I attempted to climb Mt Eisen (located on Great Western Divide N of Sawtooth Pk) in the winter a few years back. Me and a friend approached from the west via the Middle Fork Trail along the Kaweah River. I reached the ridge top west of the summit but ran out of time and couldn't continue with time to make it back to the camp below. My friend and I are planning to try it again this winter(2015) on January 2,3,4,5.
Have any of you summit posters ever tried this in winter, or even approached Mt. Eisen from the west for that matter?
We won't be using skies because you'd have to carry them the entire 1st day and the last day to hike the lower elevations along the Middle Fork Trail.
My friend and I have successfully climbed Lippincott Mtn. and an unofficially named peak N of Lippincott in winter with snow shoes via the Middle Fork route. These previous trips were great memories with new challenges for us and now we're trying to bag others in the area during winter.
Lastly, if you would like to join us, please email me soon so we can correspond with route details in time for the trip.