Wind in RMNP

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KowabungaDude
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Wind in RMNP

Post by KowabungaDude »

Is wind usually a factor on summit hikes? My dad, brother and I (all from Iowa, in good flatland shape) went up Estes Cone this summer. The sky was cloudy, but no precipitation. It was great, the rocks were a blast, but when we got out of the trees near the summit the wind about blew us off the side of the final scramble. Being clad in cotton sweatshirts, basketball shorts, and running flats, we retreated, but we were obviously a little disappointed. I'd browsed this site beforehand and never seen any mention of wind, so we were surprised. Was this an aberration, or am I just clueless?
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roguejackalope
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Re: Wind in RMNP

Post by roguejackalope »

Wind is always present above treeline, particularly in exposed areas such as ridge crests.

Definitely not an aberration.
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SuperiorTrailHiker
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Re: Wind in RMNP

Post by SuperiorTrailHiker »

With due respect and meant in the most helpful way, "clueless". But that's not a bad thing, because you're asking. I've been on Estes myself in some healthy wind - it is / can be a very big safety factor. Search this forum for "Keyhole" and "wind" on Longs Peak, for example, to see some discussion about it.
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jdorje
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Re: Wind in RMNP

Post by jdorje »

Wind is highly variable, though obviously much stronger at higher elevation and in exposed locations. Check the weather and if it's a windy day try to pick somewhere less exposed to hike or take your wind coats. Certainly there are many days that have relatively calm wind.
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huffy13
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Re: Wind in RMNP

Post by huffy13 »

Most of my experiences on summit hikes have involved some light to brisk winds (Handies, Huron, Grays and Torreys, Humboldt). I have had one hike (Shavano) that the wind was absolutely insane, over 60 mph, and was strong enough that I just passed up bagging Tabeguache too. Then I have been on a few that it was eerily calm on the summit (Pikes, Sherman, Lindsey, Elbert). And to top it off, when I did the Decalibron the wind was calm on Democrat and Cameron, it was breezy on Lincoln, probably about 5-10 mph winds and then on Bross it was 40+ mph. But as far as being clueless...don't be so hard on yourself. It is a learning experience on every outing in the mountains, just be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.
Seems like the times that I need a mountain the most are the times that I can not get to them.
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mountain_man
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Re: Wind in RMNP

Post by mountain_man »

I've had hit and miss experiences with wind in RMNP. When I did Estes Cone it was low level clouds, at about 10,000 feet actually, but no winds. Flattop was very windy but Twin Sisters wasn't at all, nor was Chiquita. I don't think the geography of the park has any special characteristics that would lend to higher winds on average. I haven't done Longs though, and have always noticed fast winds above Glacier Gorge every time I've looked. Likely it's just dependent on the local weather that day.
huffy13 wrote:Most of my experiences on summit hikes have involved some light to brisk winds (Handies, Huron, Grays and Torreys, Humboldt). I have had one hike (Shavano) that the wind was absolutely insane, over 60 mph, and was strong enough that I just passed up bagging Tabeguache too. Then I have been on a few that it was eerily calm on the summit (Pikes, Sherman, Lindsey, Elbert). And to top it off, when I did the Decalibron the wind was calm on Democrat and Cameron, it was breezy on Lincoln, probably about 5-10 mph winds and then on Bross it was 40+ mph..
Every one of my 14er summits, except for Sherman and Decalibron, were perfectly calm. Sherman had insane winds on the ridge, but was calm on the summit...

I'm pretty lucky.
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ChrisRoberts
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Re: Wind in RMNP

Post by ChrisRoberts »

I'd say you'll experience wind above treeline every 4 of 5 outings. Its quite rare for the weather to be dead calm (unless in the early mornings) in RMNP. It doesn't get a lot of mention because it's just something expected above treeline.
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peter303
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Re: Wind in RMNP

Post by peter303 »

Yes. It is often a major issue most of the year.
Mid-summer is calmest in my experience.
It can be worst when there are larger temperature difference between mountains and plains.
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Aspen Summit
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Re: Wind in RMNP

Post by Aspen Summit »

The wind got so bad going up Cameron onto Lincoln that I had to put on weight really fast: rocks in my backpack.

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Dancesatmoonrise
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Re: Wind in RMNP

Post by Dancesatmoonrise »

I'll take a slightly contrary opinion here. While you can have high winds in summer, it's not usually the norm. We summitted Longs in picture-perfect dead calm weather this summer.
Most of my summer outings have been calm, but then, I usually pick a good weather window in advance.
That's summer.





Image
Longs Peak, July 23, 2011.






Now winter, that's another matter. You ain't seen wind till you've seen 80+ mph gusts and spindrift. Here's Longs, just four months earlier.


Image
Longs Peak, March 2,2011.


That said, the RMNP area in general seems to see more in the way of winds than some other areas. Try to pick a good weather window if you can.
For summer, a light windbreaker can help a great deal. MHW makes one that weighs only 3 oz.
I usually have a hooded gortex top as well, but unless unexpected weather comes in, it's usually overkill.
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