Ditto

Those are, without a doubt, the coolest photos I have ever seen here. I love winter camping, what can I say.

I love you people. You guys keep me in lots of overtime $$!!! None of the peaks mentioned here should be climbed without crampons, an ice axe, complete confidence in map and compass ability, and extra gear for one day. Especially if you are alone. These peaks kill people who thought just as you do...every winter. Have fun, but be prepared. Northeast mountains are very finicky and peculiar. What is a walk in the park one day turns into a mighmarish skate session on verglased rock and freezing rain the next, to 4 feet of wet snow the next, to sunny 40 degree temps the next. Be prepared.

RangerRob

AAhh,Rob, I may be taking that " you people" comment out of context,but you are coming off a wee bit sanctimonious there.Your accurate advice therehas been stated previously. Winter camping CAN be cool, and dangerous at the sametime.Like I said ,maybe I'm taking your post in thewrong context.I know one thing ,I've had more bad times from listening to rangers,and those with some authority than I have listening to my own judgment.

Did the winter Lion's Head last year r/t in 3:15 (we also ran down the cattle trail). It was snowing and visibility was limited, but not too, too bad. On our first attempt the day prior, we encountered 90 mph winds and about 20 feet of visibility. Serious shit. Couldn't even stand up. Wouldn't advise an inexperienced mountaineer to undertake the Traverse given the weather possibilities.

Wow, 3 hrs 15 min to summit and back?

yeah, we didn't even really push it, neither. I've gotten down from the summit to parking lot in about 45 minutes before, with lots of glissading and running. i've also soloed up O'dells right side to the summit in about 2 hours from the parking lot.

But like Les and Rob say, and maybe Crackers doesn't get, it's easy to go fast in the whites when the conditions are good. but it's easy to die when the conditions are bad.

-tico

yeah, we didn't even really push it, neither

pushed it harder than i could that weekend....

hey cracky,

Why do they want to take more than one day to traverse the Prezzy's???

I see two reasons...

1) Tradition....They read it in the AMC Guide, so it's the way it MUST be done... or maybe John Long just put out a new book "How to Winter Hike" published by Falcon Press.

2) Not only are they "gym climbing posers" but most of them are also "all kinds of climbing posers..."

Sure, a traverse of the Prezzy's could be be an epic of a Shackleton proportion, but if you're fit, and have real "Sound Mountaineeering Judgement (tm)" it can be easily done in a long day. (By the way, I know people who are trying to break that 10 hour record... they are sick, sick, demented people...)

A lot depends on the weather, if it's good....you can literally run the whole thing in your five tennie's... if it's bad, well....

That's where the "Sound Mountaineeering Judgement(tm)" comes into play....you have to know when to go on and when to bail. We had to wallow down the Great Gulf on one attempt(we left the snow shoes in the car to save weight)... the real crux was hitch-hiking back to the car ( I wish I had read Eddie's "Hitch-hiking Hints.")

As for the equiptment one would need....You know what they say about the imfamous "10 Essentials?" If you have 'em...you'll need 'em.

For someone with limited NewEngland winter experience, I'd reccommend hiking up to either Crag Camp or Gray Knob in the Norther Presidentials, and staying over night for a couple of days and do some long day hikes from there. You can have the full on "winter experience" but sleep (and cook) in an unheated hut.

What would I do if I had 2 weeks off in the dead of winter and enough cash? I'd be looking for cheap airfares to Spain...

If I had 2 weeks off and not a lot of cash? Maybe drive to Hueco.... or I'd bet you could have some really nice climbing in Tennesse at that time of the year.

edgy

ps. Graham, I may be down that way in a couple of weeks... maybe you could drag me up a couple of classics....

nice , we would have gone faster but it was completly fogged in above lions head.We got a little disoriented a few times up high,this is where we last some time.Of course I ussually try to milk my time above tree line as far as I can. Theres a reason some people might want to take mor than a day doing the traverse. It's good training for bigger places.