microspikes, crampons, snow shoes, oh my!

Part of the fun of winter is uncertainty. I try to ditch my snowshoes whenever possible but there are many times when it's worth it. You just need some more experience to judge whether you should leave them behind or take them. Also consider that it requires a fair bit of energy to use snowshoes, so you aren't getting snow float for free.

I always pack either microspikes or crampons and occasionally both. Whether or not an axe also comes along depends on the steepness of my objective, and certainly has come in handy quite a lot.

yea… snowshoes add weight but will be a lot less energy used than postholing.

snowshoes with heel lifts are quite nice on climbs too. your calves will thank you.

An axe and steel 10 point crampons for sure, and if there's a lot of snow climbing probably heavier footwear which provide said crampons with more support. If the route has minimal dry trail, I'd be on skis and in plastic boots.

There reaches a point when the snow is so cooked that even skis get seriously bogged down. It can be worth getting up early and planning on stopping early to minimize the flailing. When the snow is that slushy and you're on something steep enough for an axe you also need to be aware of wet snow avalanches.

Another way to look at it: don't bring anything beyond microspikes until your skillset has grown significantly.

Yeah… you're right. The other issue is heavier footwear!

And the other issue here, is that if you have a pass to go over, those skis aren't going to be helpful and another thing to lug over the pass.

It's a bit troubling to imagine carrying mountaineering boots, an ice ax, crampons, snowshoes, microspikes, etc.

On my Mount Shasta summit a few years ago having the snows shoes REALLY helped though.

I haven't done full winter conditions in several years, but I used to do it regularly.

We generally brought everything: 12-point crampons, backcountry-type snowshoes, and plastic boots. (BTW, Microspikes had not been invented yet.) Sometimes, we'd add an ice axe, or "snow blades" [little shortie skis with metal edges], depending on terrain. Was it heavy? Um, yeah — but we had lots of fun on those trips in Upstate NY and NH.

Often, when properly kitted out on the feet, you can manage with just poles, rather than an ice axe, but again, it depends on the terrain. Glenn Pass is fairly steep on both sides…

I think that, under the circumstances, you made a VERY wise decision! :^)

"…is that if you have a pass to go over, those skis aren't going to be helpful and another thing to lug over the pass."

??

Skiing down is muchmorebetter than walking. Depending on snow conditions skinning up is just as if not more efficient, controlling for the added foot weight.

+1 "skiing down is muchmorebetter than walking"

Its much harder to time & plan a BC ski trip due to snow coverage & Avi considerations, but with enough snow, & light skis, I find skinning more efficient than hiking. My problem is that as a newish skiier , I keep finding myself at the top of steepish couloirs with more experienced partners. Its never too late to learn &,improve in the things you love, but sure wish I'd grown up on skis like a lot of my friends.

Back to the thread: the difficulties you described come with the territory of spring travel in the alpine. I'd follow similar rules of thumb as spring skiiers/mountaineers. Try to time your majorascents while the snow is still semi hard with crampons, glissade or hike (french technique?) with a light ax on your descents when the snow is softening. If you're posting a foot deep into slush, avoid +25 degree slopes for wet avalanches. On warm days get off east facing slopes fairly early in the morn, south facing slopes by mid morn, west facing by noon & north facing by 2 or 3. I'm just learning about this stuff too (as it pertains to ski mountaineering in the rockies) but the big takeaway for me is that having the right gear is the easy part. You can never know enough about snow & technique, so if you're really interested in snow travel, invest in books/classes & experience. Hope that doesn't sound condescending, as I'm def no expert, I just know that gear is a relatively small part of the equation when it comes to snow travel.

> but the big takeaway for me is that having the right gear is the easy part. You can never know enough about snow & technique, so if you're really interested in snow travel, invest in books/classes & experience.

Agreed… for me too. Snow complicates things 100x. Far more dangerous at times, more gear required, etc..

Another is a pulk. It adds extra weight and when you are OFF the snow its just deadweight… but when you're ON the snow it's a life saver!

My snowshoe bindings detach and can be used as crampons. One less thing to carry!

I have Kahtoolah.