Cirque and Potluck Passes

[Mmalone32]

Has anyone crossed these passes within the past few weeks? If so, please describe snow conditions. Thanks

[maverick]

Post from 7/17 by Gregodorizzi:

For what it's worth, I came back yesterday from this very area, and I tried in vain to travel from lower Palisade Lake to Palisade Basin via Cirque Pass. The snow seemed patchy from a distance, which gave me hope of finding a safe route, but up close, I was too scared to give it a try. I came down from Palisade Basin on this route last year, so I had a good idea of what to look for, but the snow closed out all the safe-looking class 3 climbs. I was alone, and my wife told me not to get hurt, so I turned around.

That's it, no other updates.

[Mmalone32]

Thanks for the help on this.

[cgundersen]

Mm,
I was hoping I'd get some photos from my pal (the cameraman), but he may not get them posted till Monday, so I'll chime in. We traversed Knapsack and Potluck on Aug.18 and Cirque the morning of the 19th and although there were a few pesky moments where one had to be careful either because traction on the remnant snow was not great or concerns about post-holing, all three hops went pretty smoothly. If it's any consolation, while we were preparing to descend Potluck, there was another guy coming up, and a lone, young lady quickly catching up with us. So, my hunch is you should have no problem insofar as there are no over-arching obstacles. My buddy went down the scree segment on the west side of Potluck. I found a central route that involved a couple of hand-over-fist drops, but wound up on a snow patch that I could glissade. Bottom line: plenty of options. Only concern: you may be seeing weird weather and smoke if you're heading out soon.
Cameron

[Mmalone32]

Cameron:

Thanks for the report. Look forward to seeing the photos.

Matt