WATCH THIS Before You Hike in the Mountains in the Winter - HikingGuy.com
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Given the recent tragedies in the Southern California mountains, several media outlets have contacted me to comment. Their focus was on gear to prevent problems. Unfortunately, that's not the answer. In this video, I'll give you some important safety considerations for the next time you do a winter hike in the mountains. If you're going to hike in the mountains in the winter, please watch this video first.
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I do a lot of solo winter mountain hiking and the most important thing is realizing the moment you are stepping into danger and should turn around. I think it's super important to recognize when to call it quits. Can be a variety of reasons why you need to call it quits, from level of exhaustion to how much water is available, to the terrain and route ahead, weather, etc.
Also always need to consider the trip back, every step forward is one more you have to take backwards, and in the snow particuarly it's easy to get turned around. The moment you feel like you have the potential to get lost, it's time to go back.
The issue is that when we are inexperienced we don’t know what danger looks like. For some of us we got away with it because by luck nothing happened. But it can go the other way. I got lucky a few times in the Sangre de Christo mountains in Northern New Mexico. Now I know better than to tempt my luck.
Thanks for these words. I'm a full novice when it comes to winter hiking/climbing (One single snowy C/D via ferrata. I have done lots of skiing though, which gives at least some minor relevant experience) but would love to do more. I also can be impulsive and impatient sometimes (ADHD traits) which isn't a good combo. I really have to remind myself to take it slowly. I already have plans for Eiger (west face) and then maybe even Matterhorn in a couple of years. But I still have a long way to go and don't want to die. After this winter Haidsteig via ferrata even winter Hoher Dachstein seems like a pretty big step up which I wanted to do as a first winter hike. I'm glad the avalanche a couple of weeks ago made us change our plans.
@@RonaiHenrik You are smart to be wary of impulsiveness and impatience. I think it's important to hike for the beautiful moments we can experience, and not hike for the destination. We are much more likely to make the mistake of pushing our luck if we are focused on making it to the top.
@@jonor1337 Cheers. I've at least my intelligence going for me :) If nothing else.
Hire a guide or at least get some training before heading off into the mountains in winter. You need to have an understanding of weather and snow conditions and avalanche risk. You also need to know how to use your equipment like ice axe and crampons and practice in safe conditions because sliding headlong down the mountain on your back, upside down is not the time to work out how to self arrest. Get out, enjoy the mountains but do it safely, get some training.
People in Southern California don't see it as "Winter Mountaineering". They think they are just going for a hike and then they slide down a slop and die. It happens a lot more than what you hear in the news. It happens a lot. I knew the search and rescue people when I lived there and they told me a lot of stories.
Yes, it's getting more attention now in the media because one of the guys that's missing is an actor, but I hear the same thing, it happens a lot. I see the copters in ANF an SBNF all the time coming in and out for rescues. I don't think most people realize it.
A couple that was rescued with there dogs. The lady actually said “I didn’t think it was going to be icy because the sky was blue” proceeded to hike in the incorrect gear and have to get airlifted out
@@Nintythreezeros I'd be embarrassed if that happened to me. Needlessly risking other people's lives to get you out of "trouble". Also diverting rescue ops from more important/serious rescues. Idiots...
@@gdoldays9964 people are just so dumb. I have a idea just don’t go hiking in a snowstorm
@@gdoldays9964 totally agree. People are selfish Dip5hits.
I live in Scotland. In the days of my youth I worked for the forestry commission. In the winter months most of our work involved checking and repairing deer fences this often meant walking the hills in remote areas. The scenery was amazing and I loved hiking but if the weather got bad we looked for shelter and got down off the hill as soon as we could. I have never understood people who deliberately go hiking in the winter. I fully agree with everything you say.
Years ago, some California buddies of mine who were experienced Sierra peak baggers had a very tough day on Ben Nevis. They were shocked at how quickly the weather could get so bad. And this was in July!
Winter hiking is great and very enjoyable for me but it is very dangerous, especially in Scotland.
@@tubefreakmuva Totally agree.
Because its insanely beautiful and rewarding? The difficulty and level of danger varies wildly depending on conditions and where you hike.
@@dallasdevries9421 Exactly. If the weather is bad, don't go. If the conditions are favorable, bring out the crampons and snowshoes and let's go! I don't get people who don't hike in winter. It's the best. A friend of mine told me he doesn't hike in winter because he could fall and it is hard. Ridiculous!
