Quandary Peak Winter Ascent

A buddy and I decided to go after Quandary Peak on 12.30.17 after a third party backed out (rightfully) of our initial Mt. Lady Washington plans. The weather forecast called for clear, unseasonably warm (at that altitude) temperature with a moderate 35 MPH breeze at the summit. With sustained winds over 60 MPH, and wide-spread gusts around 100 MPH, they were a little off on their wind estimates.

• https://www.facebook.com/feldman81/videos/10215022322049403/
• http://kdvr.com/2017/12/30/wind-gusts-to-nearly-100-mph-force-breckenridge-resort-to-close/

Below is a video I took from a somewhat sheltered area right above treeline after we decided to retreat at about 13,100 Ft

The lessons learned:

1. Snow is hard, even easier 14ers are hard, so still need to start early and hydrate, get calories. The wind played a huge factor in our ascent speed, but we were ascending at 1/3 -1/4 my summer ascent speed
2. Wind is hard, and head-wind is even harder (especially above 60 MPH) … see above
3. Snowshoes are easier than post-holing, even if you only post-hole every 50th step or so
4. Attach gloves and other stuff that can fly away to something
5. I left my dam anemometer at home. I knew I wanted to bring it, and now I am pissed that I do not have an actual reading of the wind speeds we dealt with, just a rough estimate of 70-85 MPH on a couple of the stronger gusts
6. Start early, even when you do not think you need to start early. Others summited simply because the started earlier and the wind really picked up beginning around 1 PM.