"Safest" Winter Route For Mt Washington

Hopefully this year I will check off the bucket list item to climb Washington in the Winter. I've been going through the 4000 Footer and White Mountain Guides and reviewing the various trail options and I am still undecided on the route I would like to take. I want to take the "safest" route possible, even if this means a longer route than other options.

Just to qualify what I mean as "safest" I am primarily concerned with trails that could involve falls/slides, avalanches and other catastrophic problems, i.e. very steep, dangerous icy scrambles, traveling close to precipitous drops, technical elements. Any ravine option is not under consideration (Tuckerman, Huntington, Great Gulf). So with that in mind, what would be your recommended "safe" route for Washington"? I should also point out I would only be attempting in weather that has favorable visibility to minimize risk of losing visual route finding (I always carry GPS and compass but would prefer to see what I'm doing for my first go around).

Seems like the three options are as follows (below). Curious about certain aspects of each:

Jewell Trail/Gulfside/Crawford. From what I've read this would likely be the safest and one of the easier routes. My questions for this route:
1) Are the upper slopes on Jewell Trail really as difficult to follow as it seems? Lot of references to difficult navigation in this area.
2) Does the Winter route on Gulfside travel as close to the edge of Great Gulf as Summer route? It seems like that could be a horribly dangerous area where it follows the rim. I assume people track well inside of that area.

Ammonoosuc Ravine/Crawford Path. This sounds like a very popular option too.
1) How is the steep section from Gem Pool to treeline in the Winter? This seems like another area that could be an icy, dangerous mess with lots of fall potential. But so many people seem to go this way. Do they ascend this way as well or loop to Jewell?
2) Is it safe to assume this is a better option later in season when it is well covered in snow?
3) Don't like the idea of looping over to Jewell and descending on a trail of which I don't know the conditions, especially with all the references to how tricky it is finding the opening at tree line to gain the trail back.

Jackson Road/Nelson Crag. This route appeals to me the most for the potential views and being out of prevailing winds (I LOVE Nelson Crag route above treeline).
1) Sounds like a rarely traveled route (at least as of 2008, the copyright of my 4000 Footer edition). Is this still the case? It is my understanding Jackson Road gets a lot of traffic from PNVC and trips to Lowes Bald Spot. So that would leave the roughly 1.8 miles of trail from there to treeline for trail breaking. Would still be a tough challenge for me.
2) The proximity of the Auto Road makes for some bail out options in a few spots. Are you allowed to walk the Auto Road in Winter because it is closed to traffic or is it still off limits? Another thought I had would be to take Auto Road from Jackson Road to spot that Nelson Crag meets road. This would eliminate the trail breaking and would be on easier grades (albeit much longer in mileage). Not legal?

Appreciate any feedback anyone can provide, particularly from first time experiences and what you've changed since your first attempts. Thanks as always for the feedback.

I'd pick the Lion's Head regular trail in early winter, before there's enough snow to open the winter trail.

http://www.mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org/avalanche-safety/trails/lion-head-trail/

http://www.mountwashingtonavalanche...nche-advisory-for-wednesday-december-31-2014/

I'm going to answer your question based on your criteria, but before I do. keep in mind that any route can be dangerous on this mountain, the weather will always be your major concern. Route finding on the mountain in adverse conditions can be difficult if you lack experience navigating in bad conditions. trails can be wind blown with snow, making route finding more difficult, add in poor visibility, it can be easy to lose your way. I think the Jewell trail is the easiest route. It's not steep, has little chance of avalanches and is fairly straight forward. That being said, it is also open to the prevailing Northwest winds, it is also in the direct line of most incoming bad weather, which can come in fast. Pick a day with a solid forecast and you will enjoy this route. Personally doing it as a loop with the Ammonoosic ravine is very commen. The Ammo is steep, it rises fast from Gem pool and the many water crossings that flow over it, tend to be icy. This is a route, I carry crampons on myself. Also the snow can drift below the hut, and many parties have encountered difficulty finding the route from the hut down into the ravine, although I rarely have trouble there. To go up and back via the Jewell would involve over 10 miles, as with all climbs of Washington, I start early. You'll get some good responses here hopefully, read them all and decide what is best for your skillset. The best advice I can give you. Watch the weather as you climb, if your not good in bad weather, don't waste time turning around if your uncomfortable.

