Mt. Sneffels

Route: Snake Couloir
Posted On: 6/16/2026, By: Jonathan Deffenbaugh
Info: Trail clear of snow till you get to the base of the Snake Couloir. Took advantage of the switchbacks leading up to the apron. Once on the apron experienced minor postholing with snow conditions improving to solid step kicking conditions. Equipment included helmet, crampons, ice axe (hybrid), and an ice tool in case conditions warranted. Ended up only needing one ice axe while my climbing partner used both ice axe/ice tool. This was his first time climbing Mt Sneffels. Steepest section was near the chokepoint before the turn left for the final homestretch. Cornice was only prominent on the right side as we exited the chokepoint, solid snow climbing conditions there. Turning left on the dogleg though did require kickstep traversing however there were rock sections where we could take a break at least. Initially the final 500' was near the same angle as the climbing through the chokepoint during the gully's initial section however the angle eventually wore off as we approached the final summit tower. Near the summit tower though the snow was soft so make sure your steps are good kicking in and be ready to self arrest in case your feet give out. As mentioned in prior condition reports there are multiple variations of climbing the summit tower (approx 100-150' of climbing). We ended up climbing center right, which involved sections of climbing, traversing ledges, until we finally ended up on the NW ridge and solid climbing to finish the climb. Descended via the standard route where the upper gully still has a snow section left over. Recommend having a helmet, ice axe, and microspikes at least. Once we arrived at Lavendar Col, ended up scree surfing until we finally reached some prominent snowfields that was actually glissadable which made our descent more bearable till we reconnected with the trail leading down Blaine Basin. Hit some weather (rain) on the way down but no more biggie. One of the best lollipop routes on a 14er you'll get to experience, guaranteed! 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 6/13/2026, By: MyProject58-4
Info: Here are some conditions on the trail and trailhead-
The trailhead is muddy, and we had to park beneath the summit signs on the side of the road due to a large snow patch covering the final stretch of road to the trailhead sign. As for the lower part of the trailhead, it's decent, with streams starting after the restroom station. Saw at least 20 deer on the way up, there's a load of them.
As for the climb itself, lower sections are clear of snow. The hilly, choss-field of ascent is snow-free and very loose. We had a very large, car sized boulder move on us while ascending via the right side (looking up). I recommend ascending-descending closer to the left side (looking up/north) rather than the right (further south), because the rock is much steadier. As for the couloir prior to the V-Notch section of the route, snow is most prevalent on the left side, with some present on the right side. However, the right side is less steep, and has good suncup's which are stable in morning, before the sun hits it and softens it. Unfortunately, the accident from Wednesday is still apparent, as there are the occasional splotches of blood present during the ascent. As for the V-Notch, it's dry and clear, and the remaining route to the summit is great. I highly suggest ascending early and descending the snow in the couloir before the sun hits it, as I personally almost tumbled after a snowcup broke on me, luckily saved by another much harder cup and a self-arrest with my ice axe. Micro spikes and an Ice Axe highly recommended. I highly suggest ascending/descending the east side of the couloir. 

Route: Ridge ascent, standard descent
Posted On: 6/10/2026, By: AlejandraOutside
Info: Road is snow free nearly to the upper trailhead with a notable exception in pictures below.

Trail up to the ridge is largely clear of snow, but some snowfields up to a couple dozen yards wide do persist. These stayed frozen, allowing travel without post holing even upon the descent.

The ridge is largely clear of snow, but the gulley at 13.6k feet continues to hold snow as mentioned in a prior report. I personally was glad to have my crampons and axe in hand. I found the snow to be losing integrity, with some crust but sugary underneath. The sun in this gulley after 10am worsened the snow quality, so we stuck to the right side of the gulley in the shade.

Upon descent the v- notch was snow-free. But the standard gulley down… shewee, that was unpleasant. Snow filled the upper gulley for a substantial portion of it, making for slippery, slow progress downward. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/4/2026, By: owen_farkas
Info: Up SW ridge, down South slopes.

Ridge route is mostly dry, except in the gully at 13,600' where there is hard pack snow. I used microspikes + ice ax here and wouldn't be comfortable ascending without it. The rest of the route is dry and enjoyable.

South Slopes: V notch is clear. The gully leading up from the col has packed snow beginning around halfway up. So many steps have been kicked into this slope that it is easy to ascend/descend with just microspikes. Rest of the descent is dry and loose.

