need leconte winter hike info

“OK I'm planning on heading to Leconte this winter, never been winter hiking so i figured there is a good place to start. Im thinking maybe 1st or 2nd week in jan... but what kind of weather/temp can i expect... will i need crampons or anything? whats the best route to take in winter. how bout how much snow? thanks....”

“click on "search threads" and type in leconte. lots of good beta”

“Mt. LeConte is 6593 feet high. It's one of the top ten highest points east of the Mississippi River. The winter up there near the summit is brutal.

I stayed up there last February and it was negative 4 degrees, windy and blizzard like. If you go up the Bullshead you can get away with instep crampons (4 pointers). Anyother trail I wouldn't use anything less than full crampons. It gets very icy near the top.

The Bullshead gains more than 4000 feet over 7 miles and in the snow it's a buttkicker. The Alum Cave trail gains 3000 over 5 miles, but it is steeper and gets really icy in the winter. Full crampons are a must in my opinion on the Alum Cave Trail.

If I were you, I would recommend doing a first winter hike on Blood mountain in GA instead of LeConte. There is a shelter on Blood too and it wouldn't give you the extremes LeConte gives you.”

“check out the link:
http://community.webshots.com/album/159613329EyHFAs
most of them are leConte pictures taken about end of June this year. Picture ice on those trails, and you'll get an idea.

ENS,don't you have some winter pics?

Like ENS said, if you never winter hiked I would choose a different mtn. I totally agree. LeConte is awesome though.

Did you book room in the hostel on top?
last edited: 11/14/04 4:52:38 PM”

“the hostel (lodge) closes in December. The shelter on LeConte is popular due to the extreme weather and fills up fast. Should you decide on LeConte, be sure to reserve your spot(s) in the shelter 30 days in advance.”

“Winter LeConte Pics

The first day up it was like a blizzard up top. My butt was so kicked when I got there too. I started hiking at around 11am and it was dark when Opie and I got there. I think it was past 6 when we arrived. We were both beat. It was better than 40 degrees down in Gatlinburg when we got down off the mountain the second day. It's amazing how different it is up on top of the mountain compared to the base.

Mt. LeConte rises more than a mile above its base (Gatlinburg, TN) and has the highest face east of the Rockies.”

“I totally forgot that they close during winter. ha, prolly because I haven't hiked it yet in December...[hint, hint...ens]”

“Yea thanks for the tips. ive hiked it a couple hikes, once at night up alum cave during a thunderstorm, so im familiar with the trails, but i was curious about it in winter. I can imagine alum cave with ice though, sounds pretty scary... whats the difference between 4-point and full crampons though?”

“it's not being familiar with the trails and the mountain, it's the extreme winter conditions up there. Just be ready for them. You need a white fuel stove, zero bag and very warm clothes. Mt. LeConte is the south's most deadly mountain, so I've heard.”

“i would say get 6-10 point crampons...i would never use or tell anyone to use those pieces of !@$*! that we had. search campor or moosejaw for the 40-60 dollar crampons..the trail has seeps and flows over most of it at the top and that leads to inches of ice over miles of the trail.”

“i see... hmm...”

“I went up the Alum Cave Trail on a Christmas Eve. Had to watch out for falling ice at the cave. At one stretch I had to slide up the ice covered boulders. (Slid down when coming back.) The rough spots above that had a hand cable for support. It took me 12-13 hours, but I am older and need two knee replacements. Snow line was about 5,000 feet with 2-3 inches of snow. It was cold, extremely windy, but I did it. Had some bad leg cramps while trying to sleep. In the morning I had my white Christmas.

I did not use crampons or any other special equipment. Was it worth it? Would I do it again? I sure would.”