Lion Head Winter Route

Anyone know approximately when the winter route is closed based on prior seasons?

Also - do you ever run into mid-season conditions where the steep parts (near the beginning) of the winter route are all exposed rock but Tuckerman is still too dangerous to climb due to avalanche danger? Which do you choose - I have to imagine that steep section of the winter route is a nightmare without some snow to kick a foothold onto.

Actually

the fun part lower down is to climb/downclimb the many vertical root systems from trees, with one foot on lumber and the other scratching on rock. People with little crampon experience have a hard time and go very s-l-o-w....But it is still preferable than Tucks...

One section looked like.... This ...and... this at the end of February. Exposed rock, rotten ice, glare ice and not a lot to grab onto. Of course that was three weeks ago.

I didn't have a problem with the equally steep snow covered sections but this had me turning around. Conditions up top and the thought of having to do it on the way down after a lot more traffic made my mind up.

Tucks on the other hand was a blast. I didn't venture far above the lunch rocks but saw a few folk go up the gullies all the way to the ridge.

Bob

Lions Head

I've been up Lions Head once in winter under good snow cover but when the route is bad...icy...muddy why not go up Ammonusuc ravine? I've been up it twice in February and April and found the trail well packed and in great condition. There's been some recent hiking according to trip reports on the Ammo.

Yup - The Ammonoosuc trail was in fine shape a couple of weeks ago and there was vehicle access to the Mansfield Station parking lot via Mt Clinton Rd.

To see what it looked like back then check out my trip report and pics here

Bob

Wow, nice pictures, you sure had better weather than us! We were forced to turn back at 5,200 feet. Mt Clinton road worked fine as long as you didn't run into somebody coming the other way and you don't mind a few gigantic frost heaves.