Trailhead is dry to the outhouse parking. Snow still on the road above 12000' 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 5/24/2026, By: Caleb_airport
Info: Conditions are similar to the last post. Small snow patches that can be avoided until the gulley. I found it easier to climb and descend the snow patches on the steep scree climb. I recommend microspikes for the descent. I submitted without spikes and put them on for the descent. Snow was coming down around 10:30am so conditions better or worse this week. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 5/19/2026, By: wolfemann
Info: 2-12" fresh snow (depending on drifts) on the trail above ~12,000 ft, but melting off quickly. Enough snow in the gully to take the edge off the loose garbage, and then pretty nicely textured firm snow/ice from saddle at top of lower gully to v-notch, some ice in v-notch (which only really made it easier with microspikes). Ice axe and at least microspikes recommended above lower gully. Very little snow above the v-notch. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 5/10/2026, By: econner
Info: Gate is open and road is clear to the outhouse and probably subaru-able. Mostly 4x4 up by the outhouse. Road could be driven past outhouse to ~11,600' before large snow drifts become impassable.

Climbed and descended the standard south slopes route via Lavender col.

Able to skin continuously from ~12,000' to about 2/3rds up the Lavender col. From there crampons all the way to the summit and was able to boot in firm snow to the V notch (at ~8:30am). From there easy climb to the summit with mixed snow and solid rock.

For ski descent Lavender col is nearly out and may not last another week. There is a small strip of snow that had large rutted tracks. I left skis at the top of the col at ~13,600' as the upper gulley looked pretty trashed (avy debris and rocks showing), though with some creativity you could probably still ski a portion of it.

North aspects holding snow well. What I could see of Snake looked pretty good with recent tracks. New-ish looking webbing for the rappel anchor off the summit. Also looked to be an easy side sneak into the couloir.

North side of Lavender col looked great (though not sure about current road access).

Able to ski from ~13,600' all the way to just below the outhouse (basically to the car), staying just skiers right of gully proper.

Great day out. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 5/4/2026, By: oj-welcker
Info: Got started from Ouray on mountain bikes at about 2:20 am. After a brutally steep ascent up the road, we made it to the outhouse parking area at about 4:40. Stopped a bit past the parking lot, parked the bikes, and started getting into hiking gear. Waited here for some friends who drove to the outhouse parking and started the hike at about 5:20. The plan was for 2 of us to take the ridge and the other 4 to climb up the slopes. The group was slow-moving, and when we got to the trail split, we decided it was best for the other 5 without climbing experience to take the south slopes. As I made my way to the switchback section up to Blue Lakes Pass, I decided to take the snow and skip the switchbacks. The show was great for climbing, but I started wishing for an ice axe and my hiking boots (which were on the feet of another member of the group) as the snow became firmer. Moved closer to the rocks and began making my way up the ridge. Did a terrible job sticking to the official route, as I was finding the rocks much faster than the snow. Snow was perfect as I crested the notch and entered the gully, and very much the same as I ascended back up the other side. The official route didn't look safe without more equipment, so I looked around a bit and decided to climb a bit to the right of the main route. After climbing a rather difficult class 4 section, I made it up the rest of the scramble and stayed right on the ridge once more as I passed the Kissing Camels rocks. The scramble to the top was in perfect condition. After a few minutes at the top, where I had enough coverage to FaceTime my Mom. I started the descent down to meet the rest of the group on the south slopes. The V-notch was an easy descent and probably not too bad of a climb either(nobody climbed it as the group seemed fine with being done at 14k), though I did go down a bit to the side to avoid the exposure and large buildup of snow in the actual notch. After 20 minutes of downclimbing the snow field, we slid down the rest on our asses. The rest of the hike down was easy, with the snow a bit on the softer side. Made it back to the bikes and had a beautiful ride down the canyon and into Ouray. Overall, a great day out, but I can't say I recommend the Ridge to anyone who isn't ready for some serious climbing for the next month or so.

Start Time: 2:20 am
Ride Mileage: 8.27mi
Ride Elevation: 3606ft

Hike Start: 5:20 am
Hike Mileage: 5.15mi
Hike Elevation: 4500
Summit: 7:58 am

Ride Back Start: 10:40 am
Finish: 11:12 am 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 4/6/2026, By: Splitboard14ers
Info: There is a Winter closure gate just before Camp Bird Mine, this will add between 5-7 miles approach to the lower/upper trailheads. There has been reported from 12-16" inches of new snow since the date of climb, this could change the conditions mentioned here considerably.

