Wllperegoy Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Hi there, Sometime next month or maybe in march I am hoping to do a backpacking trip into the Enchantments and I had a couple questions 1. Do you need a permit? I know you need one between June 15-Oct 15 but I'm unsure if you need any sort of permit for the winter and haven't found any info online. And is it even possible to get into the enchantments in the winter? 2. Is Aasgard pass pretty technical in the winter? The group I would be going with does not have any experience with mountaineering or really anything besides just general backpacking. If Aasgard is too technical would the snow lakes approach still be doable in the winter? 3. How feasible is it to do the Enchantments in the winter with a group of people who have only backpacking experience? 4. Any other advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keenwesh Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 No permit needed. You want skis. Don't end up needing a rescue. Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genepires Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 you probably want to do the aasgard pass way. the other way will be longer and more bouncing around trying to find your way. the route finding is easier via colchicum lake. make sure you have good visibility. up high above treelike would be a bad place to be in a whiteout without good nav experience. by that I mean nav by map and compass alone. no landmarks. use snowshoes if it is a large group. is everyone a good skier? I doubt it. you may need some winter backpack experience for the group. read some books. have everyone go out for a couple weekends and hike to a camp and spend the night. You will learn by making mistakes in a forgiving place. either snow pass or stevens pass has plenty of short hike/camp destinations. I wouldn't say aasgard pass is technical but kinda steep for snowshoes. doable but not easy. you may end up packing the snowshoes for the pass ascent. obey the avi warnings but don't let a good forecast fool you. be aware of avi's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wllperegoy Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 I was planning on doing a snow camping trip to see if people in the group can handle it. And I think we would be renting snowshoes, is Aasgard pass basically a snowfield in the winter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonG Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Yes, and it is fairly steep. If it is icy, crampons and an ice axe may be warranted. Since it sounds like this isn't something you guys have experience with, you will want to be careful when assessing conditions. Colchuck Lake is a worthy winter backpacking objective by itself, so it isn't a a wasted trip if you don't get up Asgaard. FYI, you will likely walking from Icicle Creek, as they gate the Eightmile road in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genepires Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 there is a couple of cliff bands at the bottom of the slope. also moat forms to the right of these cliffs. these would suck to fall over if there is a unarrested fall. in a usual winter, I would say these features are buried but this is not a normal winter. March may be like a typical may conditions if things keep going as they are. jason brings up a good point. adding a setup of a ultra light axe and aluminum crampons would give safety without a lot of extra weight. If this is a start of a alpine scrambling future, then these would be very useful in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 great trip so do it if you can - yup, folks done got kilt in winter at that pass, so take it serious - coming in from lake colchuck definetly the kindest way to skin the kat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wllperegoy Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 FYI, you will likely walking from Icicle Creek, as they gate the Eightmile road in the winter. Is there a place to park where it turns from Icicle Creek to the Eighmile road? Or will we basically have to walk all of Icicle Creek and Eightmile to reach the lake stuart trailhead. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonG Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Lots of area to park near the gate, you don't need to walk from town! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 indeed - for extra points get a friend w/ a snowsled to getya up to the stuart lake trailhead though n' spare you n' hour of being pist 2 days for the roundtrip is enough, or pimp it out and take 3 (plus a gallon of whiskey) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattp Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Lots of good information here. For easy travel, try to go some time after it has not snowed recently and the freezing level has gone high and then gone down. If there has been an extended stable period you will probably find a previously tracked trail to Colchuck Lake on the west end or Snow Lake on the east end, and snowshoes may not be needed. This would be "backpacking conditions" although steep slopes may pose a risk of sliding and hitting a rock or tree. Be careful about using crampons on crusty snow if you or your companions do not know how to use an ice axe for self arrest, and be careful about climbing steep slopes anywhere. There are dangerous slopes on the approaches via either Snow Creek or Mountaineer Creek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletobes Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I was just in the area for 3 days hiking around. Unfortunatly Icicle Creek is closed just before FR7601. The snow level is so low that Aasgard Pass is likely very different than you would assume this time of year. It looks like its June out there. I would not anticipate the pass being an open slope. Using snowshoes or skis for the ascent is doubtful as the snow pack was thin and hard. You would probably wind up needing crampons to navigate the snow covered boulder field which is going to be littered with snow bridges, holes and so forth. The real trail may not actually be hard to follow though. Honestly I would just ski Icicle Creek road to the actual enchantments trail and go that route. Much prettier anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlpineK Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Based on these TAY comments on the Chiwaukum range (NW of the Enchantments but east of the crest) crampons seem appropriate but skis may be questionable. http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=33557.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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