Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike P.  cbcbd,
While Lion's Head is the preferred route & has far less avalanche danger than the headwalls, it does have some exposure. It's probably a good idea to avoid the trail if the avalanche conditions are extreme. |
I understand nothing is 100% safe but the LH Winter route avoids avalanche terrain and existing slide paths pretty well and they usually route it that way - I think if a slide path developed crossing it's path they'd probably move the route (I think they have done in the past). I've been on the Winter route during "High" avalanche danger hiking beside a bunch of guided groups - one of those groups was guided by an AIARE III certified instructor - I'm not saying that makes him and all 30+ people on the route that day immune, just saying it's a pretty well known safe path when avy danger is high.
Plus, if the avy rating is at "Extreme" that probably means you'd be hiking in a blizzard with a lot of snow coming down and you'd have whiteout conditions above treeline. That's when you skip the hike and go skiing!
And just to clarify for the OP: The Lion's Head Winter route is NOT the regular Lion's Head summer route.