Fall Weather?

[highpilgrim]

Come on guys, I hope this is all in good jest, but I posted this question under 13er's rather than 14er's to try and avoid some of the elitist mockery that seems to just be non-stop in these forums ...

Look, my comment is only meant to be a little derisive. But I feel strongly about what it implies: Get out! Look for a weather window and go for it! Sometimes you’ll get wet, sometimes cold and wet and sometimes it will still be fun. Some of my most memorable hikes and climbs have been in marginal and sometimes outright crappy weather. And in winds harder than those you mentioned. And we did not summit in those winds, but got close, and got knocked down some and had a blast. My brother and I still talk about that hike and will till we’re dead.

Bring the right gear and get on with it. Or climb in the gym where it’s no issue.

I’ll pick the other one.

[SkaredShtles]

Just to show I'm not a complete d1ck, with regards to wind:

http://hint.fm/wind/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/co ... nt=WindSpd" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's as good as it's gonna get with regards to wind.

I shall continue to be a d1ck for everything else.

[wondering_hough]

So I've been looking forward to some good fall hikes this year, but the past couple of weekends the weather has been incredibly nasty (mostly wind/cold). I browsed the trip reports and it seems like everyone else has had a similar experience. I'm still fairly new to hiking at this time of year and I was just wondering if anyone knows if this is just what happens occasionally in the fall or if this is abnormally bad weather. I'm trying to get a feel for if it will clear up, and also if anyone has any advice on how to predict it. When I went out 2 weekends ago I had checked the weather report right before we got in the car and it had given no indication of how fast and steady the winds were going to be

I'm not expecting it to be beautiful, sunny, and warm all the time, but when you get out of the car at the TH and there is over cast & 30mph winds before you even start the hike, it's just not worth it! Any advice/information would be much appreciated!

atmospheric/barometric pressure, aka...the weight of the atmosphere...learn about this and it'll help with gameday decisions of go or no go

also buy an altimeter or download an app.
these two scientific tools will help with more than a sometimes lousy forecast

[climbinfool]

http://hint.fm/wind/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nice wind map - that's pretty cool. It was pretty windy up on San Luis Peak, Baldy Alto and Stewart Peak last weekend.

[limousine vitone]

Honestly, I don't think any of you were trying to be jerks nor am I a particularly sensitive person, but it is a little discouraging to see how many responses on posts like this say something more along the lines of "go home" rather than "here's some advice that might help you how to prepare yourself and/or figure out what your personal limits are". That's not to say it's all you guys or it's just this post. I was reading through a lot of other posts this morning and the same thing shows up in every single one ... This forum is intended to help educate the general public on things like how to be prepared and safe on mountains and the less we scare people away from it, the fewer morons we'll run into on the trails

So even if you are just joking around, remember that it doesn't always come off like that especially over the internet ... to complete strangers.

[limousine vitone]

atmospheric/barometric pressure, aka...the weight of the atmosphere...learn about this and it'll help with gameday decisions of go or no go

also buy an altimeter or download an app.
these two scientific tools will help with more than a sometimes lousy forecast

Great tip, thanks! Any recommendations on a barometer/altimeter that works well & won't break the bank? Everything I've looked into has received horrible reviews :-/

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Just to show I'm not a complete d1ck, with regards to wind:

http://hint.fm/wind/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/co ... nt=WindSpd" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's as good as it's gonna get with regards to wind.

I shall continue to be a d1ck for everything else.

That's such an awesome map! Thanks for sharing

[SkaredShtles]

<snip> This forum is intended to help educate the general public on things like how to be prepared and safe on mountains

This is where you came off the rails.

Internet forums are *not* for education/information/etc.

They are for the forum members' entertainment.

And most are godawful boring without colorful individuals making things entertaining.

If you are really looking for useful information might I suggest Teh Google. Not internet forums.

[akoller]

In my limited experience, the fall does tend to have more good weather days. But you have to deal with cold, some snow, and high winds. Also, the fall starts at the end of September.

[johnF]

limousine, not sure why you're getting so many snarky comments and so few attempts to answer your questions.

The last two weekends have been particularly bad... and next weekend isn't looking great either. It can definitely get windy in Sept., but it can be sunny, fairly warm, and fairly wind-free as well. It's almost impossible to predict the wind in the mountains on a given day, but I'd say don't get discouraged by the last two weekends, they're not the norm for this time of year.

[Scott P]

So even if you are just joking around

I think most people posting snarky comments were just kidding, rather than trying to be offensive. I wouldn't stress it (some threads do go overboard at times). There is still some good info here in between some of the comments.

[DaveLanders]

It's not uncommon to be very windy in September, even on otherwise very nice days. The explanation I've heard is that the jet stream is moving from
its summer position further north, to a more southerly track. (Or maybe I have that backwards, and the track is moving south to north in fall, and vice versa
in spring.)

[limousine vitone]

limousine, not sure why you're getting so many snarky comments and so few attempts to answer your questions.

The last two weekends have been particularly bad... and next weekend isn't looking great either. It can definitely get windy in Sept., but it can be sunny, fairly warm, and fairly wind-free as well. It's almost impossible to predict the wind in the mountains on a given day, but I'd say don't get discouraged by the last two weekends, they're not the norm for this time of year.

Thanks so much, John! That's exactly what I was wondering. I wasn't expecting too many great answers as I knew it was a pretty nebulous question ... but I just don't understand why posting a question in a forum seems to always be a free invitation to getting mocked by strangers :-/

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This is where you came off the rails.

Internet forums are *not* for education/information/etc.

They are for the forum members' entertainment.

And most are godawful boring without colorful individuals making things entertaining.

If you are really looking for useful information might I suggest Teh Google. Not internet forums.

Not sure why I was supposed to assume that "13ers: Colorado 13er questions, conditions, and other info should be posted here. Also includes topics related to 13ers.com." was strictly for personal entertainment. I sort of figured that's what "Off Route: Non-mountaineering topics. Trolls will be removed. " was created for. I'm obviously not going to reference any information I collect here in a research paper, but when Teh Google wasn't able answer my question, this seemed to be the next best option.

Also, for the record, I thought your comment was fine. Laugh at my question all you want and I agree that colorful people make the world go round, but colorful doesn't have to be insulting, and I don't see why my intelligence and abilities need to come into question just because I asked about the weather ... that was all!