Thanks for posting this...I work for an outdoor retailer. I've had to dissuade several people who were going to climb Baldy, most didn't have the skills to do it.
I've known several of those that have become fatalities. I view my job as a educator also.
Keep up the good work. See you around.
Oh man, sorry to hear about the losses, I can't even imagine. And thank you for spreading the word about hiking safely. I think there's a lot of people who are responsible hikers that want to try it in the winter, but they just don't know what they don't know.
There's a quote from Edward Whymper that we should always keep in mind when venturing in the mountains:
“There have been joys too great to be described in words, and there have been griefs upon which I have not dared to dwell; and with these in mind I say: Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from beginning think what may be the end.”
I love it
He would know more than most, re his Matterhorn experience.
Wow!! Perfectly said.
I printed out the last piece of that quote and put it inside my climbing helmet. Read it every time I put it on.
@@thecma3 kinda obvious stuff.
My family has lived in Baldy over the last sixty plus years and every year winter and summer more and more people are loosing their lives. Last weekend another young man jumped into the creek and lost his life, that’s two in the last couple months. Never ever jump into water that you are not familiar with, you can be in-paled by a sharp branch or even rebar. Please be safe❤
People don’t realize when you hike in the winter you sweat a lot and get wet. If you get hurt and your wet, your dead. Hypothermia in 15 minutes. The way you will most likely get hurt is slipping and sliding 100 mph into a tree, or a rock, braking a leg or collar bone or cracking your skull. In cold weather your hands will freeze very very fast with wet gloves. Once your hands are no longer functioning, your done. Making a fire in the snow covered mountains is practically impossible. If your hurt, no chance what’s so ever making a fire. If your above the tree line there is nothing to burn. There is sometimes no cell phone service in the wilderness up a mountain. Fewer and fewer people hike in the winter and waiting until the next day to be found isn’t an option. I live in the Adirondack mountains in upstate NY and the mountains are small up here, on average 3500 feet. More often than not you will find yourself alone up on these mountains in the winter. The snow drifts are big, better be careful where your walking, one wrong step your going to drop 10 feet or higher hit rock bottom. Also if you fall and slide on the ice you can get impaled on a branch and bleed 🩸 to death
Very good advice. I live next to Baldy in Alta Loma. People get in trouble up there because they are often ill prepared and they feel as if there couldn't possibly be any danger. No poles, crampons, axe, and no snow shovel. It's not the Sierra, but it gets dangerously cold on the upper trails. Get hurt and can't get down, you can die if you don't have a shovel to dig a bolt hole an emergency blanket and sufficient dry clothing. It seems people often do not carry a locater beacon or an amateur radio transceiver AND know their coordinates. Cell phones don't work on the upper trails. You don't want to rely on one for your location or communication. Ridgeline trails are steep and the wind blows hard up there. Also, this area is south facing. It gets covered by a storm and then there is significant melt, then refreezing over night. Then, a new storm come in and dumps some snow. This can create an avalanche hazard. SBSD rescues plenty of people up there in the Summer, it's best to staff off the high trails in the Winter.
One other thing I would like to mention is frozen water. Now I've seen this primarily in the Sierra when people see a frozen lake and think they can walk on it. Several times I have been at Mammoth and have seen a bunch of tourists get out of a bus and walk out onto a frozen Twin Lakes (with open water only 100 feet out). The danger takes your breath away. Nothing here freezes sufficiently to walk out onto. If you break through, you are unlikely to survive and someone is going to have to risk their safety to retrieve your body. Please stay off any frozen lake.
Yep, a brilliant lady professor wrapped in steam wrap pitched her tent over a small Alpine lake near Bishop and she acted upset when I explained the danger.
Excellent call making this video, I watched a video just two weeks ago warning about going on Mt. Baldy in the winter time and now perhaps 4 are lost. You also did a good job mentioning the search and rescue member from San Bernardino SAR, that was a shock to the search and rescue community, thanks for mentioning him. These are mostly volunteers and when someone gets lost a hasty team of specialized searchers goes out first and then the main group goes out sometimes more than 100 and more volunteers. These are people you put in risk by making poor choices of going out in questionable conditions. Perhaps it’s not the number of times you went for a challenge but it’s the number of times you backed down and didn’t go any further in dangerous conditions which really counts.
agree 100%
Commendable advice - but... It's not accurate to say _"These are people you put in risk by making poor choices"_ searchers volunteer to search. They put themselves at risk. We are each completely responsible for our own risk, in a volitional situation.
