UPDATE:
Due to extremely poor avalanche conditions, this trip will be postponed. Spoke with a ranger from the Utah Avalanche Center and received some sage advice to attempt the west side of Timp during the ideal melt-freeze spring cycle on the mountain -- much firmer conditions, better climbing overall. As a backup, we'll be heading to Humphreys in northern AZ instead. Oh well.
FROM BEFORE:
In less than two weeks, I will join three friends and put our mountaineering mettle to the test against Mount Timp's Everest Ridge.
Everest Ridge
- Elevation Gain: 6,500’
- RT Distance: 9.22 mi
- TH Elevation: 5,349’
- Summit Elev.: 11,749’
- Rating: III, Class 4, Steep Snow
A month ago, the prospects of this climb were bleak and the Wasatch was starved for moisture with only traces of it's October / November faceted crystals remaining. Since then we've seen a resurgence in the typical northern Utah snowpack, bringing season totals closer to expectation. Herein lies the issue. Five to ten feet of fresh, wet snowpack has now cemented itself atop the aforementioned 2011 facet layers. The cohesion of everything new is great for a solid foundation, however, even this foundation could slide since it's essentially resting on what we should think of as tiny ball bearings. I've been feverishly scoping the avy rose every morning, hoping for more yellow, and now more green to inherit the majority of its pie slices.
Luckily for us, our intended route lies on a predominantly southwest ridge. Until we actually get there, we can only hope for stellar conditions both with the weather and the snowpack itself. Regardless of what comes to fruition as far as our plans are concerned, I cannot wait to get on that ridge.
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