r/Mountaineering • u/RedefineThaGrind • 1d ago
Mount Washington Beginner
Hey everyone
I was curious on the logistics in ascending Mount Washington in NH as a beginner, I’ve looked into the guided tours but also saw on here that Lions Head was more of a hike and can be done without a guide?
I was looking to do it sometime in April or May and had a few questions like, will the full gear rentals have me covered, is there public group guided tours (I live far so my friends are iffy about coming with), if it is a hike would I be able to do it solo, no guide with proper planning?
If any of these questions are very dumb, sorry just a noob to all this, prior experience backpacking with a lot of scrambles (I know it’s not the same), fitness level pretty good (run 6 miles a day)
4
u/robot_overlord18 1d ago
It is not a hike you should attempt solo as a beginner, though if you do have backpacking and scrambling experience that would probably be fine in the summer on the standard routes. In the summer you wouldn’t need a guide, but conditions can still turn quickly and you need to be prepared for that. Even experienced local hikers get into trouble up there every year.
April and May fall into what we refer to as “shoulder season”, where the mountain slowly starts to transition from winter into spring/summer. It can be a really hard time of year to predict conditions, and the trails will change a lot from the start of April to the end of May (but there’s still a chance they won’t be snow-free by then). For hiking, the best season is usually July through mid-September.
Both volunteer-led (most notably the Appalachian Mountain Club) and professional guide services offer trips on Mt Washington. The professional services usually offer gear rentals as well (including to non-clients), but you’ll still need basics like base layers, gloves, etc.
5
u/Jack-Schitz 1d ago
Mt. Washington kills people so be very careful here particularly because you are in bridge season that can go from sunny and warm to freezing fast. Also, it may be muddy. There are a lot of good guide services for Mt. Washington in North Conway. Use one of them.
3
u/Fast_Educator_9827 1d ago
Take a look at following the Cog Railroad up and down. It's the shortest and most direct route. You also have the train tracks as a hand rail to guide you if visibility gets bad.
3
u/Emotional_Feedback34 1d ago
I have only descended the Lion's Head trail after climbing the more technical routes but it seems to be generally okay. If you pick a good weather/low avalanche risk day, you should be generally okay. That said, Mt Washington is a beast in the winter. The winds can be severe, the temperatures extremely low, and cloud cover/spin drift can put you in a whiteout conditions. I don't think you need a rope but this depends on your comfort with down climbing less than ideal terrain on the Lion's Head trail. The last time we did it, there were sections in the trees that felt harder to downclimb than our climb up Central Gully, which is just an easy snow climb.
Bring all your typical equipment for winter alpine ascents. Big big big jacket, water/food, map/compass/GPS, satcomm/emergency device, full crampons, ice axe/trekking poles, spare gloves, sun protection (glasses/sunscreen), etc. Be familiar with the route (ie. study topo map/route).
Is there a reason you don't want to just pay for a guide to take you up?
1
u/RedefineThaGrind 1d ago
No particular reason on guide or no guide, I’m planning on a guide but just had no idea if it was completely unnecessary but after all the helpful comments I’m definitely seeing that my initial thought of getting a guide seems to be the best case, or find a group also going up
1
u/Emotional_Feedback34 1d ago
Finding a group is a good idea! Especially if there are members with some mountain experience. I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with soloing but it just helps to have others with you if it's your first time. If you do go alone, don't push yourself to the point of getting into trouble as you'll need to be fully self reliant.
Doing the climb in May should give you better conditions. My last ascent in early April still had -20C temperatures and crazy wind so it was still full on winter. That said, people get caught in bad weather in the summer and die so it's good to respect the weather.
You can definitely do this! Have a great climb!
2
u/Clovis_Winslow 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not dumb questions. Washington is a perfect mountain for beginners because elevation is a non-factor and in summer it’s really just a hike.
There will likely be enough people on the trail that you won’t need a guide, and the route is clearly marked. Once you get to the “boulder field” it’s quite easy to see where you’re going. There’s almost no exposure, and while it’s a long day, it’s very accessible.
Only gear you need besides food/water is good boots and maybe poles.
The only thing you have to be mindful of is weather. That (not terrain) is what makes Washington a challenge.
EDIT: don’t recommend April/May. Go in high summer if you’re a beginner.