@@RememberTheSlapFilms Yes and also an even emphatic NO!
One must not forget that it is our Humanity and concern for others that makes us who we are.
Inter alia, selfishness leading to making poor choices that sometimes puts others (often complete strangers) at risk. Strangers whose humanity has them accept the risks associated with getting involved.
The 'initiator' may no longer 'be around' to bear witness to the furore regarding 'nobody was prepared to go out and attempt to rescue them in their time of need'.
His / her Loved Ones, Families and Friends will be ..
@@thomasmusso1147 So, "humanity" forces people to volunteer for the wilderness rescue team? Or any other occupation or pastime involving risk? Now, if it's a matter of heading out to rescue a family member, I could stretch "forced" to that argument. But nobody is forced to rescue strangers, where risk to self is involved. It's always volitional, in a free society. Even if there's a contract, like in the military or police, the signing of the contract (with knowledge of the risk) is volitional.....
As a former EMT and SAR unit member, I totally agree with this. Very few of the searches I went on were for live missing persons; most were body recovery missions for people who had done boneheaded things without thinking about the consequences.
I wish the Forest Service had the jurisdiction to refuse entry on certain trails to people who don't have the right equipment (water/proper footwear in summer, crampons/helmet/ice axe/beacon in winter). I'm not allowed passage on certain roads without chains on my tires, so why can't we figure out a way to extend safety rules to mountaineering (vs. a rubber-stamp permit, which is being discussed)?
Looking at the last two people missing on Baldy (one found 3 days later), correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe either had emergency location transponders or SOS devices. The victim of the most recent fatality only had microspikes, not crampons, and wasn't wearing a helmet. All of them were experienced with Baldy but still ill prepared.
Well said! It's been heartbreaking to hear about the loss of life on Baldy this winter. I hope this video saves lives!
As a solo winter hiker/climber I understand the risks involved. I take every precaution... However you can be prepared as possible and still have tragedy happen... 3 people have also died in the white mountains so far this winter. I just finished 3 peaks in the Adirondaks solo and am thankful to be back home safe. Stay safe and happy trails.
Why solo bro? Take your chums
I have also done some solo ADK peaks but I try to go with people when I can. The days I did go solo was a warmer days with very broken out trails and I was familiar with the peaks already. I also carry an inReach. Definitely a risk but damn, winter hiking can be so rewarding and beautiful.
When i read " i just finished 3 peaks..." , thats all i need to know about you and your personality.
Its only a matter of time when the clock runs out of you too, and you are just another tragedy. Some people never learn.
@@m.j.9318 what’s your problem? Why do you care what he does? It’s a passion for some people. living is a risk. There’s a lot of different ways you can die. Some people would rather live their lives than be couch potatoes.
@@tahirrazzaq9494 Exactly. Every time you leave your house it's a calculated risk. I don't hike the mountains is winter, but I do ski them and do so with speed. However, I am an expert skier and understand the risks as well. I'd rather die doing what I love than dreaming about it.
Completely agree with what Hiking Guy said in the video.
That said, we were up Baldy last week, where we used crampons starting at the register carrying skis, but we backed off when some other hikers noted there was blue ice up the bowl, and just practiced switching between skis then boots with crampons and other safety drills below the hut. Even though we had all the safety gear (helmets, ice axe, crampons, survival gear, and I have over 40 years in the mountains) it was super dangerous to summit. As another hiker noted, "at least you got our steps in".
It's a totally different experience than summer hiking. Takes longer and you have more stuff to carry for emergencies and such. We carried 40 pounds including skis, safety and survival gear. It's no joke.
As a lifelong So Cal resident/mountain hiker, I've heard of so many hikers losing their lives on icy mountain trails near Wrightwood, on Mt. Baldy, the PCT in the San Jacintos, even near the Palm Springs Tram/Cactus to Clouds hike...our slopes are super steep, thousands of feet high and in a heavily snowy winter such as this one, very unforgiving.
Good info.
I hiked San Jacinto Peak some time back, but it was in the midsummer. You're right, it's very steep. I truly enjoyed the hike it was one of the most beautiful I've ever done but I seriously doubt I would do it in the winter
Thank you for emphasising the risk to resvue workers My nephew is a volunteer with mountain rescue here in the UK and he has said that at least half of the rescues he's participated in have involved people taking unnecessary risks . There's also the cost of helicopters etc.
I hiked in winter snow up to Baden Powell. I slipped and went over the side - my then boyfriend grabbed my arm just in time and pulled me up. It was terrifying. I’m lucky to be alive. Never did that again.
