Entry Level Winter Hikes

[ParanoidJoe]

What are some good mountains to climb this winter for a noob such as myself? Must have minimal avy danger because i know nothing about that, however I have very good nav skills so I can stay on route. Actually I dont even care if its a summit, any hikes are okay. Proximity to Colo Springs is preferred.

Keep in mind I have minimal hardware, but access to snowshoes.

If anyone wants to take me along for climbs I would love travelling with someone experienced.

[jaymz]

It'd be good to start educating yourself on avy danger. REI offers free intro courses, and there's a ton of literature out there. These are good starting points, and are no substitute for formal training.
I'm not as familiar with hikes in and around the Springs, but I understand that the hike up to Devil's Playground from the Crags is typically wind-blown enough to mitigate a lot of avy danger.
Go ahead and bookmark this:
http://avalanche.state.co.us/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I'm sure you'll get many great suggestions, good luck and have fun!

[SolarAlex]

east ridge of quandary is a good one with virtually no avy danger...usually has a boot pack the whole way too and both times I've been up in winter there have been several other people on the mountain.

cupid/sniktau/grizzly are good also, all accessed from loveland pass. just be aware of the cornices

[Jim Davies]

Most of the trails around the Springs are good in the winter, at least below 10K' or so. Some kind of traction devices help as the trails get icy and snowpacked - we've taken to using screw shoes for this, but microspikes are popular and can be taken off easily. Gaiters are also good to have. Usually the snow melts away pretty fast except for shaded or drifty areas, so if there hasn't been a lot of recent snow the trails are accessible with just traction.

Some of my favorites for the "offseason" (with a southern bias due to where I live):
Columbine Trail - generally sunny and melts off fast, Starsmore trailhead is always accessible, great when the canyon road is closed due to snow
Garden of the Gods trails - you can make a ten-mile loop around the perimeter trails (Palmer, Scotsman, Niobrara, some others) and the horse smell isn't as much of an issue in winter
Mount Cutler
Seven Bridges to Mount Kineo (ridgeline gets some drifts) or Jones Park
Red Rock Canyon open space trails - usually melts fast, beware of warm wet days due to mud
Cheyenne Mountain State Park trails - fee area, stick to sub-freezing days as the mud can be awful

[DanielL]

If you're interested in 14ers, see this: http://www.summitpost.org/colorado-14er ... ter/337648"

[ParanoidJoe]

Thanks for the suggestions. I do like Jones Park, but I understand its closed?

Bookmarked that link Daniel, thanks.

[Jim Davies]

Bear Creek and Jones Park were reopened to hikers and bikers this summer. High Drive is still closed, and will be for the foreseeable future. Longwinded discussion of the ongoing Bear Creek situation is here:
http://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=39317" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[SchralpTheGnar]

James Peak is my favorite winter peak hike, with good access and minimal avy danger.

[polar]

James Peak is my favorite winter peak hike, with good access and minimal avy danger.

Do you hike in from St. Mary's Glacier? Looking for some low avy danger options for this weekend. Cupid/grizzly is probably out since they tend to close route 6 whenver it's snowing.

[SchralpTheGnar]

Yeah, just stay to the far right side and you'll be good to go.

[polar]

Yeah, just stay to the far right side and you'll be good to go.

Sweet, I'll keep that as an option this weekend. Thanks for the beta!

[shearmodulus]

Most of the trails around the Springs are good in the winter, at least below 10K' or so. Some kind of traction devices help as the trails get icy and snowpacked - we've taken to using screw shoes for this, but microspikes are popular and can be taken off easily. Gaiters are also good to have. Usually the snow melts away pretty fast except for shaded or drifty areas, so if there hasn't been a lot of recent snow the trails are accessible with just traction.

Some of my favorites for the "offseason" (with a southern bias due to where I live):
Columbine Trail - generally sunny and melts off fast, Starsmore trailhead is always accessible, great when the canyon road is closed due to snow
Garden of the Gods trails - you can make a ten-mile loop around the perimeter trails (Palmer, Scotsman, Niobrara, some others) and the horse smell isn't as much of an issue in winter
Mount Cutler
Seven Bridges to Mount Kineo (ridgeline gets some drifts) or Jones Park
Red Rock Canyon open space trails - usually melts fast, beware of warm wet days due to mud
Cheyenne Mountain State Park trails - fee area, stick to sub-freezing days as the mud can be awful

Cheyenne Canyon is a good place to cut your teeth.

St. Mary's Falls trail is nice. Continue on it up to the Mt. Rosa summit for a good hard 12 mile round trip with 4000 foot gain. Snow can be deep in the valley and near the summit, so snowshoes are a good thing to have.

There is also a really cool single track that goes up near Cheyenne Mountain from near the Broadmoor Stables area on Old Stage Road. PM me your email and I'll send you some topo.

Mueller State Park is supposed to be nice. Some folks I know love going up there for snowshoeing.

The comment about the Crags route is spot on. Lower down in the trees can be deep snow, but above the trees it's usually pretty wind-scoured. In general, West-facing aspects will be like this. There's a lot of wind transport and deposition that creates slabs, cornices and higher avalanche danger on the eastern aspects of most mountains. If you want to see a miniature example of what happens to mountains with snow and wind, just find a prominent boulder along the route and examine how the snow is forming around it.