was there saturday ..quite thin but lots of ice in the dyke itself (2 short ice sections not long enough to protect) ..slabs were fun - verglassed and lightly dusted rock made for sketchy footwork but very doable, only awkward part was gaining the slab proper out of the dyke

How sketchy was the lower parts of the slab just above the second step in the Dyke?

it was very manageable tho i guess the toughest part

..there were streaks of mm thick ice and windblown snow over the rock so there wasn't much traction ..the slab was mixed ..lots of exposed rock and very thin ice with windblown slab sections that you'd still posthole

I am planning on heading up there tommorrow, although this rain can't be doing the route any favors. Did you cross the lake or hike around?

hehe ..the lake is half frozen ..there was what appeared to be a solid strip going accross but i sure wasn't about to brave it ..

Does anybody have been there lately ? I've planned a trip on january 4 to 6. Any report will be very appreciated.

Conditions as of New Years Eve...Avalanche Lake was frozen enough to cross. Conditions were good enough for my partner and I to simul-solo the dike and slide above. First pitch of Dike 2-, somewhat wet. Second pitch Grade 2 with rock top out under foot of powder. Ice would have taken screws in places. Upper part of Dike 2-5 feet of wallowing powder. Colden Slide ranged from short sections of scratchy verglass/powder over bare rock to long sections of good neve type snow.

How was the snow cover on the approach to and past Marcy Dam? Skiable or too bare?

We ran up Marcy on Jan 1.
no need for skis.

grz I believe you guys ran up close to the summit of Marcy but no go on the top????