Top of Incline Still Icy

With barely any snow since before Christmas, most of the Manitou Incline is clear of snow except above the false summit. The photos are from last weekend on January 22nd, 2012 but conditions were similar on Thursday night.

There still is some ice below where the ties split around halfway but it isn’t too bad. Above the false summit is still very icy. The ties are melted off but slippery ice fills in between them.

With care the upper part can be climbed without traction devices but coming back down the top of the Incline is treacherous. The photo above shows an Incline regular running back down but she’s wearing Kahtoola MicroSpikes and is very experienced on hiking the Incline in winter.

The social trail from the top of the Incline down to Barr Trail is mostly clear of ice. Barr Trail is also mostly clear but icy patches still exist. Some of them are hidden under a thin layer of dirt but are still slippery. The dirt access road to the water intake above Upper Ruxton would be better for bobsledding than for hiking so avoid that and stay on Barr Trail.