Another So. Cal’er here (Ventura County). Now that I am hiking in the winter, the big eye opener for me is how much longer it takes. New water-crossings after years of drought, MUD!, and blow downs, have turned otherwise blazing trails into slogs - and that’s not even doing elevation and snow hiking. Plan for the extra time it takes, and wear a watch with an hourly alarm so it forces you to look at the time.
Oh yea, I've hiked in the PNW during the winter and in some sections you'd be lucky to 1mph with all the downed trees, mud, and water hazards. Good point, thank you for mentioning it.
Thank you for this. As a hiker in So Cal, I've been wanting to hike up Baldy for over a decade, was gonna do it last month but after I saw the snow up there, I didn't want to risk it or have my child's mother in distress because I couldn't wait a few months to go up there. There are so many hikes that's safer right now and quite frankly more fun and you wouldn't need all the extras. Hiking is life but don't let it take yours!
Freddy a great time to go would be late April early May there's still patches of snow near the top and the back side
@@marcusfieldfield4069 Thank you. I need to find a hiking group because I am still a amateur. Happy trails
Always prepare to stay the night. Even you're just planning a day hike. Take a small portable shelter or even a plastic tarp some rope is better than nothing. A small hatchet, knife, a folding shovel to make a snow cave, extra food and water, some basic first aid supplies and fire starter material. Having these supplies could be the difference between life and death. Also to remember even in summer depending on where you are temperatures in the mountains can drop below freezing at night.
Yea this is important, thank you. It puts the essentials in good context.
Thanks Cris. On point. The last 4 weeks have been very difficult for SAR. We are stretched to the limit.
I live in Alaska and backpack all year long - in the Chugach. You have to keep up with Avalanche daily reports. Also, someone falling or coughing and stomping can cause an avalanche and TONS of snow can both crush and drown you , suffocating you. If you are going up a mountain it may take more than an hour a mile. If you go into avalanche prone areas its best to get certified and carry the proper equipment. And your phone does not work. Well 99% of the time.
Thank you for making this video, I'm an instructor in the Wilderness Travel Course and it can benefit anyone who wants to try winter hiking in a safe environment.
So much good advice in this video. Thanks for helping to get some good information out there. Snow and ice is serious. I do mountain rescue in CA and spent the last 30 hours awake on a mountain due to a 200 foot slide. It’s all winter.
Oh man, BIG TIME thank you for what you do and stay safe.
Thanks for making this video. I moved from Central CA to CO last fall, and have been learning the seriousness of winter travel in the mountains. It's a whole different ballgame, and it's easy to not take it seriously enough.
I'm a very experienced hiker, climber (rock & ice), mountaineer and backcountry snowboarder. I've taken classes in winter mountaineering, avalanche assessment & rescue. I've free soloed peaks in summer & winter. I was an EMT and trained in wilderness emergency medicine. I've hiked Baldy via the Devil's backbone a number of times and even with the right equipment, I avoid Baldy this time of year- especially in the midst of a series of record-breaking storms. I don't think people understand just how dangerous it gets -I think the fact it is a short drive above the greater Los Angeles cityscape lulls people into thinking it is 'safe' and a dayhike.
I'm 79 and live at 8600'. I take long walks in the snow but play it really safe. Never get too much exposure. Always bring snowshoes. Always dress warm. Walk in area around my house that I know like the back of my hand. Twice I've gotten lost and ended up wandering around 30 or 3 hours. The snow turned into a whiteout, and I got confused about where I was. Finally went up to the highest point in the general area, around 9200', and tried to find landmarks. I turned around and there was an old hunters blind that I walked by every day and made it home in 15 minutes. A couple years ago I was on a shallow slope and fell a few feet, enough to cover me with snow. I thought "all I have to do is go to sleep and they might find my body next summer." After that I always got a partner for walks off the beaten track up in the national forest. I love to walk, and walking in the snow is the best.
I met one of the missing hikers last year going up Langley, hiked most of the hike with him and took his summit picture. I talked to him about the benefits of an InReach and my last email with him encouraged him to get one. He talked about how he shut down for the winter back in August, I guess he changed his mind this year.
Yet I still have plans for additional winter hikes, turns out you can’t fix stupid. I do research conditions & locations thoroughly and go when they are favorable. A hike from the tram to Wellman’s divide isn’t the Baldy bowl (for example). Mt Pinos isn’t San Gorgonio, etc. Your advice is excellent and I appreciate you giving it. You also take care in many videos to warn viewers about the particular danger of hiking a certain trail during winter and I think that is particularly effective.
