Windom Peak

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 5/7/2018, By: RobLowe
Info: From Purgatory Flats. Purgatory flats to Cascade/Animas junction -- no snow. Cascade/Animas junction to Animas/Needleton junction -- no snow. Animas/Needleton to Chicago Basin -- above 10,000k variable drifts of 2-6" of snow. 12'000 above -- snow. Continuous snow to the summits of Eolus, N. Eolus, Sunlight, and Windom. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/15/2017, By: chicagostylehotdog
Info: Clear weather all day on Wednesday. Routes were dry on Eolus, N. Eolus, Windom, and Sunlight, with the exception of a tiny amount of snow blocking the trail between the lakes and the headwall leading to Windom and Sunlight. Thursday was good weather until noon when the clouds started spitting at us. Driving out Thursday afternoon you could see the storm rolling in. Ominous black clouds. With snow in the forecast, we may have seen the last of the dry, summer conditions in Chicago Basin. Only saw 3 goats, all together around 12,000' on the trail. One was digging at a wet spot where somebody had probably peed. Please keep your peeing off trail and on rocks so the goats don't destroy vegetation or the trail. Bagged all 4 14ers in Chicago basin in 9.5h camp to camp (camped at 11k). Leaves are starting to turn. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/9/2017, By: kayleenann8
Info: Dry and clear! 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/5/2017, By: STIBungy
Info: Dry the whole way. Alot more scrambling than what I was expecting. The bottom half of it from the saddle has a bit of loose soil to contend with. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 8/21/2017, By: Marmot96
Info: Very little snow left, at most 50 feet of crossing at low angle and low risk. No need for axe or traction, and we did it easily without poles. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/19/2017, By: metalmountain
Info: There is still snow to contend with on the way up Windom. The amount to contend with depends upon how you approach the ridge. Folks made it up and down without axes or traction, but we were happy to have axes on hand. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/9/2017, By: EZsummits
Info: Still lots of snow from Twin Lakes to the saddle of Windom on July 5th. We were comfortable with microspikes and trekking poles early in the morning when it was frozen. The snow was much softer on the descent, around 11 or noon. Post-holing wasn't an issue, but it probably will be in the near future. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/7/2017, By: glenmiz
Info: Ridge is dry. Still much snow from lakes up to ridge. Early, firm with steps and snowcups make crampons not absolutely necessary. Later, much more slippery coming down and using an axe and crampons made me feel better traversing to Sunlight on north slopes below the rocks. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 6/29/2017, By: pmeadco
Info: Dry from the saddle to the summit if you stay high on the ridge. From the notch above the saddle there are two cairn lines: one that goes on the north side of the peak and another that stays on the ridge line. The north side still has some snow but the ridge is clear. See picture. As usual, there is snow from Twin Lakes up to the saddle. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/3/2016, By: thebeave7
Info: The approach to Twin Lakes is snow free and the trail is just damp in places. From Twin Lakes there is quite a bit of snow, but by sticking to the ridge in the middle of the basin I was able to avoid most of the snow until 12800ft. From there I used microspikes and an ice axe to traverse a few short snow slopes to do an ascending traverse to the Windom low saddle. From there to the summit there was no snow. I descended the NW face, part way on talus, then down hard pack icy snow (around 7a) to just below the South face of Sunlight Peak. I did this with microspikes and an ice axe (not glissadable) which I would not recommend doing. Crampons would be more appropriate for this face. Snow is no longer continuous to the summit. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/23/2015, By: WillRobnett
Info: Climbed N. Eolus, Eolus, Windom, and Sunlight. Fall colors are mostly holding back in the basin. Starting to show pretty well on the Silverton-Durango train. Fall colors are near peak coming into Silverton from both Durango and Ouray. Hwy 550 south from Ouray has construction road closures. Hwy 550 is closed Monday-Friday 8:30AM to noon and 1PM to 5:30PM. Last night (9/22) it snowed in the Silverton/Chicago Basin area. Climbed Sneffels today 9/23. Sneffels was clear of snow on the standard route. From Sneffles we could see Chicago Basin, Pigeon, Turret, anything near Chicago basin had snow down to at least 13,000 on north aspects in the morning. Sneffels had snow on the north face as well. Thin layer most likely melting fast. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/21/2015, By: jonandmalia
Info: Perfect conditions! No snow or ice. Mountain is dry. Weather was great and leaves are changing. Chilly nights/mornings, so go quickly! 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/8/2015, By: Generalcuz
Info: Was up on top Windom two days ago. Winter is moving in quickly. Top was iced over and snow dusting. If you plan to get this peak, do it in the next week or so. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/7/2015, By: Sunshineof1985
Info: I hiked the three mountains in one day, making my total count for fourteeners this summer at 37. My goal is to climb them all this summer. It‘s looking like I‘ll miss summer by a week at this pace. You can read more about these hikes and others at Sunshineof1985.com! Enjoy! Windom Peak Route: West Ridge Sunshine Peak Route: South Face Mount Eolus Route: Northeast Ridge Distance: 12.17 mi. Elevation Gain (from Needleton Stop): 11,000 ft. elevation gain overall, and 8,000 ft. in one day. Time started: 3:00am End time: 2:30pm Time to Summit Windom Peak from Chicago Basin: 4 hours and 15 minutes Time to Summit Sunlight Peak from summit of Windom Peak: 1 hour Time to Summit Mount Eolus from Sunlight Peak: 3 hours Time to Descend Mount Eolus to Chicago Basin: 3 hours Overall Pace: 1.1 miles per hour *GEAR (to bring): Bear spray, helmet, water purifier, first aid kit, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, headlamp, flashlight, toilet paper, GPS, extra batteries, extra socks, phone, SPOT Satellite Tracker, Map, Topo Map from 14ers.com, hiking boots with 2 pairs of socks on, extra change of clothes, wear a tank top, long-sleeve, wind-guard/raincoat, light weight puffy coat, lightweight gloves, overnight pack with water sack and extra water (160oz), food for two full days (large bag of jerky, large bag of trailsmix, 4 protein bars, and 4 granola bars). *Road Condition: You need to park in the town of Durango. If you are tight on a budget like myself, park in the residential area not far from the train station for free- just be sure to look for parking signs. Train costs $100!! You can also take the train from Silverton- which I recommend. If you call them, you can get a discount- tell them you‘re being dropped off at Needleton either way. *Trail Condition: Needleton Stop to Chicago Basin (6 mi.): Trail is very well marked and an easy incliine. The best part of the hike is about 3 miles in (lots of waterfalls). Windom: Trail will be wet from streams in some places, but not bad at all. Look for cairns on slabs to lead the way. Once you reach Twin Lakes, it‘s all bouldering. Avoid taking a path that leads to the far right. Stay to the left of Windom, and travel up the valley first. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 8/6/2015, By: meg383
Info: Only a little snow left here, and as other report from Eolus said, the other peaks are snow free. I‘m handicapped and I still didn‘t really even need spikes, though it can be a bit slick in the early am. If you have poles it‘s great for balance, but it‘s definitely not worth bringing an axe in. You can navigate around the snow in the basin if you want to, and it‘s free higher up anyway.