Mt Charleston Conditions

Regional discussion and conditions reports for the Great American Southwest. Please post partners requests and trip plans in the Southwest US Climbing Partners section.
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MoapaPk

 
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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by MoapaPk » Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:49 pm

The discussion of the closure, and the alternate trailhead, was on the first page of this thread.

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Castlereagh

 
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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by Castlereagh » Thu Apr 14, 2011 6:58 pm

Probably only tangential to the thread, but does anyone know how conditions in the central high Great Basin Ranges (Toquima's, Monitors, Toiyabe's etc) are relative to Charleston? ie, do they melt sooner, or later, or around the same timeframe?

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Alex Wood

 
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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by Alex Wood » Fri Apr 22, 2011 8:48 am

Any body have any recent updates? I am hoping to head out and give Charleston a shot May 2nd. I really want to give Hourglass Gulley a shot again. But I might be going solo, and if that case, I would be taking the South/Loop Trail Canyon Rt. If anybody is interested in going up, let me know.

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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by MoapaPk » Fri Apr 22, 2011 5:05 pm

Mescalitos' recent trip

With the recent warm days, the Devil's Thumb shortcut(pic from last year) may be melted free enough (it almost looks so it in Mescalito's recent pics), but it would be tough to take a big pack or board up past the class 3/4 sections, and you would want some sort of cordage, and boots with sticky soles, to get past that area.

How do you plan to exit the bottom of the hourglass?

BTW, Trail Canyon connects to the NLT.

Snow partly in the sun was very mushy by noon two days ago, at 9000'.

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Alex Wood

 
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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by Alex Wood » Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:09 am

Oh, the Devils Thumb Shortcut looks like a good option. To clarify, the Trail Canyon/North Loop Trail drops north of the ridge to bypass "Devils Thumb" and that part of the trail is the part you would be avoiding with the shortcut? Also, could you simply rappel the 4th class sections on the way down? And as far as how we were going to get down, we were planning on getting a super early start and maybe coming down the same route. But that chute scars me. We got up to 10k in January and the rock fall was pretty bad. Its probably worse with everything melting out. The Devils Thumb Route sounds like my best option right now.

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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by MoapaPk » Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:36 am

Alex Wood wrote:Oh, the Devils Thumb Shortcut looks like a good option. To clarify, the Trail Canyon/North Loop Trail drops north of the ridge to bypass "Devils Thumb" and that part of the trail is the part you would be avoiding with the shortcut? Also, could you simply rappel the 4th class sections on the way down? And as far as how we were going to get down, we were planning on getting a super early start and maybe coming down the same route. But that chute scars me. We got up to 10k in January and the rock fall was pretty bad. Its probably worse with everything melting out. The Devils Thumb Route sounds like my best option right now.


I just drop a handline from the tree on the way down Devil's Thumb. The whole idea of that bypass in late(r) spring is to avoid the NLT cliffs just S of the Thumb.

The bottom of the Hourglass is a set of cliffs, there is (in summer) a 3rd class bypass that is fairly far out of the way, but some actually rappel down from the bottom of the Hourglass.

EDIT: grammar.
Last edited by MoapaPk on Thu Apr 28, 2011 1:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by daw37 » Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:39 am

Does anyone know what conditions on the South Loop Trail are like? Thinking of heading up on Sat 7 May before I head home to the UK... I have crampons but not snow shoes!!

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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by MoapaPk » Thu Apr 28, 2011 1:10 am

daw37 wrote:Does anyone know what conditions on the South Loop Trail are like? Thinking of heading up on Sat 7 May before I head home to the UK... I have crampons but not snow shoes!!

Then start early when the snow is still firm. I would bet you will hit up to 5' of snow in the shaded sections (it's a N-facing slope). The avalanche chute may be the best place to crampon; but it's called "avalanche chute" for a reason. Snow should be consolidated. Read earlier posts about parking; the restrictions should be lifted by then, but with the USFS, you never know. Call the Kyle Canyon office at 9AM -4:30PM PDT to get the scoop on parking.

avalanche chute May 09, 2009 --we have a bit more snow this year.

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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by jmatthys » Thu Apr 28, 2011 2:15 am

I echo Moapa's post. Leave early so that the snow is firm. Their will be enough snow to require crampons. The avalanche chute is quite full, you will probably be on solid snow just a half mile or so from the trailhead. It will be soft in the afternoon but if you don't mind post-holing a bit, snow shoes will not be a requirement. As a side note, you could always rent snow shows at the REI in Summerlin (http://www.rei.com/stores/130). As for the parking situation, restrictions are still in place, and it looks like they will continue to be in place due to construction. You can safely park at the pullout on your left (when driving toward the trailhead) after the hairpin curve (bridge). This pull out is just a 100meters or so before the Cathedral point trailhead (which is the normal parking area that is closed). Here are some pics from last weekend to give you an idea of the conditions https://picasaweb.google.com/jackamackjake/MazieCanyonToGriffithAndDescendingDownGriffithAvyChute#. Have fun!!

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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by daw37 » Thu Apr 28, 2011 1:09 pm

Thanks both - I'm gonna give it a go, and whether I make it or not I'm sure it will round out my holiday nicely!!!

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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by MoapaPk » Mon May 23, 2011 4:14 pm


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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by FugueManiac » Wed May 25, 2011 6:18 am

I'm planning on giving the SLT a try Thursday the 26th or Friday the 27th. I will have crampons and snowshoes, axe and poles, but I'm concerned about the warm temperatures. Has anyone been in there recently?

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MoapaPk

 
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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by MoapaPk » Wed May 25, 2011 2:27 pm

You'll have plenty of snow on the way up. Why are you worried about the warm T - soft snow? I've done snow climbs there when it was 105F in Vegas.

Here's what Griffith and the region of the SLT looked like 3 days ago:
http://hwstock.org/mum28x/IMG_3919.jpg

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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by Elwood » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:40 pm

Did anyone get up Charleston this past weekend (6/4-6/5)? I was wondering how much of the North & South Loop Trails are covered in snow? Thanks, Elwood

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MoapaPk

 
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Re: Mt Charleston Conditions

by MoapaPk » Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:29 pm

Our club went up the avalanche chute on Griffith last weekend; melting fast, the cliff bands are a bit of an issue. One guy went up the SLT for a ways. This was mainly a snow school thing. (I has surgery recently and didn't attend.)

http://www.meetup.com/LasVegasMountaine ... /29925681/

A few of the pics show the view NW from Griffith, and it looks like one could get to Charleston with some occasional snow-slogging, once on the ridge, from SLT. (Note pics 27 and 39, pick "all sizes" to see original.) Make sure you have good gaiters, and crampons and axe for a trip up the Avy chute (though the snow looks pretty soft). Else it just looks like posthole Hell in the woods, and after the snow softens.

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