Would snowshoes be beneficial for crossing the Williamson Bowl? Or would they just be unnecessary weight to drag up the mountain?
When we did Williamson in February 1996, we left our snowshoes at the bottom of the steep climb up to Shepherd Pass, and that was the right choice. Much of the terrain between this point and the summit is too steep for snowshoes. I would expect much of the gentle terrain between the top of Shepherd Pass and the point where you drop into Williamson Bowl to be either well-consolidated snow or bare dirt. There are ledges and huge blocks in Williamson Bowl that you won’t want to negotiate with snowshoes. I think snowshoes would be useless weight.
