Trip
Snow Climb – RMNP - Bear Lake TH - Ptarmigan Glacier
This trip provides experience to BMC participants in planning and executing a snow climb. We will hike up the Mill Creek basin from Bear Lake, up Ptarmigan glacier or one of it's steeper prodigies depending on cornices and snow quality, topping out on the Continental divide and descending via the hiking trail on Flattop mountain.
Contacts
- Sun, May 17, 2026
- Northern Colorado
- Mountaineering
- Basic Alpine Climb
- Adults
- Moderate
- Mileage: 11.5 mi
- Elevation Gain: 3,400 ft
- High Point Elevation: 12,400 ft
- Pace: 1.3 mph average
- FULL (5 capacity)
- FULL (2 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
We will need to watch weather conditions.
We will meet at the Target in Fort Collins (105 W Troutman Pkwy, Fort Collins, CO 80525) at 2:00 AM.
We will then drive to the Jax in Loveland (2665 W Eisenhower Blvd, Loveland, CO 80537) to pickup one trip member at 2:30 AM.
This should put us at the RMNP Bear Lake parking lot at about 4:00 AM.
Required Equipment
Participants: Headlamps, helmets, harnesses, carabiners, ropes, crampons, ice axes.
Instructors: 8mm ropes, pickets. To be distributed among all.
Bring SNOWSHOES for descent of the Flattop mountain trail. We're thinking they are not needed however and will be left in car.