Group trip: Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV

Nor can I.

Let's try and get this trip together another time.

To the folks that were planning this trip or those in the know. Do you have any recommendations for a shelter to take to the Sods during the winter? My plan is to access via XC skis through White Grass and camp for 2-3 days. Most areas are below tree line but I'd like to be able to handle the high plateaus around bear rocks.

Two people 5'10" and under accostomed to close quarters.

So far I've been eying the Black Diamond First Light and MSR Fury. The latter being somewhat more livable but at twice the weight.

Are there any other tents I should be looking at. Are tents like the MH EV2 or SD Convert 2 overkill?

I've used my MLD Duomid in Dolly Sods in the winter on a few occasions and never felt I needed anything more. I don't think you need a bad @ss winter tent, just one that could take a few inches to a foot of snow overnight in a semi-worst-case scenario. If you're looking at weather reports that threaten to dump more than that, I wouldn't go that weekend.

Ben,

I'll probably do the same trip on skis this winter.

I would've taken either a BA Copper Spur UL1 or an 8×10 flat tarp on this trip, even with more than a foot of snow in the forecast. A spruce grove isn't very far away on the high plateau. I'll take one of those shelters when I do a ski trip this winter too.

Andy,
Thanks for the info. Are tracks generally already established or do you find yourself breaking trail?

Ben,

I don't know. This will be my first ski trip there too.

Edit:
Another option I'm leaning towards is taking the lift at Timberline up so that I can save my energy for the wilderness area.

Just found this thread. FYI if there is a lot of snow can park vehicles at Timbeline (let management know you will be leaving them and they will tell you where) and can buy a one-way one-time lift ticket to the top (if you want to miss the climb) bringing your snowshoes, X-country skis, Pulk, etc up with you. In winter, I like to find a hemlock grove and usually just string up a tarp or a shaped tarp shelter. Open terrain is often too exposed to wind and wind-driven drifting snow for comfortable camp life in the Sods.

Look for rime ice on vegetation; absolutely spectacular when it forms overnight and then the sun comes out.

Robert,
Thanks for the info on Timberline. Can you speak to how much XC ski use the main trails get? Also, not sure if you ski yourself but any suggestions on type of XC ski width that would be appropriate?

Good to know about the tarp. I wouldn't want to be caught on in an exposed area myself but would like to be prepared just in case- at least in winter time.

Lastly the average low for the Sods, if I recall correctly, is about 20F in the winter. I typically take an addtional 10F off of that when planning for my insulation. Does this sound about right to you?

PS: Robert do you have a winter gear list of your Dolly Sods trips you could share?