Emmons/Winthrop Route Update 5/22/2025

The road to the White River Campground and trailhead for Camp Schurman is slated to open Friday, May 23rd - just in time for Memorial Day Weekend.  Check the park's Road Status website for more details.  Rangers have opened up a toilet at Camp Schurman and there's also a barrel outside the toilet to deposit used blue bags.

Photo taken 5/21/25 of the Winthrop Shoulder.

The approach to Camp Schurman is still in early-season conditions and though there's a bit of snow right at the parking lot, expect the first mile or so to be bare trail.  The next couple miles will be a mix of snow and trail, and then almost 100% snow covered from the switchback a half-mile before Glacier Basin Campground.  The Inter Glacier has been planar and offered decent skiing conditions this spring.  

The climbing route above Camp Schurman has had only a couple of intrepid teams on it so far this year.  Expect no boot pack, nor wands on the route and winter-like conditions.  Wind transport of new snow has created some hollow sounding slabs and false bridges barely covering crevasses.  A team of experienced skiers who've skied this route in previously great conditions, found themselves taking off their skis multiple times and belaying across crevasse bridges and even a section of exposed hard glacial ice.  They also reported large sastrugi covering most of the upper mountain above the corridor.  They recommended giving the upper mountain a couple of weeks of melt/freeze before it's back into better skiing conditions.

 

Photo taken 5/21/25 of ice on the E/W Route.

Climbers can expect a less consolidated snow surface and more effort in "booting" up the route on the upper mountain.  Keep an eye on changing conditions as the weather changes into the weekend.  Teams should be more self-reliant during summit attempts this early in the season.  Don't rely on anyone else for rescue - make sure your team has what it needs if one of your party gets injured - think stove, extra fuel, sleeping bag, extra food, etc.  

Photo taken 5/21/25 of the large and firm sastrugi on the upper E/W route.

Skiers over on Little Tahoma reported great planar ski conditions on the Whitman and Fryingpan Glaciers.  No big crevasse openings yet on either of the glaciers and the snow has consolidated more at these lower elevations.  

No matter if you're planning on climbing or skiing this weekend, be sure to stay well within your ability level!  We hope to see you this holiday weekend - and many more holiday weekends in the future!