getting by WITHOUT snowshoes/crampons/skis Thanksgiving weekend...

[twochordcool]

Can it be done?

Thinking Upper leanto on the Opalescent and possibly Mount Colden...

or a West Canada loop backpack trip...

[Neil]

Those are 2 slightly different loops. If I was heading out to tackle Colden I think I'd have my crampons and some rope or webbing. Not sure about snowshoes. Better read the trail conditions board on VFTT.
Maybe those Yacktrax would be usefull for the WCL loop. I've never used 'em so I can't say.

[percious]

If there is more than 8 inches on the ground its the law to have snowshoes or skis. Wouldnt be any fun trudging through that much snow anyway. Me thinks elevations over 3500 are going to be tough going, that has been my experience in the past.

-percious

[twochordcool]

8 inches of snow would not be too bad - it's those snow drifts and not seeing the trail markers that are a real pain!

[Kevin]

West Canadas are your best bet, not likely to have much ice or snow there yet (no frozen precip/accumulation around Pharaoh Lake last weekend). If you check the trip reports for noonmark and gothics you'll see that above 3,000 feet things are real dicey right now. I cancelled tomorrows mountain climbing for that reason. IMHO it's not worth slipping when climbing sheets of ice with only crampons. Maybe there will be snow by next weekend, but it isn't a guarantee yet - in a month, different story!

[shaggy]

I hiked Colden the day before Thanksgiving last year (for my 46) and plan on doing it again this year (in a couple of days). If it is anything like last year you would be foolish to do the hike without crampons. Snowshoes were not needed, but the last probably 800-1000 vertical feet was thick sheet ice. Crampons are a minimum.

shaggy