Me and my wife are planning a trip to the states, spring 2011. We want to climb/hike some of the best U.S. peaks in a row: Mount Whitney, Maroon Bells, Mount of the Holy Cross, Grand Teton, Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta and visit Yosemite, RMNP and Yellowstone in between. We want to go in spring in order to avoid the summer crowds and because we think the spring high up is even more beautiful than the summer.
Do I miss some essentials here?
I'm wondering what the conditions of south Maroon south ridge and/or bells couloir and Mount of Holy Cross couloir are in early june:
How many snow is there left on the mountain? Are snowshoes necessary? What about avalanche danger, especially in the couloirs?
What about the temperature at night?
Is there less risk of thunderstorms than in summer time?
Are there some other things we have to bear in mind this time of the year?