Shavano good first 14er?

[LonJen]

My wife and I are starting our 14's in Jan/Feb. Is Shavano Peak doable with snow cover? We are attending a conference in Co Springs and were looking for a less challenging peak to start with.

[sunny1]

Shavano would be a tough 14er to tackle as your first in Jan/Feb.
The trailhead may not be accessible due to snow - you may need to start miles below the trailhead in winter.
You're likely to encounter deep snow en route to the mountain, and need to do extensive trail breaking.
I'd suggest either Bierstadt or Quandary in winter.
Both usually have trenches (packed trails) in place due to their popularity.
Have you done high elevation winter hiking before? Are you able to assess possible avalanche danger?
You need to be able to handle rapidly changing conditions - not just extreme cold/wind, but also possible white-outs.
You'll need different gear/systems than other seasons.

[Scott P]

Do you have experience on other mountains or any winter experience? Shavano should be straight forward in winter if the weather is reasonable and if you are an experienced climber with cold weather experience. If not, taking on any 14er in winter can be a bit much for someone with little cold weather or hiking experience. As mentioned Quandary or Bierstadt (also Sherman) are typically the easiest winter 14ers.

If you don't have much winter experience, there are plenty of other lower mountains around Colorado Springs that would make a good trip.

[Yikes]

Having climbed 43 in winter, I would not recommend Shavano. The mileage is pretty long, even if you have a pre-existing trench (which isn't that common on Shav). And there is some avy danger at treeline.

[asbochav]

Doable - probably. A good choice - no.

[LonJen]

Ok, so we heeded the advice an we have switched our plans to try Quandary as our first 14er. We are staying in Alma for a few days before the climb, which we will do on 1/31. It will be my wife's (got married 3 weeks ago) 43rd birthday. ANY advice is completely welcome, ie: take snow shoes, crampons, poles, etc, etc. We're super excited and looking forward to starting what will be a lifetime of memories!!!!!!

[dennywitte]

In addition to 3-4 layers of clothes, balaclava, and goggles, you should have available, depending upon actual conditions, trekking poles, snowshoes, microspikes, and gaitors. I doubt you would use crampons on the standard Quandary route.

[SchralpTheGnar]

How much can you bench press?