Oh man, that's really sad. I hope the find the guy but I don't have high hopes anymore. And I think if you know the terrain and risks, a hike up to Wellman is fine. I've done San J from the tram in the winter many times because it's pretty tame when conditions are right. Local knowledge is key, as is "baby-stepping" into a hike like that.
Side note on that hike from the tram in the winter - it's amazing how many people I see hiking up past the ranger station when the trail is covered in snow and ice. People with jeans, sneakers, etc. who don't know what they're doing. Not even sure if they stopped for a permit or knew they needed one. Wish there was more of a barrier / notice there at the ranger station, it would probably help.
I used to train year round for the Pikes Peak Ascent - a 13.31 mile foot race to the summit of Pikes Peak. I hiked the "fourteeners" of CO very often. My favorite was Longs Peak. I also went up Mt. Elbert, Mt. Bierstadt, Grays Peak, Sierra Blanca, etc. But I usually went up early in the summer and avoided the lightening storms. In the winter, it was usually just unrealistic to hike up those "fourteeners" (at least for me). I tried going up the "smaller" Estes Cone to 11,000 feet in Rocky Mountain Park in the deep winter, but the snow level was so high on that slope that it looked vulnerable to an avalanche. So, I just turned around. I was young in those days (20s to early 30s). Now, I don't even bother with the "fourteeners" anymore at age 53. My knees and calves can't handle it anymore. I stick to casual running or hiking these days closer to the cities like Phoenix, Tempe, or Albuquerque. Usually, it's best to bring a beacon in those more remote areas like Sierra Blanca or the mountains of more rural California. That would have helped with the recent missing cases. David Paulides has a lot of videos on missing cases and often discusses how they could have been prevented. It seems like this time of year the foothills near Palm Springs for shorter trails that go maybe 1/3 or 1/2 way up the San Jacinto range within sight of the metro are and within mobile phone reception range would be more amenable.
Smart choices - feel the same way - and yes, tons of incredible hikes around Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, etc. that can be fatal in the summer (from heat stroke) but now are perfect
I did Pikes Peak northwest slopes in the winter in 2020 and it was pretty brutal. So many more calories are spent when there's snow on 14ers. The sketchiest snow climb I did was Missouri Mountain in the snow. I had to self-arrest a couple times. I was very grateful to have an ice axe that day. Another sketchy thing about snow hikes is that the trails are often buried in the snow so it's so much easier to get lost.
Great advice. I had a close call 2 years ago in New Hampshire during a above treeline winter, solo hike. I only do below tree line hikes now and popular trailheads.
I took a mountaineering course years ago with the AMC in the Whites. The conditions can can get pretty knarly in those mountains.
Utah needs to hear this big time. Quite a few incidents after the recent snow storms.
Yikes I am leaving for Zion tomorrow
Thank you for making this video. It’s much more impactful than any equipment review on a news outlet would have been. Considering other lives you could affect is an important piece of risk taking.
Like I was told by an ER doctor: Nature always wins.
U mean the bank always wins
What a Stupid and untrue comment
@@BuggyDClown-pc7sc Only if you let the bank win.
I remember being in emergency room after I was stabbed working security and they had a guy rushed in beside me briefly .I heard that he had fallen while rock climbing,I don't think if he made it 😐 but I felt like I was lucky to just have a stabb wound . Doctor said if I wasn't fat I would be dead lol . gravity can be a killer 🤨
They told me no drunk science experiments…
I made the decision years ago - I'm a 2.5 season hiker only - Mid Spring to Mid Autumn. Maybe do a winter hike if there's been no snow in the area (which does happen every few years in New England). I'm glad you pointed out that you put potential rescuers at risk also. This has always been a big concern whenever I'm considering a hike.
👍 Here in Switzerland, during Winter and snow, I stick to well-defined forest roads and trails.
With 'black ice' underfoot, I stay at home.
It's amazing to me more people aren't seasonal mountain hikers. There are still places to go at lower and safer altitudes in winter.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video, Cris.
Excellent words of wisdom Cris. To many people not familiar with winter conditions on steep slopes along with constant changing conditions. Sun, shade, flat light and blizzard conditions it all adds up. Great advice and excellent links for training.
Thanks
THANK YOU for sharing this! I'm like you. At the age I'm at now (54), it's just not worth the risk to go up there under the current conditions on Mt Baldy. Many people just don't understand the dangers up there, when winter hits.
