Winter/Spring mountaineering

[DoctorBreaks]

Hey everyone, I bought a few books with snow climbs/winter hikes and what I gathered is ridge hikes like Quandary and a lot of the Sawatch 14ers are good for October through December, and couloir climbs are best around May and June. Would it be a stretch to say it would be possible to do the Swatch 14ers in Fall/Winter and save the couloir climbs for May/June? I love being outdoors so much I don't want to have to wait for Summer again lol. As always, appreciate any input. Thank you!

[smoove]

The Sawatch mountains are big, long slogs in the winter, but doable. You might want to start with Quandary's E. Ridge, Bierstadt, Sherman's standard snow route, etc.

Definitely don't do the couloirs in winter!! Prime avalanche terrain.

[rijaca]

Also keep in mind that the summer THs are often not accessible, adding many miles to some of the hikes.

[DoctorBreaks]

The Sawatch mountains are big, long slogs in the winter, but doable. You might want to start with Quandary's E. Ridge, Bierstadt, Sherman's standard snow route, etc.

Definitely don't do the couloirs in winter!! Prime avalanche terrain.

I don't mind that they are so long of hikes. I feel that the Sawatch Range would look much nicer buried under snow lol. The views must be amazing.

Also keep in mind that the summer THs are often not accessible, adding many miles to some of the hikes.

Will help build my endurance then! I will definitely start with easier, shorter hikes and progress to the longer more difficult ones. Just want to make sure I am not trying to do the wrong type of activity in the wrong time. Definitely want to stay away from the couloirs during times when avalanches are common.

[jmanner]

Best thing is that you can get that purple snowflake!

edit: Also, learn how to use the slope-angle overlay on Caltopo.com and what that means.

[BenfromtheEast]

Also, many standard routes take you across or underneath more dangerous slopes en route to the relative safety of a ridge. So some routes have variations for snowy conditions. And there are certainly times when snow conditions warrant not hiking at all.

Not to be another voice of discouragement, in general you've nailed it. There are many peaks that have great routes for winter. The views are great with snow. And the crowds are smaller or nonexistent.

...dreaming of winter

[jmanner]

Also, many standard routes take you across or underneath more dangerous slopes en route to the relative safety of a ridge. So some routes have variations for snowy conditions. And there are certainly times when snow conditions warrant not hiking at all.

Not to be another voice of discouragement, in general you've nailed it. There are many peaks that have great routes for winter. The views are great with snow. And the crowds are smaller or nonexistent.

...dreaming of winter

+1

[SurfNTurf]

Most of the Sawatch 14ers are doable in winter, yep, as long as you're prepared for alternate routes and long slogs. Before venturing out you need to take a free avalanche awareness course at the very least, and a full-fledged Avy 1 course wouldn't be the worst idea. You can search all TRs for December/January/February/March and get a good overview of the most common routes.

Correct on couloirs in the spring, once the snow is consolidated. This can start as early as March in some areas, but May is a safer rule of thumb.

What books did you buy?

[SchralpTheGnar]

Uncompahgre is a great winter route too. Read snow sense or staying alive in avy terrain, or take a course if that's your thing.

[DoctorBreaks]

Thanks everyone for all your amazing advice! I'm always so happy that I get so much great input from so many people. I will check out the trip reports for Fall/Winter hikes to better prepare for not only what I'll run into, but the standard routes, as mentioned. I will be taking a few avy courses as I want to be as prepared as possible! I need to go back for Uncompahgre and it would be a wonderful hike for winter.

Most of the Sawatch 14ers are doable in winter, yep, as long as you're prepared for alternate routes and long slogs. Before venturing out you need to take a free avalanche awareness course at the very least, and a full-fledged Avy 1 course wouldn't be the worst idea. You can search all TRs for December/January/February/March and get a good overview of the most common routes.

Correct on couloirs in the spring, once the snow is consolidated. This can start as early as March in some areas, but May is a safer rule of thumb.

What books did you buy?

I bought Freedom of the Hills and Colorado Snow Climbs:A Guide for All Seasons. Great reads and the Snow Climbs book describes different routes for different seasons which really helps. Also went in quite a bit about understanding snow and the different snow qualities you can run into which I found very important. Does anyone know of any Winter/Fall 14er guide books? The Snow Climbs is mostly smaller elevation stuff although there were a couple of 14er routes.

[SurfNTurf]

Thanks everyone for all your amazing advice! I'm always so happy that I get so much great input from so many people. I will check out the trip reports for Fall/Winter hikes to better prepare for not only what I'll run into, but the standard routes, as mentioned. I will be taking a few avy courses as I want to be as prepared as possible! I need to go back for Uncompahgre and it would be a wonderful hike for winter.

Most of the Sawatch 14ers are doable in winter, yep, as long as you're prepared for alternate routes and long slogs. Before venturing out you need to take a free avalanche awareness course at the very least, and a full-fledged Avy 1 course wouldn't be the worst idea. You can search all TRs for December/January/February/March and get a good overview of the most common routes.

Correct on couloirs in the spring, once the snow is consolidated. This can start as early as March in some areas, but May is a safer rule of thumb.

What books did you buy?

I bought Freedom of the Hills and Colorado Snow Climbs:A Guide for All Seasons. Great reads and the Snow Climbs book describes different routes for different seasons which really helps. Also went in quite a bit about understanding snow and the different snow qualities you can run into which I found very important. Does anyone know of any Winter/Fall 14er guide books? The Snow Climbs is mostly smaller elevation stuff although there were a couple of 14er routes.

Snow Sense is a small book that packs a big punch. I re-read it every fall.

[DoctorBreaks]

Nice! I'll check it out, looks really good. I do feel I things like books and Avy courses will help me greatly in staying safe in the snow.