SummitPost.org

Just curious if anyone has been up recently? I assume some snow, wondering how much, how well consolidated, etc... Thanks in advance! I will be in Vegas and would like to attempt it around April 12th.

I would also appreciate a conditions report for Charleston. Hoping to be there around 4/18. If you do go on the 12th, could you report back what you find?

Thanks!

Will do Teresa.

It has been a dry year -- some friends recently went up Mummy with light hiking shoes -- but we got more snow yesterday (4" at the ski area). There is often deep snow on the South Loop Trail beneath Griffith (that trail may be officially closed because of the fires damage), and on the north loop trail, the stretch from Devil's Thumb south may be treacherous. What we usually do this time of year, is go by NLT and take the Devil's Thumb shortcut; that shortcut is tricky in good weather, trickier with snow.

Check the ski area webcam:
http://www.skilasvegas.com/winter/resor ... nfo/webcam

I think they are closing this weekend. In some ways the ski area shows the "worst" conditions, since it faces onto N-facing slopes.

We are going to have 80+ weather in Vegas by next week, so I doubt the fluff will last long.

Hey, IdahoSummits, did you get up Charleston this past weekend? Which route? Crampons, axe, microspikes? Easy to follow the trail? Well-tracked in the snow?

MoapaPk, for the section from Devil's Thumb to the summit, is the trail wide with "just" exposure on the side(s), or is it a matter of needing to hug the rock as you work through cliffs? If it was tracked through the snow, and we had microspikes or crampons, would it still be treacherous? Are you traversing across open snow slopes at any point?

Thanks guys!

There was a boot track all the way to the summit on the "trail" this last weekend. You should have no problem -- if your footwork is careful. Crampons may be helpful, melting fast.

I didn't make it up Charleston. I did a couple of peaks in Calico Basin near Red Rocks instead:
http://idahosummits.com/trip_reports/tr ... rip_id=112
http://idahosummits.com/trip_reports/tr ... rip_id=111

Thanks for the boot track, too. Even armed with microspikes, crampons, and axes, I'm not sure we would have continued to the top without the track. Nice peak!

Mescalito, Rico and Colleen made the boot track... I'm on limited travel right now (medical stuff). In conditions like this, I normally go up the cliff just in back of Devil's Thumb, but that's hard to explain.