I used to - the Jura mountains, France. I knew the terrain, very well. The main lesson there was - always have your route back, and know when to take it. Even if that is just a turn-round.
I hiked Baldy in June of 2022 on a clear sunny day and made it to the summit via the Baldy Bowl. It was around 72F at the trailhead at 7am. I hit the summit at around 11am, temps were around 45-50F with 15-25mph winds, the conditions were ideal for sure. I made it back down to the trailhead at around 3pm. It was the hardest hike I've ever done, can't imagine trying to hit the summit in snowy/Icy conditions. Since the Julian Sands event, I've watched a number of other videos about winter trecks up to the summit and from what I've seen it literally looks like a different mountain/hike altogether. One thing too that I found interesting about the mindset I think of hikers nowadays was I remembering saying to 2 younger guys at the summit..."have a safe trip" and they said nothing and just looked at me like I was a total idiot(the look was one of "its not like we're hiking a fourteener or Everest you moron", I'll never forget that. It's so easy to underestimate any hiking excursion, always show up prepared everyone!!
I remember after a concert in the Lake Tahoe area. One attendee was this young woman who decided to walk the one-mile distance to her hotel room. She never made it back. They found her body months later.
Thanks for pointing out risks that many are completely unaware of. Most people who hike or backpack have never experienced hypothermia and have no idea how it severely affects your ability to think clearly and make good decisions. And hypothermia in the winter has little to no margin of error. This is one of your best videos.
👍👍👍. Just three weeks ago, I conducted a little experiment in 'hypothermia'.
It was during a period of 'wet cold', temperatures hovering 2-3 degrees below freezing and after a Nordic Walk. I deliberately did not change into dry clothing after the walk but elected to remain in my damp (not wet or soaked through) upper clothing.
My trip home involved Bus - Train - Bus and then a 3 minute walk from the bus stop to my home.
My total travel time was 45min, of which commuting was 20min and standing / waiting for transport / walking 25min.
During the final 3 minute walk home, I was feeling really chilled and may have 'been in more than a spot of bother' had I been exposed further another 10 to 15 min?
Switzerland has an excellent Transport Infrastructure .. all modes of transport have heating .. thus it was only the 20 min exposure to the elements when I had 'cooled down' after the walk that did the damage. I was at no time in immediate danger .. I had dry clothing in my pack and I was 'surrounded by help' if needed.
Yep, Hypothermia is insidious and creeps up on one like a 'thief in the night'. Definitely not to be underestimated!
Indeed. Just to elaborate: not only does hypothermia impair your decision-making, it also impairs your motor function. These problems, both mental and physical, quickly exacerbate each other and will snowball (if you will pardon the pun) into an early death.
Thank you for your important message.
Thank you for posting this video
Excellent video! Thanks for putting this out there on a larger scale than a lot of us could possibly!
I love hiking the desert peaks in the the winter! Take advantage of the cooler weather.
I am fairly certain I nearly walked off the edge of a cliff in the snow, and I will have to go back one summer to see what I missed. We realised our situation, and turned around. There is a lot to be said for sticking to easier terrain in the winter.
I have never been injured or lost while backpacking but I can think of 3 or 4 times in 25 years that I was lucky and I'm sure there were a few other times that things could have been a little different. I used to solo but if I had it to do over I would never have gone solo.
I would carry an sos device as well as a compass and the best maps available. Apps without phone service are worthless.
The closest I came to losing my life was in Maine on a major trail but I had to cross a temporary bridge across a rushing stream with a quick descent. A 6 or 8 inch tree had been felled and split. It was bridging the gap. There was lots of flex. Had I fallen into the stream then drowning was a possibility and being lost was the next. I had a heavy pack as well.
On a winter hike, solo, with 8 inches of snow in an area I was very familiar with I approached a stream crossing. Snow had packed near the edge and I misjudged where the firm ground ended. I went into the creek. Yes shallow but injury was possible.
A friend of mine was also solo and he did the same in a similar situation. Long story short he lost the toes on his foot due to frost bite. He has a YT video. If you want to watch it I'll send the link, just let me know.
Thank you for that Video! I knew a lot of experienced guys, that died in the winter due to avalanches, cracking ice and so on. Most of them were professionals like Ueli Steck, with whom I talked about how his family deals with that dangers just a few weeks before he died. I cancelled my ambitions to climb mountains in winter when I got married. But working in that business in that time I lost a lot of friends.
