (neat). I think when you drop totally depends on comfort level. We dropped at 10 in the east entrance to X then stopped and waited a bit until it was softer whereas the first group dropped before 9am (sorry to anyone down low who had to watch me poorly ski the top part). Spring corn down lower in the couloir and apron (did not ski the choke but other groups did without issue). Thankfully our skis were still supportive in the willows. La Plata trail is posthole nightmare even in the AM at this point. Bills report still accurate in terms of snow coverage but man things are melting fast down low. Started at 3:30am, summit 9:30am, car 1:30pm so slower than other groups. 

Route: X-Rated Couloir
Posted On: 5/31/2024, By: jeffh7
Info: Same info as the past few reports. Just wanted to add that the most direct line down x-rated is still in and it skied nicely today. Left TH at 5 and summited at 9:40. Dropped at roughly 10:40, snow changed a lot throughout the course of the couloir. Ice/hardpack at the top and corn by the final third. Pretty decent refreeze overnight. 

Route: Grand Central Couloir
Posted On: 5/30/2024, By: PeakMiller
Info: Same info as BillMiddlebrook's post. Started at 5am and summited around 10am. Snow was firm on the approach but softened up fast on the way down to treeline. More pics of X-rated and Grand. 

Route: Grand Central Couloir
Posted On: 5/29/2024, By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: Similar report to Danger_D's from 2 days ago but we ascended Grand Central and skied X-Rated. Snow started at 10,400 on the trail and continuous by 10,800'. Excellent, firm snow to the base of Grand Central and solid bootpack to the top. For the ski of X-Rated, snow conditions were "B+" and the coverage is excellent. The 3" layer from the previous storm had softened slightly and was a bit heavy. The lower half was corn, all the way to the basin. Get it soon before the basin is a mess. We started at 4 from the La Plata TH, summit at 9:30 and skied through the basin around 10:45 and it was supportive all the way back to our shoes, at 11,000. An hour later would likely have been collapsible snow below 11,500 and post-holing in the trees. 

Route: Grand Central Couloir
Posted On: 5/27/2024, By: Danger_D
Info: Grand Central is skiing great, and x-rated looked very in. There is now a fantastic bootpack up the line. The old Avy debris has softened up a lot and was easy to ski on. We dropped in at 11:30 and the line was fantastic, but the flats below were mashed potatoes and a hassle for the split boarders in the group. Inconsistent snow below 11k was posthole-city. 

Route: Bushwhack from 399 rd
Posted On: 5/25/2024, By: Will_E
Info: Got Sayre's and 13,440' on Friday, there were some decent sized drifts and a fair amount of mud on 399, I managed to get my toaster to a campsite 3 or 4 miles up the road. I followed the road that branches east to where (I think) it ends, hard to tell as it became fully snow covered. Bushwhacked up the west side to gain the ridge, it was steep, but the bushwhack wasn't horrible, snow was good in late morning going up, not bad in late afternoon coming down. Once on the ridge it was an easy walk to SB, kept snowshoes on the entire time, only took them off for the short final section to 13,440', which was a little exposed and fun. Nice day with some great views. 

Route: X rated
Posted On: 5/18/2024, By: dcruz654
Info: Solo morning up grand, down x. 630 am start time, just over 4 hrs to summit. Easy booting to 10, 600. Short sections between there and 11k that were punchy but nothing to terrible. Continuous snow from 11k to summit. Skinned till about 12.5 or so and switched back to booting. Was a little concerned with how much sun was hitting the mtn when it first came into view, but opted to get to the base of grand and make a call from there. Snow was softening but not bad just before 9 at the base of grand so I continued upward. Grand had left over boot tracks that were easy enough to step or kick into. Had crampons but never pulled them out of my bag, I did bring out my axe once I got to the dog leg. Halfway up grand some clouds rolled in, and mostly stayed overhead for the remainder of the climb. Grand central never quite softened enough for my liking as a ski down, and there was enough debris in it that I opted to come down X rated. Great conditions in x around 11am. Honestly probably about an hour late on X if the clouds / wind hadn't rolled in. The exit was post hole trash below 11k. 

Route: Grand Central Couloir
Posted On: 5/20/2024, By: econner
Info: Climbed and skied Grand Central Couloir. Snow is pretty continuous above 11K feet. Coverage was great in the couloir and perfect corn around 11:30am for the descent, though NW aspects were still a bit crusty.