It was dry dirt road up to the fork in the road between Governor Basin to the left, and Yankee Boy Basin road to the right. Approx 4-5 miles to this point. From here it was snow coverage. The snow was firm and supportive (mostly) up to the lower trailhead. I stayed in boots during this section, and as there were multiple creek crossings and sections not ideal, it didn't make sense to skin yet.

From the lower trailhead I began to skin. I skinned up to the upper trailhead and across Yankee Boy Basin to the base of the peak. I transitioned to boots and hiked up a ways, then found the snow to be firm, and transitioned to crampons. I stayed in crampons and climbed up the South East face until the Col, then up the snow gulley (couloir) to it's top. At the top of the couloir, I took of my crampons and placed them on a rock on the left side of the couloir at the base of a rock wall, my plan was to return this way and collect them on my way out, but it seemed a good idea to reduce weight for the obvious climb to Summit, in what seemed like no snow conditions.

I climbed a section of class 4 rock to reach the ridge above. From there it was a short walk up to the Summit. Once on Summit there was snow along the ridge, and I decided to snowboard it back into the couloir. I made a slight change of routes on my re-entrance into the couloir, and strapped in for the ride down, forgetting about my crampons only 10 feet above where I was.

I rode down the gulley in prime Spring snow, nice and soft, then down the rest of the South face to the base of the peak and across the Basin. Then I remembered my crampons. I did not chose to climb back up the peak a 2nd time to retrieve them. So if you are reading this and plan to climb, I would very much appreciate if you could retrieve my crampons for me, and bring them down. I can meet up with you to retrieve them. My phone number is (970)333-3156

I hiked across a short section of rocks then strapped back in and rode out as much as I could until reaching the lower trailhead. The snow had warmed and was isothermic making it poor riding conditions. I transitioned to boots for the rest of the exit. I worked through 1-2 miles of mixed frozen base and slushy snow till reaching the junction back to the road where it was dry.

From there it was 4-5 miles back down to the Winter closure gate.

Start: 03:32am
Summit: 10:53am
Finish: 2:04pm
Total Time: 10.34
Total Miles: 14.94
4932' vertical feet. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 3/20/2026, By: ericahlstedt
Info: Looking fairly dry on lavender col....from winter closure gate road is dry for first 3ish miles and 1500ish feet. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 2/5/2026, By: jacolc
Info: I start at 5am. Probably 2 h to late. Parked just below gate, but car camped below at more flat spot. Road plowed to upper Thorin Mine (3.3miles 1550' gain from gate), but icy. Used snowshoe from there to ridge at about 13500. Fallowed old ski track to about 12000'. Above snow was windblown until below Blue Lake Pass. Below the summit snow start wet (exactly at noon). No cornice at top of couloir, but some mini cornice at Class 2+ spot. Now cleaned. Car to car 14.1m 5.8k' 11h28' 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 12/14/2025, By: Will_E
Info: Nice conditions on Sneffels this weekend. The normal seasonal gate is closed, the road is plowed beyond the gate about 3 miles. I put snowshoes on there, kept them on a little past Blue Lakes Pass. The trenching was pretty average, deep in spots, easy in spots. Snow up the steep slope to the pass was bulletproof. I stashed snowshoes a little way up the ridge, no traction needed today. The 2 short gullies were holding a fair amount of snow. There was a cornice over the first gully, I dropped in maybe 5' or 6', getting up was a little bit of work due to my less than average height. Snow here and there on the ridge, but nothing super difficult. Beautiful weather, not much wind, and views for days, as usual for this time of year. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 9/22/2025, By: Boggy B
Info: No snow on the way up this afternoon but it nuked from the summit down to the road. Nothing stuck but it got another good soaking. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/21/2025, By: snizzap
Info: Started around 5am. Great conditions. Ascended SW Ridge. Some route finding needed but relied on 14ers.com pics and notes. No snow on the climb. Descended south slopes. Need care in not dropping rocks on others. Poles and helmets really recommended. Went down the right side to avoid dropping scree on others. Weather was threatening so be prepared. About 5 hrs round trip with route finding, waiting for other hikers and not pushing. Thanks to COFI out working on the trail. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 9/16/2025, By: Lizzy123inaz
Info: Route up until the gully is clear of snow and dry. Into the boulder gully there is snow along sides and mud in a few areas. The V notch had snow on the footholds and some ice and wetness on its inner left side. The handholds on the right were free of snow and ice. Remainder of route packed down snow on a couple flat sections but not bad.