We arrived at the trailhead at 0750. The road from the freeway was snow free and the parking lot had some ice but was no issue for any vehicle. Btw, whoever did what they did to the toilet seat at the trailhead…shame on you.
We set out with snowshoes on at about 0810. We quickly found them to be unnecessary and a little cumbersome as the snow on trail was stiff and icy and the boot tracks made the snowshoes ineffective. I’d go with just boots or micro spikes from the start.
Once we hit the turnoff a mile in (L to Pratt Lake, R to Granite Summit) my buddy ditched his snowshoes and I kept mine on. He made the better decision as the steepening slope made the snowshoe issues worse. They just made for more weight on our backs the rest of the way up. At around 3,500 ft we ran into some teenagers who were turning around…smart decision. They were in sweat pants and tennis shoes. They said they were turning back because they weren’t prepared…I had to agree.
We followed the boot path and finally emerged from the treeline at about 4,200 ft. A group who had passed us were turning around because weather was worsening and they didn’t have any traction with them. That was a smart decision. We continued about 200 yards and then decided to stop for lunch for about 20 minutes. We assessed conditions and then decided to push on to the ridge at least. The snow was about 5 inches deep now with a concrete-hard ice underneath. The slope was increasing to 45 degrees at some sections so we “tractioned up” with crampons and ice axes. Do not climb beyond this point unless you have these. Be smart. A slip here would be very bad without an adequate way to stop yourself.
We hit the ridge at 5,000 ft and followed the obvious rock band for another 45 minutes until we could finally see the lookout. By this point, the wind had kicked up a notch (guessing around 25 mph) and the snow was relentlessly buffeting us in the face...which I found pretty exhilarating to be honest! Even with the weather worsening, we were on the ridge with rock under our feet and had a clear path to the summit (and had GPS) so we continued on.
Just below the lookout in a word was…white. The sky was white, the snow was white, everything was white. It became very hard to see much of anything. Be careful you don’t walk too close to the multiple cornices here. We touched the bottom of the lookout tower at 1225 (4 hrs, 15 min: trailhead to summit) and spent about 15 minutes freezing our hands off while taking a few photos and downing water. I’d estimate the wind chill was around 10 degrees.
In the 15 minutes we were on top the tracks from our ascent that were wind exposed were completely gone. We inched our way back down to where we could see tracks again and then acquired the rocky ridge line again. We descended a little too far before recovering our route. Be careful not to follow too far west on the way down the ridge. Stick to the rock band then make a hard left (east) near the bottom. There are 3 tall trees to your left at around 4,300 ft that lead back to the treeline/trail that we found very helpful. Use these as your guide. If they are above you at any point, you've gone too far down the ridge.
We passed 3 other solo climbers on their way up as we were descending. 4 had summited before us on the day. We made it back to the parking lot at 1455 (2 hrs, 15 min descent) which made for 6 hr, 30 min round trip.
Tips:
Be prepared: This is a simple winter climb but if you don’t have the right equipment it could turn hairy fast. Bring an ice axe and crampons. Yak tracks are NOT crampons…we passed one guy who was turning around because that was all the traction he had. I also recommend a GPS this time of the year when the weather can change so quickly. I use the TopoMaps app on my iphone. Its $12.99 for the year and allows you to download detailed topographical maps, upload .gpx files, and track your route while hiking.
Don’t use the summer route: The summer route goes across a massive avalanche gulch. Crossing this is very dangerous in almost any conditions in winter and early spring. Follow the left edge of this gulch then attain the SW ridge to the summit.
For video of the windy SW ridge see my Instagram: jdodger316
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