Florida Man Planning on Capitol Peak Winter Ascent

[climbingshotgun]

I'm going to have a month off work next winter so I'm thinking of driving to Colorado in January to do as much backpacking and as many peaks (hopefully 14ers) as I can. I have several questions for you all, and since this is my first post, I'll give you some background and context.

I did Mt. Sniktau in June a few years back and have done a few peaks in the Smokies in February, which is the whole extent of my mountaineering and cold weather experience (not much). Sniktau was hard on the lungs but I came from sea level the night before. Never done any Class 3 or 4 scrambles but I've been going to a climbing gym for a few months now. I'm planning on booking an avalanche course and possibly a general mountaineering course for when I arrive. I finished reading Freedom of the Hills and am working on Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. I have my cold weather clothing layers and camping gear mostly dialed in, and will probably rent snowshoes or an AT setup.

Questions
1. Are double boots overkill for Colorado? I was thinking of getting the Scarpa Inverno, La Sportiva Baruntse, or Asolo AFS 8k depending on fit, and crampons of course.

2. Are trekking skis any good? The ones that are a cross between snowshoes and AT skis. Shorter, wider skis that can attach to any shoe with built in skins. Black diamond and Altai I think. I've never skied so I'm curious if learning AT is worth the effort or doable in a short time frame or if I should just go for what looks like an easier version of snowshoes, especially since this is a once a year thing for me.

3. When I check the weather forecast, how windy before I should cancel the days ascent for a hard 14er? How about an easy one?

I thought I had more but that's it for now I guess. Plenty of time between now and then. Basically I'm just trying to be prepared and not end up in Accidents in North American Mountaineering. I'm going to start with easy routes to get in mountain shape, and then go for some challenges. After I've done the courses and a few peaks, I think I'll have a better idea of what I can handle. Not dead set on Capitol Peak, but that seems like the grand prize.

[AndrewLyonsGeibel]

Oh this is gonna be a fun one to watch. If you’re asking these questions ...

[Ptglhs]

I feel as though this thread is going to be similar to the Netflix documentary series Tiger King. It will really messed up but you just can't stop watching.

I predict people will say the OP doesn't know what he's doing and shouldn't even be thinking such thoughts, will start arguing with other people about gear and relative difficulty of peaks, and will accuse the OP of being a troll while arguing with others and totally missing the irony.

[climbingshotgun]

Oh this is gonna be a fun one to watch. If you’re asking these questions ...

You gave advice to the last guy asking about boots for winter 14ers. I guess he didn't make the mistake of posting his goal so he got a serious reply.

Boots for winter 14ers
Post by Reagent92 » Mon Oct 09, 2017 12:31 am

Now that the weather has started cooling off a bit, I would like to start gearing up for my first fall/winter ascent. I am currently looking for advice on a new pair of boots. I was planning on hiking Mt. Elbert this weekend but found out there was already 12” of snow in spots. I currently only own hiking shoes so I knew that wasn’t going to cut it once I started getting into deeper snow. Today I looked at some mountaineering boots (Scarpa rebel pro gtx, Garmont Icon plus gtx, and some La Sportiva Trango Ice cube gtx). Are these what I need to be looking for? I really don’t think I’m going to be doing any vertical ice climbs (yet?). I am simply trying to hike the easier routes to the summit of Colorado 14ers when there is snow to contend with. I’m thinking crampon compatible boots are not a bad idea. I also need to make sure they are warm enough with a two sock system. My feet don’t tend to get cold. The boots I tried on today are much more ridged than I’m used to with hiking shoes. Will I be able to hike long distances such as Pikes Peak in these? I also plan on snowshoeing this winter in the boots I end up getting. Thanks for the help!

AndrewLyonsGeibel
Re: Boots for winter 14ers
Post by AndrewLyonsGeibel » Tue Oct 10, 2017 9:47 am

I've always thought Baffin boots looked nice for easy winter hiking.

Personally I try to use insulated, waterproof trail runners+gaiters as much of the winter as I can. Some of us do run parts of the route and that wouldn't happen for me in boots. Heck last time I hiked a 14er, I came home and then went for a run.

[Iguru]

Be patient, climbing shotgun. You can get the information you desire but you may have to wade through alot of s**t to find it.
There are knowitalls here who will berate you, and those who truly want to help.
You have already triggered some of the aforementioned.

[douglas]

The “Florida Man” title is making me somewhat suspicious.

[justiner]

1/10

[glenmiz]

C'mon man!

Either you're trying to ignite a postdemic or really naive. If the later, I suggest starting with something MUCH more modest and read some trip reports.

Good luck!

[LetsGoMets]

God I'm bored.

*Goes back to incline training with iFit*

[hellmanm]

...and I thought I was gullible -- c'mon, now. Thanks for giving me a fun start to the day, shotgun.

[Iguru]

See what I mean.

[greenonion]

I'm going to have a month off work next winter so I'm thinking of driving to Colorado in January to do as much backpacking and as many peaks (hopefully 14ers) as I can. I have several questions for you all, and since this is my first post, I'll give you some background and context.

I did Mt. Sniktau in June a few years back and have done a few peaks in the Smokies in February, which is the whole extent of my mountaineering and cold weather experience (not much). Sniktau was hard on the lungs but I came from sea level the night before. Never done any Class 3 or 4 scrambles but I've been going to a climbing gym for a few months now. I'm planning on booking an avalanche course and possibly a general mountaineering course for when I arrive. I finished reading Freedom of the Hills and am working on Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. I have my cold weather clothing layers and camping gear mostly dialed in, and will probably rent snowshoes or an AT setup.

Questions
1. Are double boots overkill for Colorado? I was thinking of getting the Scarpa Inverno, La Sportiva Baruntse, or Asolo AFS 8k depending on fit, and crampons of course.

2. Are trekking skis any good? The ones that are a cross between snowshoes and AT skis. Shorter, wider skis that can attach to any shoe with built in skins. Black diamond and Altai I think. I've never skied so I'm curious if learning AT is worth the effort or doable in a short time frame or if I should just go for what looks like an easier version of snowshoes, especially since this is a once a year thing for me.

3. When I check the weather forecast, how windy before I should cancel the days ascent for a hard 14er? How about an easy one?

I thought I had more but that's it for now I guess. Plenty of time between now and then. Basically I'm just trying to be prepared and not end up in Accidents in North American Mountaineering. I'm going to start with easy routes to get in mountain shape, and then go for some challenges. After I've done the courses and a few peaks, I think I'll have a better idea of what I can handle. Not dead set on Capitol Peak, but that seems like the grand prize.

Sounds like you are set on a winter attempt of Cap but with very limited experience. Having done Capitol in Sep afew years back it is not trivial in several ways. I don't have the experience to do it in winter and would not try it without more. Recommendation: get more experience with winter conditions hiking/climbing before trying Cap, and consider doing Cap in summer or fall weather, preferably bluebird days. I think the experience of doing Cap in good weather may go a long way toward building confidence while you also gain winter experience on easier peaks. Some on this forum will tell you that Cap is overrated and no big deal. I guarantee there are others, like me, who will have a more cautious stance. My 2 cents. Good luck and be safe! Recommendation 2: not a political statement given a climbing context here, but leave the shotgun at home.