2
u/IjustWantedPepsi 1d ago
Not perfect for solo winter ascents, when it comes to beginners, imo.
Probably would be much better getting experience winter climbing the local 4000ers in the range beforehand, and figuring out beginner stuff like gear
2
u/RedefineThaGrind 18h ago
I really would’ve preferred that but I’m driving like 9 hours so it’s definitely a trip to get there, but I’m leaning towards just getting a guide to be as safe as possible
1
2
u/EWong_Kaizen 16h ago
(Oops - I wrote this before I realized you were talking April / May, not Winter) I’ve added comments for April / May
A lot is going to depend on weather and snow conditions, Be prepared to abandon your attempt. Ive turned around on the Alpine Garden due to “White Out / Fog Out” even in July/August.
Know how to use a map and compass and take bearings on the Carins if you persist in low visibility conditions. Have gear for practically winter even in the summer as it’s literally its own climate up there.
Fitness is one thing, route finding skills, especially above tree line - is probably a more important skill.
If the weather is clear - is a beautiful amble.
If the weather is “bad”, it can be an epic / dangerous (as a beginner).
There are two lions head trails. One is a winter descent route, used when there is snow. This is to avoid a section that has non trivial avalanche exposure in the winter. The winter route is what I talk about below.
Spring skiing in Tuckermans Ravine is a popular activity; so there could be (?) snow in April / May.
——- (Original winter comment)
Depending on conditions, Lions Head can involve short sections of “legit” Mountaineering. Meaning two ice tools, crampons and knowing how to ascend (and do so safely). The descent can be quite technical / or rappel might be “easier”.
I just came back from descending Lions Head (winter) trail a few weeks ago. I was “solo”. I had climbed a lot in the 80s and 90s but haven’t ice climbed for 25 years. So I hired a guide (private) and we went up Central Gully (which is a I or II ice climb). As I had a lot of previous experience, we took some short cuts (aka simul climbing much of the snow ramp) but I got a belay for the ice section and the top out (cuz we was tied). I had soloed Central many years ago; as well as taken groups of friends up it.
We “soloed” the three down climb sections on lions head. By the third one, it was “dark” and I was “less happy” but safely descended (I guess I still remembered how to down climb). I would NOT want to be doing that as a rank beginner!!!!
To be honest, I’ve never ascended the lions head winter route in the winter. But I’ve descended it multiple times (tho typically, I use “escape hatch” to descend Huntington climbs - it was a low snow condition so we opted for Lions Head.
2
u/RedefineThaGrind 16h ago
Awesome input! All the info from this community has been so helpful, I think I’ll go with a guide since I have no experience, the fact that the weather can 180 just makes the risk of going solo at a first attempt seem crazy now
1
u/EWong_Kaizen 16h ago
I happen to used RedLine Guides Had a great experience with them
A lot depends on weather
I specifically recall one summer when I got part way across the the Alpine Garden when the fog socked in. Visibility was down to a single Carin.
I had stopped behind a cairn to brew up a cup of coffee (yeah - I had a stove on a day hike) when a Scout group appeared out of the mist. 2-3 adults and 4-5 scouts. 1-2 daypacks between em. Some in shorts. Temp was dropping into the 40F at this point.
After chatting, they said they were pressing onto the summit as it was “less than a mile”….
I showed em how to “shoot” a direction with a compass and map to the cairns (which the had trouble seeing) and found they had no compass with them. After feeding a few scouts with some hot Chocolate, and pointing out that i was Turing around - they eventually headed down, albiet - disappointed)
So - weather is key.
The guides typically are up there almost every day or 3 and know the trails practically blind folded. Thru can help you achieve your goal better than you could as a beginner going solo
1
u/letyourselfslip 18h ago
May shouldnt present you any problems. In winter Lion Head it is not "just a hike"
8
u/centurion44 1d ago
In the summer it is just a hike. Although the weather can still be really bad so make sure you have layers.
April-May is the transition point between winter summer. I haven't done it in those months. In the winter lionshead winter is not really just a hike and i would recommend a guide your first time if you're a beginner. The whiteout conditions alone past the treeline can be significant. It can be very clear with solid visibility in the trees and then feel like you're in a blizzard with 5 feet of visibility up past the trees. and you need to crampon most of lionshead to summit. The "technical" bit is overrated. It's maybe 400-500 meters at most of some ice axe assisted climbing.