Top Five Winter High Peaks for beginners

[Rik]

Algonquin would be a great first winter hike. I am not even sure you will need crampons for that one. Crampons will probably make you faster above treeline, but I dont recall any serious ice on that route.

-percious

I've used crampons both times I've done Algonquin in winter.

[Gray Ghost]

I did the Wright-Algonquin-Iroquois route over the summer and loved it, but I wouldn't attempt all three in the same day during the Winter until I had bagged a few lesser peaks and had more confidence in myself as a Winter hiker. Phelps is looking real good, but I want to do some warm-ups first. I may do Algonquin again by itself during winter, and I'm hoping a pair of crampons will be under the xmas tree next to my new Denalis.

[Mavs00]

I've used crampons both times I've done Algonquin in winter.

I concur with Rik. Here's a shot of my kids above treeline (last Dec. 30). You can see all the ice and snow, plus it was that bulletproof ice/snow too. We switched out of the Snowshoes (with pretty agressive crampons) right after this point, and all agreed it was a WAAAAAY safer option at the time.

[Kevin]

I also used crampons from TH to summit the only time up Algonquin in the winter. That route becomes a rock solid path thanks to all the traffic.

[percious]

Awesome family shot Mavs.

-percious

[Chris M.]

High Peaks for Beginners

While surfing the web looking for beginner winter high peaks I ran across this forum! We are heading up to Jay next week and are planning for our 2nd winter high peak. Last year my husband and I did Phelps as our first, and it was awesome. We are only able to do between 2-3 summer high peaks per year and we consider ourselves somewhat amateur hikers. We actually found that the level of difficulty for Phelps was quite reasonable and the biggest issue I had was 2 sets of frozen gloves!

Thank you all for the other suggestions; looking forward to next week!!

[jeremyjoslin]

How 'bout overnight?

My climbing partner and I are experienced backpackers/aspiring 46'ers and are experienced winter campers. Just never really put the two together because of a lack of snowshoes. Now that we got the MSR Denalis a winter climb just makes sense. I'd like to start modestly, but work in an overnighter in the peaks. Any good suggestions for this?

I was thinking of a Cascade/Porter trip making camp somewhere up high (now that it's post-Dec 21.)

[Ned Kipperson]

I wouldn't say any of the high peaks are easy in winter. If you pick the wrong day, things could go downhill (no pun intended) quickly. I'd say that doing Algonquin first is a bad choice, because it's way above treeline, and despite the short distance, it's all uphill and quite steep. Porter, Cascade, and Phelps are all good starts to feel out the winter experience. Above treeline can get nasty fast, especially since you'll be following cairns and the wind and snowdrifts can quickly take the wind out of your sails. The "trailless" peaks can actually be hard to follow in winter due to deep snow, false starts by other hikers and stream crossings. Indian Pass brook is difficult to cross in winter, making Street and Nye more difficult. Any crossing of a running water body can be very dangerous due to weak ice. Following packed down trails can lead to tunnel vision, meaning that you can follow a beaten down trail, but you might have no idea where you actually are. Start by doing Cascade and maybe Porter, feel out your abilities and your equipment before you tackle the bigger, longer hikes. Marcy may seem easy on a clear day with many other hikers out, but it's long distance can lead to serious problems if you find yourself cold and tired wallowing through deep snow drifts above treeline. Macomb is so far away from any civilization and since it is "trailless", it's better saved for more experienced winter hikers. Winter hiking is better than all other hiking, IMO, but it is serious and can be quite dangerous. Get some good snowshoes and lots of non-cotton clothing. The MSR are only as good as the trail use. They are virtually useless in deep snow. So my list goes like this:
1) Cascade and if conditions are good Porter
2)Phelps
3)Wright (windiest peak, almost always)
4)Whiteface via toll road ski (near the top is usually brutal, but the ski down is easy and fast)

[Mavs00]

I wouldn't say any of the high peaks are easy in winter. If you pick the wrong day, things could go downhill (no pun intended) quickly.

With the second part of that statement as the MAJOR qualifier, I would offer the following.

On a good day with perfect conditions, such as we had on Christmas Eve Day, I would venture to say that Cascade & Porter certainly fit in the easy category. We had good equipment (crucial), reasonable temps (around freezing), a fully broken trail & no snow the 24 hours prior to us hiking and this hike was possibly one of the easiest hikes I've EVER done. With a good snow base, this trail is far easier than it is in summer due to the lack of the rocks and roots of the eroded trail. We took our time and never really had to push and we were done in just under 4 hours.

Since this hike does not require all day, I'd try to pick a day with optimal conditions like ours (we only lacked great views) and start a bit later. With a 9-10 AM start, you'll likely not be the first person on the peaks and someone else will dust out the trail for you. This will give you a clear path to follow so navigation will be a snap. Although we started at noon and only 1 barebooter had been there that day, so no guarantees.

It's not always easy (or in your control), but if you are able to somewhat pick a good day to get the hike in, you may be really surprised (in a good way) at how well it will go. But as Ned (and others) states, there is much less margin of error in winter, but that does not mean that, properly prepared, you can expect a much tougher hike (physically). It is after all, still walking uphill .

[jeremyjoslin]

Big Slide is relatively easy to get to if you approach from JBL. I recommend doing this as a first overnight.

-percious

Sorry I missed this the first time through. Any more info on your proposed trip? I'd like to do it as an overnight. I'll sniff around.