The safest route to summit Mt Washington in winter ?

Consider day-length ( specifically LACK OF) , the variability of weather, the availability of bail-outs, and the availability of bivouac/shelter.

All of those pretty much point to spending the least amount of time in the summit endeavor and reserving the easiest and quickest safe opportunity to retreat to sure shelter as necessary. Many would say starting at PNVC and utilizing Hermit Lake shelter as a staging point before/after the summit attempt via Lions Head ( either route) meets the most of the criteria.

IF you PLAN on using the Auto Road ( other than simply crossing the road at 2 mile park from/to OJR ) as part of your ascent or descent, you should know in advance that (a) it is private property (b) one lane is groomed and tracked for skiing and snowshoeing from the base to @ 4300" elevation (c) it is the route of MWAR snowcoach, and the MWOBS Bombardier that has a 16' blade, AND the NHSP snow-cat and (d) you'd be asked to purchase the applicable day pass from Great Glen Trails to use the road. Legit use, if you plan on it and pay the applicable fee. Not the end of the world even if you are forced to use it, off plan, you just say your Mea Culpa, fork over a few bucks with a smile and say thank you, I made it back in one piece.

The"safest winter route" is extremely weather dependent. Climbing from the east means shelter from the wind for a far longer period of time, this is a two edged sword. It allows folks to get far higher up on the mountain during marginal conditions but also allows them to bail to shelter quicker. Many of the climbing schools use the Tucks/Lions Head approach as they can get their clients out and part way up the mountain if the weather is marginal. The real summit conditions don't pick up until the top of Lions Head and if the weather is too nasty, the clients get to experience severe conditions on top of Lions Head and the guides get paid for the day out on the mountain. Lions Head winter route is quite steep in several locations, borderline technical. My theory is an easterly approach prevents a hiker from seeing approaching weather and that's to me is a bad thing. I see no value in hiking the autoroad due to the extra mileage. Same with Nelson Crag

My preference on a low wind day, is definitely from the westside from the Cog base station. I prefer the Ammo trail as its well broken out and well sheltered until just short of the hut. With crampons, the walk up Ammo is easy (but steep) and I frequently do it with Hillsound microspikes, I have done it with Kahtoolas but lacking real spikes, they definitely are borderline for the sections of ice. Jewell is somewhat more exposed to wind and potentially hard to find the point where it heads back into trees if the if cairns are buried. It gets used a bit less so it has a higher chance of having to break trail. Crawford Path has Lakes of the Clouds to aim for plus Crawford path is probably the most cairned trail in the whites so finding the route back down the Ammo is easier. Of greater importance to me is that I can see the weather approaching and if the winds pick up unexpectedly I can turn around. I know folks who hike the cog but I don't think it has any advantage over Jewell and is more exposed.

Ultimately the biggest issue is weather conditions, the weather does change from the previous days forecast overnight. Many folks make the drive north hoping the weather will improve and frequently will elect to head up despite poorer than expected conditions. There probably is only 1 in 4 chance that the weather is going be reasonable on any given winter day especially earlier in the winter. You have to be ready and willing to cancel the hike up Washington and do a less exposed hike or head home the majority of the time and thus unless you have flexible schedule it may require a few attempts. By the way its mostly a myth that the weather instantly goes from sunny an no wind to dangerous in minutes. Fronts are what cause wind and there is usually pretty good visual evidence that bad weather is coming in a couple of hours in advance. Unfortunately most folks try to beat the weather and that's when a few get in trouble. I usually take the forecasts with some cynicism and assume that bad weather may move in 12 to 24 hours in advance of the predicted time.

As others said, it's weather dependent. Winter Lion's Head is protected from the wind and has minimal Avy danger and they watch it. They did have a large avalanche high up on the cone last year.

