Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Winter Access Forum Interested in Winter Mountaineering

Whenever I go camping or backpacking the local summits along the trail tend to draw me. This summer/fall I did a couple of serious hikes: the 1 day Half Dome summit, and my 2 day Whitney summit. Both times I was carrying a light load in a full size backpack that included my camera gear and tripod. Both left me winded, but I loved it.

I think I'm addicted and I'm thinking about going bigger. But it seems that much above 14k and you definitely get into winter mountaineering territory. How does a newbie go about getting into this adventure without killing themselves? I can read books, but I doubt that compares to hands on experience. Do you take classes? Do you hire guide companies for the first couple routes to show you everything before you gain your own experience? Also, I don't believe any of my normal back packing companions are going to be crazy about winter mountaineering. So in the beginning what sort of ways do you run into climbing partners? Is it common to hook up with people at trail heads for easier mountains, as you start out?

If I'm asking the right questions, great! Otherwise, any help to point me in the right direction would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe

Hi, Joe!

I know what you mean about becoming addicted: I only stood on the summit of Whitney for the first time in August of 2006, and I can't believe the adventures I've had since!

Reading books is always a great place to start. In fact, that's where I've done a lot of my research, but I'm really geeky that way! To me, learning the geology and history of the area I'm playing adds tremendously to my experience.

This past year, I took a class here in Southern CA through the Sierra Club, called the Wilderness Travel Course (WTC) . It's a beginning backpacking, navigation, survival, and snow travel class that covers a lot of the basics. I would highly recommend it if you are in SoCal. Kurt Wedburg also offers courses through Sierra Mountaineering International (SMI) for Snow Travel, Avalanche safety, etc. I'm going to try and take more of that with them this winter.

I've met a lot of people through this board, but be careful with that, as you would through any internet 'meet and greet'. Be very honest and open about your abilities and goals with the people you talk to, and if they don't seem to mesh, don't be afraid to reassess your options! I've been lucky for the most part to have met some completely amazing people, from whom I've learned a tremendous amount in the past year.

Good luck, and have fun!

-Laura

I'll give you my story and I'll try to keep it brief. I too was interested in getting out more in the winter. I started out by just pushing the fall season back here on the east coast (the Carolinas) further and further..and soon I was hiking and camping throughout the year. That got me prepared for the cold..but we don't really have the types of conditions that the truly high mountains get.

Like everyone else, I bought books and read a million of them about mountaineering and winter skills (Freedom of the Hills is sort of the unofficial Bible of mountaineering). My first true winter mountaineering hike though was through Eastern Mountain Sports up in New Hampshire. I signed on for a guided trip up Mt. Washington that taught some very basic crampon and ice-axe skills. No roped travel though or anything like that.

You can read that trip report here: http://www.mudspike.com/lionhead.htm

Stupidly, I figured that minimalistic exposure to winter mountaineering would carry me through on a more ambitious trip back out to attempt to solo Mt. Whitney in March of 2006. To put it bluntly, there just wasn't any comparison. I felt completely out of my league on Whitney in the winter..but I did learn a lot. If you have a fast internet connection you can watch the video I made of my winter attempt: http://www.mudspike.com/nfork.avi (recommend you right click and SAVE it to your hard drive instead of just clicking on it..)..

I'll also post a trip report link later (when I can dig it up).

I'm planning on coming back out to California sometime (hopefully this winter) to take a skills class with SMI. I'd like to learn more about roped travel, glacier and crevasse travel, and more general winter knowledge. Since I've starting venturing out in the cold and winter conditions, I'm hooked, and I figure I should get as educated as I can. You might be right about others that you know that normally enjoy hiking with you might not be keen on doing the winter stuff...

Welcome to the madness..!

Chris

Joe -

You're asking the right questions. If you'd like additional experience on conditions you might expect on peaks above 14K', consider doing some of the peaks in the Cascades, like Mt Shasta in northern CA, and Mt Adams in Washington state. Each has a non-technical route - Avalanche Gulch for Shasta, and the South Spur for Adams. An excellent resource book is "Selected Climbs in the Cascades" by Nelson & Potterfield, ISBN 0-89886-368-6. There's lots of info, some of it official, on the web for these two routes, and both have excellent USFS Ranger Stations nearby for the latest conditions/route recommendations should you decide to go.

Shasta is about 14.3K', and Adams 12.4K', so while they're not taller than peaks you'll find in the Sierra, the snowfields and glaciers will provide good experience for extended crampon use. An ice axe is also handy for these peaks; less for self-arrest and more to act as a brake for glissading. They've often done as an overnight, but can be done a dayhike by a fit climber.

By "non-technical" I mean you can do these routes without equipment other than crampons and possibly an ice axe. I like to use poles on these peaks as I find it gives me better stability on the ascent, but many use an ice axe on the ascent as well.

As for how to 'hook-up' with people - yes, trailheads sometimes work, but I would make trusted friends beforehand who share your interests rather than hoping to do so the day of the climb, but I know sometimes that works for people.