Hi, so I am a Salt Lake City resident and I hike locally quite often, but nothing super intense.

My favorite thing about hiking is the view, isolation, quietness, etc when you finally reach the end destination. I love sitting up high on a mountain and looking down at the city and breathing the fresh air and stuff.
I always look up at mountaintops around here when it's extreme weather conditions like super cloudy or snowing or raining and I think "Wow it would be so cool to be up there right now." I don't know why. My friends don't really understand, but I'm sure some of you do. I guess I just have a strong appreciation for natural beauty; something about being somewhere with an amazing view that most people will never see.

Anyways, this winter I have had a goal of climbing a mountain during extreme conditions to finally experience it. And recently, I've decided I'm going to take advantage of the low gas prices and take a road trip somewhere. Mt Elbert is naturally grabbing my attention. It's so close by, it's so epicly tall, and it's a relatively safe. I'm planning on taking this road trip during mid February.

So, my question is how experienced should someone be to hike Mt Elbert this time of year?
I really wanna do it but honestly I'm not in the greatest shape. I haven't really prepared. I'm also not trained or very experienced in hiking in general. My only real experience is hiking up the local mountains around here in the Wasatch, sometimes following trails, sometimes not. But maybe I'm being too hard on myself, because I'm young, I'm only 23, and I have a strong mentality giving me good self control and endurance. I like to push my limits, but obviously I don't want to underestimate something and get myself into a pickle.

If it's best to delay this hike until another time later in life when I'm more prepared and more experienced then so be it, but maybe this hike itself is the experience leading to bigger and better things later.
I don't know.
Any advice/opinions are appreciated If anybody has done a winter hike of Mt Elbert please let me know how intense it was and please try to help me understand your physical condition when you did it, so I can compare it to myself.

Thanks!

So, my question is how experienced should someone be to hike Mt Elbert this time of year?

Mt. Elbert is a walk up, even in winter, as long as you do the east ridge route and don't wander from it. It's easier than most of the big peaks in the Wasatch (especially in winter), but colder and windier. The wind and cold (which aren't to be taken lightly) are the biggest obstacles in winter. Other than that, it's just a long hike/ski/snowshoe in winter. It's never very steep, but it is pretty long. Dress warm and prepare for a long day.

I did Elbert in February 2005. One of the most rewarding summits I've ever had, but definitely had some challenges. It helped that we spent 3 days in Leadville (10,000 ft) first. And we had a long talk with the Rangers to let them know we were going and get updated weather and Avalanche forecasts.

It was very cold and windy, and visibility was variable. Had an interesting weather experience: I had my aluminum hiking poles strapped to my pack, and the wind inside the fog was generating so much static electricity that the tips of the poles started crackling. We didn't see any lightening, but I threw down my pack ASAP and left my poles there.

Deep snow with lots of postholing, even in snowshoes. Then we put on crampons for some icy spots at the top.

Conditioning: the rule of thumb for climbing is that you should be able to run 5 miles in 45 minutes. At the time of the climb I was maybe not quite that fast, but close. Winter climbing is low impact, but more strenuous than summer.

Elbert is mighty tall but only six miles one way on the East Slopes route with a sizable portion of that below tree line on relatively mild slopes and flat ground. Trail conditions according to trip reports posted on the 14ers website indicated non snowshoe/crampon ascents on 19 January (no posthole problems either) although you'll have to check with the ranger station in Leadville for current conditions. Some sections of the trail above tree line can be windswept to the point of seeing bare rock. You will need serious cold weather gear (face protection is a must) and absolutely get started at sunrise. You'll make okay time on the flat but once you hit the switchbacks it IS a grind. Pick a time for you to be on top and still able to safely descend in daylight and if you are not on the summit when that time comes to pass do turn around and descend. If you can take your road trip during a favorable weather window that would be ideal. If not, you might have to wait a day or two in Leadville for the weather to subside which as Steve already pointed out, wouldn't be a bad thing physiologically to prep for the climb. Coming from SLC is better than coming from sea level but as Scott said, it will still be a long day.