I got denied on Mt. Lincoln - Advice for a flatlander?

[Tyler Phillips]

I didn't think this quite qualified as a "I'm planning on climbing a 14er in Winter so what should I do" question (which exists in adbundance) so I thought I'd post this question. If this is redundant please let me know, I'll be happy to take this down.

I tried Mt. Lincoln this past Monday (11/25/13) and got turned around after 3.5 hours.

As we walked alongside the reservoir we encountered 4-5 inches of pretty soft snow at around 7:30am. Same in the woods up to the ice falls.

After the falls (entering the amphitheater) we post-holed pretty bad as we encountered several 2-3ft drifts of soft powder. It took us 3 hours to get to the entrance of the amphitheater so we turned around.

There was just enough snow in the amphitheater to cover most of the small low-lying boulders (maybe 9 inches). Snowshoeing was difficult as we would sink down to the rocks and twist ankles. Microspikes would be good, but make sure you have gaiters on and be prepared to post-hole in between rocks. Conditions looked the same all the way up the amphitheater.

Any advice for what to do in the future? Was I lacking in gear or something? Was the snow just too powdery? I had to break trail so I was exhausted after 1.5 hours even with pretty large snowshoes.

I was confused with deciding between snowshoes and micros for the boulderfield because snowshoes kept sinking to the rocks and twisting my ankles, but with micros I would post-hole pretty bad and I got exhausted.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

[Rock-a-Fella]

Sounds like AT gear would do the trick

[pseudoghost]

I've yet to find snowshoes that work really well in deep, fine powder, even with the "flotation" tails. In that case, I think you're better off with skis, but even then you might still be sinking quite a bit if it's very fine powder.

[I Man]

Personally I take a break from peak bagging in November as this month offers the worst conditions of the year for Colorado (IMO of course). You certainly don't want to wear snowshoes in a snowy boulderfield though. Sounds like what you experienced is just par for the course.

[HuskyRunner]

Sounds like AT gear would do the trick

Skiing is the way to go, snowshoes just plain suck. Either you need huge shoes to provide enough flotation or they sink and you're pulling up heavily coated foot paddles, the last option (which is what I see mostly) is that the trail is packed and you don't need floatation, except if you're from Denver and really feel the need to use the over priced snowshoes you purchased to waddle in 3 inches of snow.

[Tyler Phillips]

Personally I take a break from peak bagging in November as this month offers the worst conditions of the year for Colorado (IMO of course).

That makes sense, although what about wind-blown boulder fields that have a regular 4 inches or so in between the rocks in the fall/winter months? I guess microspikes and gaiters would just be best here?

[iholdthepain]

What is AT gear? It was recommended I take it for an avy safety course, but I have no idea what that means (all terrain?). I have snowshoes, spikes, gaiters, and good waterproof boots that I'm planning to take to Aspen in January. I'm new to winter hiking in CO, and any info is appreciated.

[I Man]

I'd say focus less on gear and more on skill/experience. Yes gaiters will help keep snow out and spikes will provide some traction, though I rarely use them. Peak bagging in the snowy months is tiring and difficult no matter which way you look at it. Trekking poles can help wuth balance in this sort of terrain.You should have a fair bit of experience in the summer months and be in good hiking shape. Snowy boulder fields are time consuming and can be difficult and dangerous for 'minor' injuries. The Lincoln Amphitheatre route is not a good choice for a first late fall route.

AT gear is a ski setup. I don't ski. I only snowshoe, its a nuissaince but certainly possible. Heck, Steve did it.

[Monte Meals]

My advice - start with something simple,

like crossing the Bierstadt willows in the snow at least a
half dozen times without snowshoes or skis. ;->

After that, you will cruise up the Amphitheater like
Julie Andrews, singing "The Hills Are Alive!"

[MuchosPixels]

I didn't think this quite qualified as a "I'm planning on climbing a 14er in Winter so what should I do" question (which exists in adbundance) so I thought I'd post this question. If this is redundant please let me know, I'll be happy to take this down.

I tried Mt. Lincoln this past Monday (11/25/13) and got turned around after 3.5 hours.

As we walked alongside the reservoir we encountered 4-5 inches of pretty soft snow at around 7:30am. Same in the woods up to the ice falls.

After the falls (entering the amphitheater) we post-holed pretty bad as we encountered several 2-3ft drifts of soft powder. It took us 3 hours to get to the entrance of the amphitheater so we turned around.

There was just enough snow in the amphitheater to cover most of the small low-lying boulders (maybe 9 inches). Snowshoeing was difficult as we would sink down to the rocks and twist ankles. Microspikes would be good, but make sure you have gaiters on and be prepared to post-hole in between rocks. Conditions looked the same all the way up the amphitheater.

Any advice for what to do in the future? Was I lacking in gear or something? Was the snow just too powdery? I had to break trail so I was exhausted after 1.5 hours even with pretty large snowshoes.

I was confused with deciding between snowshoes and micros for the boulderfield because snowshoes kept sinking to the rocks and twisting my ankles, but with micros I would post-hole pretty bad and I got exhausted.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

Sounds like common early season (winter) conditions. With more snow and some snow consolidation it should be a VERY different experience with the same gear you had. In winter it is mostly about the route conditions which can vary greatly as the season progresses and on any given day depending on the weather

[bohlsen]

What is AT gear? It was recommended I take it for an avy safety course, but I have no idea what that means (all terrain?). I have snowshoes, spikes, gaiters, and good waterproof boots that I'm planning to take to Aspen in January. I'm new to winter hiking in CO, and any info is appreciated.

AT stands for Alpine Touring. I'm sure someone will correct me if I get this wrong (I've never used them myself because I'm a poor grad student but I'm jealous of my friends who have them) but they're kind of a cross between downhill and telemark skis. They allow you to have a free heel for climbing like telemarks and then lock your heel down so you can ski downhill-style.

[BillMiddlebrook]

Normal "winter" conditions make most routes more difficult and, I agree, gear isn't really the main issue here, although it's important.

You would have had much better luck picking a different route on the mountain. Lincoln's amphitheater is much more tedious in early winter so it's easier to take the longer, standard route from the Kite Lake road. You'd still want snowshoes and microspikes but you wouldn't have to deal with the bushwacking up to the falls and the powder-on-boulders in the amphitheater. Additionally, this time of year AT ski gear would not be appropriate for the amphitheater route.