Ammo is pretty safe from Avy danger but can be very icy, to a point where Micro's may be overwhelmed. This is my preferred way. The road is a long above treeline trip, we came down it once in November because there was not enough snow to fill in the rocks. Jewell late in the season can be hard to follow when their is a lot of snow and also very exposed to the weather.

I prefer low or no avy danger and then knowing I can turn back or just climb Monroe so I like going up Ammo. I'm also picking decent weather, or at least weather I am comfortable.

I get the weather related stuff, issues with East vs West ascent and weather, length of day, etc. I'm always well equipped and very conservative. I have been above treeline in Winter on numerous outings but none of the higher summits other than Madison. What I'm really inquiring more about are the technical possibilities with the terrain of the various routes, their degree of difficulty and danger potential.

I've read that lower parts of Lion Head Winter route are borderline ice climbs, with use of ice axe and even rope in certain circumstances. One thread mentions a rope that is left tied to some tree roots in a particularly bad area. I also find this to be one of the least exciting routes up Washington, at least in the non-Winter seasons. I have similar concerns with Ammo route. Also, Nelson Crag route is 5.5 miles, not much more than the 5.1 miles of the Jewell Route and with potentially more shelter from prevailing wind direction and more bail out options if things go awry. I find the overall views from that ridge to be much better than Jewell or Ammo route, which is why it was under consideration. But I haven't read anything on whether this route gets broken out much or has any technical issues of it's own (bad drifts, ice, etc). If I had to break out a significant length of trail this would likely have to be scratched from the list. Ammo is indeed the shortest route but would seem better later in year with much snow and bridged river crossings.

That's really what I was looking for info on, and maybe photos. I appreciate the cautionary points of emphasis on weather and gear but I already get that. The VFTT community has done a fine job of illustrating those hazards to me over the years. I have a more than appropriate level of caution and respect for the weather in the Whites.

Mike P. said:

Ammo is pretty safe from Avy danger but can be very icy, to a point where Micro's may be overwhelmed. This is my preferred way. The road is a long above treeline trip, we came down it once in November because there was not enough snow to fill in the rocks. Jewell late in the season can be hard to follow when their is a lot of snow and also very exposed to the weather.

Click to expand...

In the steep areas is there room to get in the trees if things are really steep and icy? I haven't ascended this way in awhile but I seem to remember the steepest areas well down into the trees where there was plenty of lumber/bushes to grab onto. As you progressed up I don't remember it being unusually steep. Worse section maybe 0.3-0.4 miles or so? More ledgy stuff that I assume is not all that bad covered in ice/packed snow where grip is good. Do you specifically recall any nasty areas of note - river crossing, ledge, whatever? I don't know that I ever descended this trail either (usually loop to other trails) so maybe I don't appreciate the steepness only having ascended it?

Avy danger is quite minimal on any of the routes under consideration, so the biggest hazard is weather. That favors a direct route that gets you up and down in minimum time.

The leading routes therefore are Lion's Head winter route, and Ammo Ravine Trail. If weather is good, Jewell or Boott Spur are nice alternatives / loop options. I've not tried the Nelson Crag route, just because the Old Jackson Road adds distance, but I would be concerned about whether it's broken out.

On Ammo, there's a couple of short passages where the trail is both steep and near the stream, that can get a bit icy. Microspikes are often sufficient, but bring crampons. I would not describe as anything like a "dangerous mess with lots of fall potential." I'd say there's usually two or three sections, totalling a dozen steps, where I pay great attention to my footing if I'm not wearing crampons.

LHWR has a single steep section near the bottom, that some people find intimidating (I've heard of guides setting up ropes, but never seen it). The advantage of LHWR is that the eastern slope usually gives you shelter from the prevailing winds. That said, the Lion Head itself often gets a swirling wind that's just as strong as at the summit. I tend to view that as an advantage: if you decide the wind is too strong, you can get back to safety quickly and easily.

