14er beginner... Mt. Bierstadt or other..?

[chridaniel01]

Hi, I am new to this forum, love all the helpful topics and discussions posted. They have helped greatly. I do have a few questions. A group of us are attempting to climb Mt. Bierstadt on May 28th, 2016. We will arrive in Denver Friday morning. I have had some experience snowshoeing in Utah and snowboarding. I am by no means an avid mountaineer. My group even less. I have done good research on the site and is considered an "easy" climb. Would the timing of this climb be too early given the weather conditions? I have constantly checked weather reports and the most recent report indicates "A chance of snow showers before noon, then a chance of rain showers. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 50%."
What should we expect or what should be looked for as far as weather is concerned at this time of year. I know it is a heavily trafficked area and an early start is a must. I would say 5:45am?

Any and all information and guidance is greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

[AlexeyD]

Have you looked at recent condition reports on this site? If not, in addition to the other research you've done, that would be good place to start:

http://14ers.com/php14ers/peakstatus_pe ... type=14ers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jay521]

It sounds like you have done your research - that's a good thing. I believe Clear Creek County will have the road open to the TH by Saturday morning which will also shorten your hike some. I would only caution you on a couple points - you don't say where you are now and if you are at low altitude, be aware that some acclimatization might be required. Also, a 5:45AM start is good but a 5AM start would be even better. The snow does get soft as the day wears on and coming down can be more difficult than going up (post hole city...). The earlier you leave, the more time you will have to enjoy the hike, the views from the top, etc.

Be safe and have FUN! Bierstadt is considered easy but it's still not a walk in the park. Let us know how it goes for you!

Jay

[tjmartn1]

I would start even earlier than 5 if you can. Nobody will have any fun if you're post-holing the whole way down. And headlamp starts are fun. You can basically see the parking lot the whole way up, so there's not much danger of getting hopelessly lost.

[Scott P]

I would start even earlier, perhaps at 4. The sun comes up really early now and the snow softens early.

[Jay521]

I would start even earlier, perhaps at 4. The sun comes up really early now and the snow softens early.

Yeah - I meant to type "4", not "5".... I hiked Bierstadt last Friday and started @ 4 from the winter closure and it was starting to get soft by the time I got down. Sunrise over the Sawtooth can be damn pretty!

[chridaniel01]

It sounds like you have done your research - that's a good thing. I believe Clear Creek County will have the road open to the TH by Saturday morning which will also shorten your hike some. I would only caution you on a couple points - you don't say where you are now and if you are at low altitude, be aware that some acclimatization might be required. Also, a 5:45AM start is good but a 5AM start would be even better. The snow does get soft as the day wears on and coming down can be more difficult than going up (post hole city...). The earlier you leave, the more time you will have to enjoy the hike, the views from the top, etc.

Be safe and have FUN! Bierstadt is considered easy but it's still not a walk in the park. Let us know how it goes for you!

Jay

Very well said points. We are at sea level. We all live in Miami. So the acclimatization is a concern. We land in Denver at 10am so we will have less than 24 hours. 2 other group members arrive even later, so they are a concern for me. I read ginko biloboa helps which I plan to start taking tomorrow. This was very helpful. Hopefully the gate is open by Saturday, if not there is Sunday!!!

[chridaniel01]

I would start even earlier, perhaps at 4. The sun comes up really early now and the snow softens early.

Yeah - I meant to type "4", not "5".... I hiked Bierstadt last Friday and started @ 4 from the winter closure and it was starting to get soft by the time I got down. Sunrise over the Sawtooth can be damn pretty!

Wow 4am start? Good thing I came on this thread. You all have been very helpful. Glad to hear someone hiked bierstadt recently. I look forward to this!

[Deege]

You may also want to check the weather report. Storms moving through Thursday and Friday will probably generate other/new considerations (snow, wind, gear, clear roads, clear climb window, etc.).

http://www.weather.gov/pub/colorado14ers
http://www.mountain-forecast.com/

[AlexeyD]

It sounds like you have done your research - that's a good thing. I believe Clear Creek County will have the road open to the TH by Saturday morning which will also shorten your hike some. I would only caution you on a couple points - you don't say where you are now and if you are at low altitude, be aware that some acclimatization might be required. Also, a 5:45AM start is good but a 5AM start would be even better. The snow does get soft as the day wears on and coming down can be more difficult than going up (post hole city...). The earlier you leave, the more time you will have to enjoy the hike, the views from the top, etc.

Be safe and have FUN! Bierstadt is considered easy but it's still not a walk in the park. Let us know how it goes for you!

Jay

Very well said points. We are at sea level. We all live in Miami. So the acclimatization is a concern. We land in Denver at 10am so we will have less than 24 hours. 2 other group members arrive even later, so they are a concern for me. I read ginko biloboa helps which I plan to start taking tomorrow. This was very helpful. Hopefully the gate is open by Saturday, if not there is Sunday!!!

If your schedule allows you to wait until Sunday, I might suggest that. That'll give you an extra day to acclimate, which should help. You could head up there Saturday during the day, set up camp, spend the day hanging out and maybe exploring the area (the campsites are around 10-11000', so good for acclimatizing), and then head up early Sun morning.

BTW...I noticed that Jay's report mentions the words "good trench". This is very good news for you

Regarding snow softening: I was up on a short morning ski tour yesterday (Tuesday), also in the Front Range, at altitudes between 11000 and 13000 feet. I can't overstate Scott's point about how quickly the snow softens once the sun hits it! For reference, around 8 AM everything was still frozen solid; by 9:30 (when I started down), the lower slopes were already a little too soft! Granted, these were east-facing slopes, while Bierstadts' standard route has a westerly aspect, which might delay this transition a bit, but the point is that once the sun does hit it, you really don't have much time before it turns to mush.

[Jay521]

Granted, these were east-facing slopes, while Bierstadts' standard route has a westerly aspect, which might delay this transition a bit, but the point is that once the sun does hit it, you really don't have much time before it turns to mush.

I've done Bierstadt lots of times and Alexey is correct - there is nothing worse than what I call "snow-cone snow". What you want to hope for is a bit of a cold snap the night before and a cloudy - or better yet, a snowy day when you do your hike (that suddenly clears when you hit the summit so you can enjoy the views!).

[AlexeyD]

To OP - here's another weather-related link you might find useful:

http://avalanche.state.co.us/observatio ... -stations/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This shows a list of weather stations, by mountain "zone", with their elevation shown, and a summary of their weather conditions over the last 24-hour period. If you click on the name of the station, a pop-up will appear that will give a more detailed summary of the conditions (temperature, wind speed, etc.) going back 48 hours. This is a useful tool for tracking what's actually been going on at roughly the elevations relevant to you, rather than just relying on the point forecasts (which are to be taken with a grain of salt). It can help answer such questions as, "has it ACTUALLY been freezing at night?" "How warm does it actually get during the day?" etc. It's also a reality check on what actual mountain conditions are like: for example, you'll notice that summits (e.g. Pikes Peak) are MUCH colder than mid-slope locations - more so than the elevation difference alone might suggest.

The fact is that, this time of year, you can expect a large variety of weather and conditions, where high peaks and exposed ridges may stay below freezing all day, while the sheltered slopes and basins below bake in the sun. You need to be prepared for all of this if you want to have a successful and enjoyable summit