I still love snow and beeing at the mountains. But I choose very very carefully, where I step with my feeds. I avoid nealy every slope and almost feel paranoid doing so... but I'm alive and I can still spend time with my family.
Thank you for the message. You’re the best!!
Great message! My mother always said I should go out hiking in winter because it is so much prettier with the snow. I kept telling her about the increase in risk but she wouldn't have it.
This is a great message. Well said. Glad you posted it.
Great advice to do a small easy Winter hike to get acquainted with all that style of hiking entails. My first Winter overnight backpacking trip taught me invaluable lessons for the next time.
Bravo! People need to think of others like the SAR folks who are mostly volunteers. The newsfeeds have been loaded with rescues lately, on top of the missing and fatal accidents. We have SO MANY SAFE PLACES to choose from!
Great information, thanks for putting this together!
Excellent advice, although in Canada we have 10 months of winter, so that's a hard proposition.
Thank you Cris. Like you, I don't do mountain hikes in the winter. I'm not comfortable and the risk is too high.
Thanks, good advice and thoughts. We recently moved to CO and in mid September a young person on a day hike of Longs Peak died from exposure when a storm rolled in.
I've been winter hiking for three years now the enjoyment comes from a level trail no rocks, roots and other obstacles, additionally no bugs and the overall beauty of Winter Hiking. What I suggest to folks that would like to try is simple. If you're fit and have been a hiker for several years buy snowshoes, cramp-ons, I prefer the bungee cord boot pullover and appropriate Winter gear Wool base layer, Wool Mid layer, Mittens, Wool Hat and a top/bottom according to your preference, plus Water-Hiking Boots, Gaiters and a set of poles with snow baskets. If you usually do a ten mile hike elevation gain of 2 to 3 thousand feet find a Winter hike and cut in half gives you time to figure how to hike with snow shoes which does take several winter hikes to figure out. Once you've figured how to navigate the
poles and snow shoes have fun and please common sense goes a long way. Hike with someone or a group if you happen to go alone tell a trusted contact. I do hike alone but I always carry my HAM Radio which allows me to beacon my position and anyone can find me if they know my call-sign by logging on Google APRS Maps! Enjoy the Winter and above be SAFE and do not take any chances when you hike no matter what season it is. Thanks.
In Norway we use *skis* when there is snow on the ground. 🙃
Thank you so much hiking guy! I’m sharing this video with my hiking group
Thanks for posting this. I live near Baldy, have hiked that area many time. I stopped any ice/snow hiking years ago (71 now), things change, "know yourseif".
Two points: the "Baldy Bowl" area, due to some peculiarities of geography and elevation is a particularly dangerous place in winter, all the way up to the ridge, which SAR and Forest service try to point out.
And: in steep areas, in any snow/ice conditions, microspikes are not nearly equivalent to crampons, and the knowledge/ training to use those properly and safely.
Especially Baldy Bowl and Devil's Backbone.
Great post thank you. Hike/Climb in Summer and Winter mostly in NH. Appreciate the content and education you are putting out there.
Great video, much needed here is SoCal. I'm with you, I stick to low desert hiking in the winter or at most, lower peaks in inland San Diego County.
Thank you for making this thoughtful video.
Very true! I spend my winter hikes usually in the low elevations and summer in the higher mountains. I seldom do any snow hiking! Snow hiking really is much more difficult, especially physically taxing, so one may be even more prone to making mistakes, as it is draining to slog in it!
Thanks for posting this video, some great advice from experience in the winter hills. I’m here an old hiker and still going great (TG), but every time it’s weather and conditions that determine when and if I go out. God bless.
Thank you for making this video!
Thanks for your insight.
We don’t have the elevation you guys do in the east but we have the weather.
I went up to the Catskills once to solo hike a “small” 4,000 footer and it was zero degrees at the trailhead.
I turned around and and drove home.
Not worth the risk.
Great info! I hope people take what you say into consideration before attempting winter hiking.
I've done that trail in the summer. Winter is a no go.. rock slides ate the normal. Wind is extreme sometimes.
I've actually worked on the mountain and can say incompetence and drug use is a prerequisite. I lasted 1 week around it because of the staff and equipment.
Thanks for sharing
Great idea for a video I can't wait to watch it later as I used to hike a lot
SoCal mountains are quite unique in that we have tall peaks but also strong sun radiation. The freeze-thaw cycle creates certain hazards like ice melting and falling off of trees, slushy snow during the day and icy surfaces in the early morning and late afternoons.