On your specific question, there's no such thing as a "winter route" Gulfside. The trail is marked by cairns, and the cairns are rather close to the edge of the gulf. Falling into the gulf isn't a danger I take too seriously. If visibility is bad enough that you might accidentally step off a ledge, you've got plenty of other problems. (In terrible weather some folks have managed to follow the cog tracks, but be warned: there are some steep sections.) It's also important to know that the Jewell trail doesn't reach the Mt Clay Loop; if you're following cairns down from the summit to find the Jewell trail, make sure you bear left on the Gulfside when the Mt Clay loop forks to the right.

sierra said:

I think the Jewell trail is the easiest route. It's not steep, has little chance of avalanches and is fairly straight forward.

Click to expand...

So the area on the Gulfside that skirts the rim of the Great Gulf is no big deal? Seems like it would be a problem area for possible cornices or slab type drifts or ice and no-fall type terrain, and in poor visibility could become very dangerous. Is that generally not the case?

nartreb said:

Avy danger is quite minimal on any of the routes under consideration, so the biggest hazard is weather. That favors a direct route that gets you up and down in minimum time.

The leading routes therefore are Lion's Head winter route, and Ammo Ravine Trail. If weather is good, Jewell or Boott Spur are nice alternatives / loop options. I've not tried the Nelson Crag route, just because the Old Jackson Road adds distance, but I would be concerned about whether it's broken out.

On Ammo, there's a couple of short passages where the trail is both steep and near the stream, that can get a bit icy. Microspikes are often sufficient, but bring crampons. I would not describe as anything like a "dangerous mess with lots of fall potential." I'd say there's usually two or three sections, totalling a dozen steps, where I pay great attention to my footing if I'm not wearing crampons.

LHWR has a single steep section near the bottom, that some people find intimidating (I've heard of guides setting up ropes, but never seen it). The advantage of LHWR is that the eastern slope usually gives you shelter from the prevailing winds. That said, the Lion Head itself often gets a swirling wind that's just as strong as at the summit. I tend to view that as an advantage: if you decide the wind is too strong, you can get back to safety quickly and easily.

On your specific question, there's no such thing as a "winter route" Gulfside. The trail is marked by cairns, and the cairns are rather close to the edge of the gulf. Falling into the gulf isn't a danger I take too seriously. If visibility is bad enough that you might accidentally step off a ledge, you've got plenty of other problems. (In terrible weather some folks have managed to follow the cog tracks, but be warned: there are some steep sections.) It's also important to know that the Jewell trail doesn't reach the Mt Clay Loop; if you're following cairns down from the summit to find the Jewell trail, make sure you bear left on the Gulfside when the Mt Clay loop forks to the right.

Click to expand...

Thank you. Sounds like I'm over thinking the degree of difficulty. Always have crampons and wear more often than most people. Rather have too much bite than not enough. I'm also most familiar with the terrain and the trails on Gulfside so Jewell was probably the leading option for the familiarity. One of my favorite areas in all of the Whites is Mt Clay and the col between it and Washington so I get up there at least a few times a year. But if I ever do Jefferson I'd likely come this way too so I thought hitting Washington another way would keep a little variety in the hikes.

The section on Lions head you are referring to is the winter route. That route is opened when the regular Lions Head route has a dangerous snowpack, because it has slid, so they opened up the new route which is less prone to slide. The winter LHR is steep for a bit, I've always used an ice axe on it as well as crampons, its not a route for microspikes. There is no need to fix a rope, although I have heard of one being fixed, proboly by guides. As far as the Jewell skirting the Gulf, not an issue, unless the weather is really bad, you could wander over the headwall, ( ask Hugh Herr) personally it's a remote possibility, imo. The Ammo is not that tough, your over thinking the technicality of it. Frankly, it's a good route do gain some winter climbing skills, if you have crampons on, you would be hard pressed to have difficulty. It is technically harder then the Jewell, but it is safer weather wise for sure.

sierra said:

