Hi my fellow hikers,
Have a group 3 strong and fit hikers. If anyone is planning to go around this time period and would like to group, let me know.(mid Dec-early Jan) Planning to summit and descend in a day. Also if anyone has any critical advice please share your wisdom.

We have attempted winter of 2011 and did not summit due to getting off trail. Hoping to succeed summit this year!

Welcome davidko. Hiking in that time is pretty tough. You say you got off trail. Have you hiked it in summer, so that you are familiar with the route?

When you went in 2011, where did you start from?

We attempted in the winter,(December 2011) and made a wrong turn due to snow covering up most parts of the trail. When we hiked 13miles and reached an altitude of ~13000 before we turned back. We later found out where we made our mistake. This will be hopefully the first successful summit.

Dec, 2011, was a super dry month. I drove over Tioga Pass on New Year's Day 2012, which is extremely unusual. You won't find similar conditions to last year unless this winter is also dry.

The norm is to have several feet of snow. Depending on weather and temperatures, it could be knee to thigh-deep powder, or pretty well consolidated and hikeable.

You will need to watch the weather and conditions very closely before deciding to go. Do NOT attempt a day hike if there is anything but the best weather on the forecast.

David,

Echoing Steve's comments, see my recent entry in the Trip Report section where I included some suggestions: "Trip report - Main Trail, Nov 11, 2012, dayhike" While you might have more snow in Dec/Jan, many of the suggestions will still apply.

Feel free to ask/post any questions. It would also help to let us know your experience in similar hikes/climbs and background with gear, snow travel, etc.

Good luck in your planning.

Rob