Peak Condition Update | Torreys Peak

Peak:	Torreys Peak (14er)
Route:	South Slopes
Range:	Front
Posted By:	One Sierra Charlie
Date of Info:	06/15/2011
Date Posted:	06/16/2011

Details
I climbed the NW Couloir, skied the Dead Dog, lapped back around and skied out on the Tuning Fork. The snow climb is is continuous from the creek to the summit and is in perfect shape. The Dead Dog is in from the summit and is covered with nice, sweet corn. There is a DEEP runnel on the lower section, but you can avoid it. I would only ski (or climb) this route early (before 9:00 AM say) and after a good freeze overnight. The upper sections of theTuning Fork and especially the Emperor contain a very corrugated surface, which did not soften by mid day today. The lower 1/3rd of the Tuning fork was nice corn snow however. A continuous ski descent is not possible via either the Tuning Fork, or via the Grays/Torreys Saddle.

Details

I climbed the NW Couloir, skied the Dead Dog, lapped back around and skied out on the Tuning Fork. The snow climb is is continuous from the creek to the summit and is in perfect shape. The Dead Dog is in from the summit and is covered with nice, sweet corn. There is a DEEP runnel on the lower section, but you can avoid it. I would only ski (or climb) this route early (before 9:00 AM say) and after a good freeze overnight. The upper sections of theTuning Fork and especially the Emperor contain a very corrugated surface, which did not soften by mid day today. The lower 1/3rd of the Tuning fork was nice corn snow however. A continuous ski descent is not possible via either the Tuning Fork, or via the Grays/Torreys Saddle.

Comments or Questions

kansas	Tuning fork 06/17/2011 00:52 Thanks for the update! How much billygoating would be required to get Tuning Fork from the top?
One Sierra Charlie	Tuning Fork 06/17/2011 14:31 You can ski the ridge to the entry but the first 10 feet or so are dry. The problem is that the dry section is composed of large boulders on about a 50 degree pitch, which would be difficult (and dangerous) to attempt to cross with skis on. If you want a summit descent, I would suggest either the Emperor or the Dead Dog.
kansas	Nice 06/17/2011 14:47 Thanks for getting back to me!
NYRyan	TF 06/20/2011 04:55 OSC: I think I ran into you while you were skiing down the Tuning Fork. I was climbing up and we spoke pretty close to the top of the Tuning Fork.
One Sierra Charlie	TF 06/21/2011 01:36 NYRyan: If it was early afternoon, then indeed you and I had a short chat near the top of the Tuning Fork. Did the upper section soften for you? My ski on the lower 1/3 was real nice, even the mid section was better than the top. I tried to cross Trail Ridge Road on a bike today but the weather was too severe. Several inches of new snow above 11,000 ft and all the visible ski lines in the park looked great!