The section on Lions head you are referring to is the winter route. That route is opened when the regular Lions Head route has a dangerous snowpack, because it has slid, so they opened up the new route which is less prone to slide. The winter LHR is steep for a bit, I've always used an ice axe on it as well as crampons, its not a route for microspikes. There is no need to fix a rope, although I have heard of one being fixed, proboly by guides. As far as the Jewell skirting the Gulf, not an issue, unless the weather is really bad, you could wander over the headwall, ( ask Hugh Herr) personally it's a remote possibility, imo. The Ammo is not that tough, your over thinking the technicality of it. Frankly, it's a good route do gain some winter climbing skills, if you have crampons on, you would be hard pressed to have difficulty. It is technically harder then the Jewell, but it is safer weather wise for sure.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I think I will try Ammo first. The option of stilling doing Monroe or substituting Monroe if I'm not sure about Washington is nice so the hike isn't a total wash. Monroe is one of my favorites.

So the area on the Gulfside that skirts the rim of the Great Gulf is no big deal? Seems like it would be a problem area for possible cornices or slab type drifts or ice and no-fall type terrain, and in poor visibility could become very dangerous. Is that generally not the case?

I expect that most folks follow the cog/electric trench down to the West Side trail and then cut back over to the Jewell over to the low spot between Mt Washington and Clay to avoid the potentially steep section on Jewell at the edge of the great gulf.

peakbagger said:

So the area on the Gulfside that skirts the rim of the Great Gulf is no big deal? Seems like it would be a problem area for possible cornices or slab type drifts or ice and no-fall type terrain, and in poor visibility could become very dangerous. Is that generally not the case?

I expect that most folks follow the cog/electric trench down to the West Side trail and then cut back over to the Jewell over to the low spot between Mt Washington and Clay to avoid the potentially steep section on Jewell at the edge of the great gulf.

Click to expand...

I wondered about that route. It seems to have a well worn footpath and commonly used even in the Summer months. I don't know why people would take that route in Summer over the spectacular views along the rim of the Gulf but it would seem like a good idea in icy or very windy conditions. Does West Side get Winter use from people who come up Crawford and then bail on Washington if weather is poor? I don't know that I've ever taken that route. Are the cairns large enough to follow in snow/poor weather?

Did Ammo in November one year as a pre-trip, icy but not too bad. Did Monroe one year and Washington another year in late February or early March without incident. While steep, I never got the feeling I'd need a rope and I did not use my axe. The Lion Head trip we did one November was in a low snow fall and the ice and snow had not filled the rocks so it was rocky and icy. That year we went down the road as it was not really cold or windy but the road allowed for a 2.5 to 3 MPH descent as the footing was excellent. Given a choice, I take the ammo on a day I'm comfortable with the weather knowing I can change my mind at treeline & do Monroe.

The Great Gulf Headwall section inquired about is easily skirted around. I've done so myself a couple of times (once in winter, once or twice in early Spring). I've personally descended Ammo twice in winter conditions, one when it was moderately icy, and one when it was buried under 2' of newish snow. Both were not an issue. YMMV.

madmattd said:

The Great Gulf Headwall section inquired about is easily skirted around. I've done so myself a couple of times (once in winter, once or twice in early Spring). I've personally descended Ammo twice in winter conditions, one when it was moderately icy, and one when it was buried under 2' of newish snow. Both were not an issue. YMMV.

Click to expand...

I skirted around the head wall this past spring as it was slightly slushy corn snow and I only had microspikes on. Avoiding it was an easy snow/rock hop.

All things being equal, I would pick Ammo Ravine. To answer one of the OP's questions, yes, it is much easier with a snow pack in later winter. With snow shoe conditions, there is little about the trail that is dangerous. In fall, the trail can be problematic from ice. In spring, once the melt had begun, this trail can be dangerous and has a few crossings that when snow bridges are breaking up, can be very challenging.

The Lion's Head winter route IMO has more fall potential than Ammo Ravine. I have been happy to have crampons at the "step" and the snowfield just above tree line could be tough on icy conditions, but is not a problem in softer snow. I do not consider it a dangerous route and never felt the need for a rope, but the tough parts on Lion's Head are slightly harder than the hard places on Ammo IMO.

Pick a good day and good snow conditions and either route is a good one.