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Trail conditions for Sun 12/16
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 4:11 pm
by s_mooty
Hey all, my buddy and I are planning on attempting our first winter summit on Sun 12/16. We're just still up in the air about which peak to go for...any suggestions? Preferably one that anyone can confirm dry for the most part, as well as decent TH road conditions (2013 stock Forester). We're both in good shape, have high cardio levels, and are set on gear. Just wanting to figure out which peak will be least difficult. If anyone can recommend one, or even a 13er, lemme know. Thanks again!
Re: Trail conditions for Sun 12/16
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 4:41 pm
by DaveSwink
Look for the Class 1/2 with the lowest wind forecast.
Edit: A quick survey of the weather forecasts shows Elbert or Decalibron with sub 20 mph winds. Those would be good bets, but keep checking the forecast.
Re: Trail conditions for Sun 12/16
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 5:45 pm
by Dave B
[hall-monitor]Calender winter starts on December 21st[/hall-monitor]
On a less obnoxious note, I would imagine Bierstadt/Evans, Grays/Torreys, Quandary, Grizzly etc would make great options. I'm partial to James Peak as well, easy access and pretty nice views.
Re: Trail conditions for Sun 12/16
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:03 pm
by Jim Davies
If they start on the 16th, but don't summit until the 21st, does it count?
It's supposed to snow some every day starting Friday.
http://opensnow.com/dailysnow/colorado" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
gratzo wrote:Tuesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon will be dry, then another slow-moving storm moves in from the southwest late Thursday night through Saturday. It's still very early to call exact snow amounts, but I can tell you that the southern San Juans (Wolf Creek, Durango, Silverton) will do well on Friday and will likely be the winners with this storm. But this storm won't play favorites as all mountains will see snow by Friday night into Saturday. There's a chance that the storm (or another storm on it's heels) will bring more snow during the remainder of next weekend, but it's too hard to call right now.
Re: Trail conditions for Sun 12/16
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:25 am
by lafutura
i'm still keeping an eye on weather, but if you guys are interested, a friend and i are looking at doing torreys via chihuahua gulch on sunday. our only issue will be vehicle as neither of us have a vehicle approaching the snow/dirt handling that a subaru does.
not sure this counts as your requirement of "least difficult" (for this i'd suggest sherman).
and @dave b - i'll have a look at james instead. good suggestion!
Re: Trail conditions for Sun 12/16
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:19 pm
by s_mooty
dswink wrote:Look for the Class 1/2 with the lowest wind forecast.
This is what I was looking for! Where can I find these "wind forecasts"?
Re: Trail conditions for Sun 12/16
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:22 pm
by s_mooty
This all helps a lot! Thanks for the help. As for Torreys, I am looking into it, weather depending. But if I'm heading there I'd be taking 25S and then 70W so if you're around there I could help out
Re: Trail conditions for Sun 12/16
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:58 pm
by lodgling
FYI, the snowpack is pretty touchy right now where any of the new snow fell on old snow. Be careful out there and I hope your statement that you are set on gear means you have beacon, shovel, probe. Oh, and the first day of winter = 12/21/12, which is when the world is scheduled to end. With that said, carry on . . .
Re: Trail conditions for Sun 12/16
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 3:07 pm
by Jim Davies
s_mooty wrote:dswink wrote:Look for the Class 1/2 with the lowest wind forecast.
This is what I was looking for! Where can I find these "wind forecasts"?
Pick
weather by 14er from the "Weather" tab at the top of any of the 14ers.com pages, select a peak, and you'll get a day-by-day forecast that includes the wind (usually). For more detail click on the "hourly weather graph" in the forecast.
Re: Trail conditions for Sun 12/16
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 3:18 pm
by Dave B
Jim Davies wrote:s_mooty wrote:dswink wrote:Look for the Class 1/2 with the lowest wind forecast.
This is what I was looking for! Where can I find these "wind forecasts"?
Pick
weather by 14er from the "Weather" tab at the top of any of the 14ers.com pages, select a peak, and you'll get a day-by-day forecast that includes the wind (usually). For more detail click on the "hourly weather graph" in the forecast.
Mountain Weather Forecast is a pretty nice site as well, especially if you're more visually inclined. I've found their forecasts to be less reliable than the NOAA site linked to through 14ers but it's still another good tool to use in planning. The peak selection is limited (sometimes you have to search for a larger or more popular peak in close to proximity to the peak of interest) but I like the ability to look at multiple elevations on a specific mountain.