U
Unregistered
Guest
3-4 inches of Fresh snow down low on Sat morning. 8-12 inches on hard pack up higher. Waist deep or more up top off the hard pack when it disappears in the powder. All irrelevant now with the storm.
Different people needed different equipment. I needed crampons and snow shoes. Breaking trail, I had diifficultly gaining purchase in the unconsolidated snow on the steeps.
Aggressive cleats on snow shoes will help. Some elven-like people behind me were micro-spiking it and post-holing a bit up in the high flats.
Almost everyone was down on all fours to get up the stairs and just beyond--it was like climbing a steep dune. Good place to try the direct ascent horizontal ice axe method of climbing with crampons.
It can work with trekking poles but the baskets get in the way.
Above the stairs back to snow shoes-- the hard pack disappeared in the powder.
Cant report on the summit although others mentioned last climb was icy..ran out of time but a great hike nonetheless
Different people needed different equipment. I needed crampons and snow shoes. Breaking trail, I had diifficultly gaining purchase in the unconsolidated snow on the steeps.
Aggressive cleats on snow shoes will help. Some elven-like people behind me were micro-spiking it and post-holing a bit up in the high flats.
Almost everyone was down on all fours to get up the stairs and just beyond--it was like climbing a steep dune. Good place to try the direct ascent horizontal ice axe method of climbing with crampons.
It can work with trekking poles but the baskets get in the way.
Above the stairs back to snow shoes-- the hard pack disappeared in the powder.
Cant report on the summit although others mentioned last climb was icy..ran out of time but a great hike nonetheless
