Windom Peak

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. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/21/2015, By: ryanclimber
Info: There are a few major snow sections that still need to be crossed. There is a bit of a rain crust in the morning that makes the snow very slick. I would still suggest taking an ice axe, and crampons. It is worth the weight for protection. By about 10 AM the snow is very soft, and the more shallow snow lends its self to hurt legs when breaking through. There are sections where I post holed up to my waist. So use caution for slick snow and weak snow. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/18/2015, By: lukedog
Info: Not much change from previous reports. We climbed sunlight on the 14th, Eolus on the 15th, windom on 16th. All required us to deal with snow at some point. There were people doing them with no traction or axes but we used both and I would agree that ice axe is mandatory, microspikes sufficient, crampons good and snow shoes definitely not needed. Each peak requires something slightly different and you won't need traction or protection for long periods but you'll want them at some point. Hopefully things melt out soon. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/13/2015, By: CrazyTom
Info: Trail clear of snow all the way to Twin Lakes. About 50% snow patches from Twin Lakes up to the saddle and about 10% through the boulders up to the summit. Warm temperatures and nightly rains are preventing the snow from setting up, very wet and soft. Post holing in many locations even in the morning hours. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/11/2015, By: TheseThousandHills
Info: No snow until upper basin @ 13000. Snow fields up to the saddle from 13000 to 13250. Avoidable or thin snow from 13250 to the top. Snowed the evening of 7/6 - 7/7 but very light. Great glissade from 13800 to the traverse to Sunlight if you go Windom to Sunlight. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 6/26/2015, By: timell
Info: Our father/son group spent the past few days in Chicago Basin camping and attempting our first 14er. Knowing that we would hit snow and not having snow shoes, we proceeded going as far as we could. Due to perfect weather conditions, we were able to use ALL of the sunlight available and have two in our group summit Windom. It was a long day with lots of post-holing. The snow is melting, but if you want to summit Windom and don't have snow gear, it is possible. safe travels. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 6/21/2015, By: bmbielb
Info: The trail is clear from trees and snow- all the way up to Twin Lakes at 12,500. Below this elevation due to the snow melt the trail is a little washed out and carrying water. Once past Twin Lakes there is a lot of snow pack still. Early in the morning you won't need flotation- but after 9am with the summer warmth then you'd want your snowshoes. We climbed up a snow chute on the north side of Peak 18 on our way to the saddle of Windom. Compared to Mt Princeton in March, there was much more snow above 12,500 ft- and an ice axe is required if you plan to climb in the next couple weeks. Cramp-ons and snow shoes were a brilliant thing to pack into Chicago Basin also. We saw a few other groups that were not able to summit because they did not bring the right gear for the weather. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/14/2014, By: Unknown
Info: Dry except for one spot of ice in the shade just below the west ridge at about 13,100. Ice can be avoided carefully. Saw the normal goats, but also a moose at about 10k and a coyote up in the basin.