The Tooth/South Face

Winter route from upper Alpental parking lot is still completely snow covered, but melting out fast.  Snow was soft and still consolidating.  Even with snowshoes on, sinking in 12" was common.  

The route up from Great Scott Basin to the standard approach notch is also melting fast, the moat is starting to emerge.  We kicked steps up to the immediate left (south) of the notch where coverage was still continuous and moat still hidden.  Another party climbed the rock to the right (north) to access the notch.

The actual route is mostly snow free for pitches 1 and 2 (as defined in Nelson/Potterfield). (We combined these pitches into one long pitch).  Pitch 3 is mostly snow covered (snow coverage more or less exactly as depicted in photo on p. 68 of Nelson/Potterfield).  Pitch 4, including the catwalk, mostly dry.  Summit mostly snow but there is bare rock to sit on.   Downclimbing soft snow to the rappel anchors was one of the cruxes of the route, though there are slings up high that can be used to rig a rappel or belay down to this point.

We climbed the whole thing in mountaineering boots and carried our ice axes on route (and used them), definitely the preferred option for awhile as compared to rock shoes.