Whiteface v Giant

[Rookie]

If things go right, my sons and I will be in Lake Placid by 4PM on Tuesday (1/10) for a hike on Wednesday.
But I'm thinking: why not hike on Tuesday afternoon/ evening ?
From what I gather reading this forum, we could do Giant or Whiteface (via the toll road) and still be back to the hotel by midnight.

If anyone has some thoughts please let me know.

[Neil]

You will start (and hopefully finish )in the dark so make sure everyone has headlamps and a spare or two for the group. I would opt for WF for safety reasons but maybe the moon will be full. The WF road could be very icy and rutty if the sun and hikers have been on it all day making for a challenging and fast ski. OTOH you might descend through freshly falling snow. Goggles would be a must.

If you're like me you won't be fully recovered by the next morning but your kids'll be fine. I wouldn't want to tackle the Sewards or Allen.

(I once began hiking into Bradley Pond lean-to at midnight. We didn't start hiking until noon the next day. We would have been better off to have slept in Montreal and gotten up at 4 and made a day trip out of it.) Trip report

[TheNatrix]

Giant

Does anyone have an update on the conditions on Giant? I was thinking of headed up this weekend. Should be a good one according to the weathermen and they are never wrong!

[Rik]

Does anyone have an update on the conditions on Giant? I was thinking of headed up this weekend. Should be a good one according to the weathermen and they are never wrong!

Was there today. Beautiful day! Used crampons all the way up Giant but my partner went with MSR snowshoes and managed. My Tubbs gave no grip. We both wore snowshoes to Rocky Peak Ridge and back but there were parts between Giant and the col that were a little tough with my snowshoes. Went a little more than halfway down before switching back to crampons. There is ice everywhere but up high there is enough snow covering it. Have fun.