I've done Baldy in the winter and there is one traverse section towards the later part of devil's backbone that is very steep and narrow. I think you had a clip of two hikers going through that section. We successfully went through there with microspikes and trekking poles, but I wouldn't do it again without crampons, ice axe, and perhaps a way to anchor myself on those 3 bolts along the way.
Thanks for the word of caution.
Thank you Cris for this education.
The winter mountains are cruel, merciless and unforgiving, but if you love them, they love you back...
Thanks the fire road suggestion is a good one.
The guy that was ice hiking on the precipice that was slipping and trying to dig his icepick in to stop him looked like Devils Backbone in Mt. Baldy, California. And that’s how quickly it can turn a beautiful day into your last.
Important message!!!
Thank you covering these stories.
This is just heart advice brother, really appreciate the video. Much need.
th-cam.com/users/postUgkx33cKOwUI829JqmiZuQNl2g7L21XDcJ5W
instagram.com/montrosesearchandrescue/?hl=en
I hiked often in winter when I was young. I liked the low volume of people. The trails I knew in summer were a totally different animal in winter. Friends I hiked with slid all over the place. Somehow I did not. No one I knew hurt themselves seriously except for their pride. Still I recognize exactly what you are talking about. I still go out but only in well traveled areas where cross country skiers might see you on your route or where they may easily locate you by some loud calling. These days a 3 to 5 mile hike to a warming hut at a place made for this kind of recreation is good enough for me. Be careful out there. Carry some basic emergency equipment for an overnight ordeal even if you are only on a day hike. Learn to read the snow, the faces of trees, the wind, learn how to quickly make a snow shelter, or as our host says, better yet save your hikes for the warmer months.
Fantastic Video, Very Well Explained, i am planning to hike part small part of Mt Baldy this spring, im novice hiker slightly disabled in 50s retired, many thanks for great advice.
I agree with you 100%. Well said! Hopefully, people watch this video and change their mind and avoid unnecessary risks
This video comes at the right time :) A couple of friends (some pretty experienced) and I were planning to climb Hoher Dachstein this month (Feb 2023) but a couple of weeks ago there was a huge avalanche which covered the tracks and via ferrata cables with snow. We then decided to do some easier hikes instead and went to Haidsteig and ÖTK. Coming back from Haidsteig was probably my first ever deep snow hike, apart from the couple of times I was walking in deep snow in ski boots. We didn't have any snowshoes and it was very challenging and tiring. I'm glad I didn't take on Hoher Dachstein as my first winter hike. So this video just hits home and I really have to do some more research and take it slow and steady instead of plunging into a winter Matterhorn hike for example :)
Thank you for the excellent video and good advice!🤙
All good, sensible and solid advice. Thank you.
Really good attitude !
OMG thanks for this advice, I just did my 1st winter hike 4 days ago.
I only hike in light snow without steep dropoffs. Mt Hillyer is excellent to hike in the snow.
Excellent advice from a knowledgeable source.
Great PSA, thanks very much!
great video! i was the 1st one up on 1/8 the day we lost the hiking queen. as i expand my winter (beginning mountaineering) adventures. id like to say it can be inparitive to carry. a lighter, dry bag, road flares, neoprene water bottle a good sleepy pad and an emergency bivy. you won't last to long if you have to hunker down in the snow and don't have a pad a bivouac. stay safe!
Another reason why your channel is the best one for hikers to watch on TH-cam. 👍
I was just in Yosemite a couple days ago and saw a lot of people slipping even on normal trails. Definitely gotta prepare differently for winter hikes
Thank you for sharing. Your videos are so informative and detailed. I always follow your advise when planning our hikes. Like you said you may have all the experience but "there is a level of risk that we do not have control".
imma keep quiet because your message is correct and important.❤
-- sent from a ski tour 🙈
Excellent points! I also avoid hiking in the winter for the most part. It's a whole different animal. I tried to do a 5 mile roundtrip hike towards the end of winter here in Utah last year. With about a mile to go until the turnaround it started to snow, get colder, and I was postholing up to my knee. I decided to call it a day and headed back. In the summer I would consider this hike relatively easy for me. So yeah a 5 mile RT hike in the winter was definitely quite the challenge and this is coming from someone who's done a few high points out West. Be safe out there people!
Thank You for This Information! May God Bless You Always! 🙂
Wisdom speaking 🙌🏾
I can’t thank you enough for this video. 👍🏽
Spot on