Barrett Spur conditions right now?

[anne37]

Hi all -- happy spring!

Just wondering if anyone has been up near Barrett Spur lately? Looking for road conditions to the TH and advice on whether snowshoes and spikes are sufficient, or is this a crampons/axe thing? My partner has been up there but I have not. I know to check avy conditions beforehand. Thanks!

[Charley]

Just in general (I went up a few falls ago), I'd recommend an ice ax. The last pyramid up to the summit is a steep-ish scramble, and an ice ax (and helmet and crampons) would be wise. At least, the gear wouldn't weigh so much that it would be prohibitive to take, even if you didn't end up using it.

In specific, I have no clue as to current conditions at the trailhead or on the way. The NWAC is shutting down for the summer as of today. The North side would probably have fewer loose-wet avalanches than the South of the mountain, but still, ascending early in the morning might not be a bad idea (and, of course, would necessitate the crampons).

It's awesome up there; best of luck!

[anne37]

Thanks for the input!

[raven]

Red Hill at 4400' on the same ridge shows 67" of snow, so you won't get close by car.

My choice of travel footwear above timberline and in the open would be skis, but in the woods under snow covered by debris and with pits around every small tree spikes might be very useful. Snowshoes might be a compromise, but there will be a long road approach on which light soft skis would be much more pleasant.

The only place where an avalanche is a risk is if you decide to go the very top of the ridge -- and then only for an extremely short distance. Elsewhere crampons are not as useful as spikes, so I would not carry climbing gear. The rest of the Spur is well worth the trip.



Beware the east edge of the spur -- cornice potential.

[OldHouseMan]

The North side would probably have fewer loose-wet avalanches than the South of the mountain, but still, ascending early in the morning might not be a bad idea (and, of course, would necessitate the crampons).

Fewer? Possibly. The largest wet slide I've had the luxury of witnessing was last summer on the NNE aspect just below the summit of Barrett Spur. It ran all of the way to the valley floor.

I would be surprised if you couldn't make it to the Elk Cove TH, or at least really close.

[Charley]

The North side would probably have fewer loose-wet avalanches than the South of the mountain, but still, ascending early in the morning might not be a bad idea (and, of course, would necessitate the crampons).

Fewer? Possibly. The largest wet slide I've had the luxury of witnessing was last summer on the NNE aspect just below the summit of Barrett Spur. It ran all of the way to the valley floor.

I would be surprised if you couldn't make it to the Elk Cove TH, or at least really close.

I stand modified. I was just thinking that it's not a Southeast facing approach, and would pose less of a threat.

[raven]

Any slide there would not affect the Spur itself; rather the slide would most likely be toward Elk Cove or the Coe Glacier Valley or the Ladd Glacier. The top of Barrett Spur is not steep enough to avalanche, and there's a knob to deflect the only (low probability) source of a slide toward it, if one stays off the very end of the ridge.

Perhaps we have different opinions on the approach to Barrett Spur or about the places on the Spur that are worth visiting. I would not approach from east of Dollar Lake this season. That could be dangerous and would be hard work.

[anne37]

Quick report: snow blocks the road briefly about .5 mile past Kenniwick Campground at Lawrence Lake, and then completely at about 1 mile. Only the highest clearance vehicle will be able to get over that second "patch." We parked and walked, bushwhacking up the the Pinnacle Ridge trailhead. We snowshoed in about 5 steep miles and a couple thousand feet of elevation, but lost the Pinnacle Ridge trail early on and chose to simply explore the Dollar Lake Fire burn zone. 7-8 feet of snow from about 4,500 feet up. We considered dropping down to Elk Cove but chose to return the way we came rather than cliff out or come across any snow bridges down below. WAY overly ambitious, but we're going to try again in another couple months. Thanks for the advice, all.