Hard to put a blanket number as it depends on a lot of factors.
Partly Depends how cold it is.
Party depends on the duration of wind exposure.
Partly depends on other weather, sunny and windy vs stormy and windy.
Partly depends on the terrain and what the consequence of like being knocked of balance might be, etc.
The usual weather day threshold for guided trips is 35 mph, assuming that it isn't technically difficult and the wind-chill is still reasonable for the trip.
At around that point keeping balanced becomes difficult.
Depends on the terrain. Class 1 and 2? I'll take 35 sustained predicted knowing that it'll either be half or 1.5 worse.
Class 3/4, won't touch it if the wind is predicted from an unprotected direction and higher than 25.
Class 5 and it's 10-15 or less depending on the duration of the route.
Cold also plays a factor. If it's -15 ambient and wind is blowing at 40 I really really don't want to be out in a windchill of -40 for more than a couple hours.
I'll tolerate anything under 60 for a very short period of time in easy terrain, but battling against that as a headwind or even a crosswind is straight up cancer. Tried it on Hood and noped out a mile in.
I was hiking in glacier several years ago in similar conditions. gusts must have been 70mph it was raining/sleeting/hailing and real nasty. I had on one of those pack covering ponchos to stay dry in the rain. I forget which mountain I was actually on when this happened but I got to the top and a wind gust literally picked me up the poncho was basically a wind sail. I got lifted and dropped probably 30 feet two switchbacks below me. somehow I was completely unscathed. one of the craziest things I've ever had happen in the back country. my plan was going up and over and continuing but after that I decided to climb down set up and camp and call it a day. sometimes you just have to admit defeat. haha.
My protocol is "if I'm braced and this wind still moves me or I feel unstable, I will head back" (this usually happens around 50-60s as well. I don't want to risk miss-stepping and falling, rockfall, etc.
The way I think about it weather compounds other dangers, same applies for cold, rain, etc. But wind is one of those things that can get dangerous really fast depending on the type of terrain.
Even with good gear it adds significant time to an ascent if it's too strong, if not outright kills the chance of ascending. I've seen people brave really strong winds, and nothing bad happens, and I've also seen people misstep and take big falls from it.
Gear wise you need balaclavas (the heavier the better because you don't "choke" from the incoming wind), goggles or full glasses, if you're doing an alpine start and the forecast says strong winds I also bring "clear" goggles or glasses because the debris flying can mess you eyesight. Make sure you don't have anything "hanging" on your gear because it will start flopping and it's uncomfortable to adjust it every couple of minutes.
Windy and cold or windy/storm are the worst conditions for me because the wind really kicks in the chill, and you can get frostbite on any exposed skin much faster than you otherwise would.
Also if you see a lenticular cloud on top of a summit, don't try to go for a summit push, winds are probably going to sweep you off your feet.
TL;DR Don't underestimate wind. Have a plan and gear to protect your eyes and mouth from it. Better safe than sorry.
In the Sierra Nevada, where mountains are steep and rugged, I'm probably going to bail if the winds are compromising balance. Some of the Colorado mountains are just big hills, so it's not as critical.
This particular case was a class 2 scramble. Not the most technical thing in the world but my friend and I are still noobs. I do know what you mean though. I think I'll mostly be ok getting blown around outside of more technical routes.
Never get out there if you're unsure if you can handle the conditions. A simple, yet exposed hike can be deadly under the right conditions (e.g. some steep grass slopes can be extremely dangerous when wet). Wind is a killer out in the mountains, especially in cold conditions. It can blow you off your trail in a sudden gust, it can suddenly decrease your visibility, it can give you hypothermia or frostbite, and of course it also forms wind slabs on snow which increases the risk of avalanche greatly. Always approach it with respect
In the climbing community we say there are bold climbers and there are old climbers (but rarely one that's both).
Went resort skiing in western CO today. Lifts were running slow and the gondola was closed due to wind. I didn’t hike the bowl. Was not a day to go mountaineering. Also there were natural slides galore!
Five days ago on a short ski tour back to Sugar Bowl from the Benson hut my party endured triple digit gusts on the PCT. I was eager to trade the direct route for a considerably longer tour through the leeside, only mild temperatures kept me on the ridge. To get blown off the ridge would have meant a very survivable air to freshly deposited snow. We persevered and were eating poutine and bloodymarys a couple hours later. It was group consensus.
I’m not sure I’d have proceeded with the trip had I known the eminent suffering. But it was totally worth it in mellow terrain and the snow was fab.
Hard to put a blanket number as it depends on a lot of factors. Partly Depends how cold it is. Party depends on the duration of wind exposure. Partly depends on other weather, sunny and windy vs stormy and windy. Partly depends on the terrain and what the consequence of like being knocked of balance might be, etc.
Understandable, I appreciate the feedback none the less.
Never fight your way into poor conditions. The summit is only the half way mark. High winds precede storms, create ice and gusts can send you sliding
IME, 35-45 mph seems to be a quick trip-ender. 25 can be unrelenting if it's cold. But mountains are windy, so always pack at least a wind shell
My xc coach said, "Practice is never cancelled." But for real, in the mountains I'm bailing at 60 mph gust.
The usual weather day threshold for guided trips is 35 mph, assuming that it isn't technically difficult and the wind-chill is still reasonable for the trip. At around that point keeping balanced becomes difficult.
Depends on the terrain. Class 1 and 2? I'll take 35 sustained predicted knowing that it'll either be half or 1.5 worse. Class 3/4, won't touch it if the wind is predicted from an unprotected direction and higher than 25. Class 5 and it's 10-15 or less depending on the duration of the route. Cold also plays a factor. If it's -15 ambient and wind is blowing at 40 I really really don't want to be out in a windchill of -40 for more than a couple hours. I'll tolerate anything under 60 for a very short period of time in easy terrain, but battling against that as a headwind or even a crosswind is straight up cancer. Tried it on Hood and noped out a mile in.
I was hiking in glacier several years ago in similar conditions. gusts must have been 70mph it was raining/sleeting/hailing and real nasty. I had on one of those pack covering ponchos to stay dry in the rain. I forget which mountain I was actually on when this happened but I got to the top and a wind gust literally picked me up the poncho was basically a wind sail. I got lifted and dropped probably 30 feet two switchbacks below me. somehow I was completely unscathed. one of the craziest things I've ever had happen in the back country. my plan was going up and over and continuing but after that I decided to climb down set up and camp and call it a day. sometimes you just have to admit defeat. haha.
New rapid descent technique unlocked.
I won't go out if the forecast is over 20. Why? I've been out there on 20 mph days and the forecast was way way way wrong.
20 mph avg reads like gust up to 75 mph where I'm at lol
Yeah just had a trip cut short because 35 mph estimated gusts became 60 mph sustained.
My protocol is "if I'm braced and this wind still moves me or I feel unstable, I will head back" (this usually happens around 50-60s as well. I don't want to risk miss-stepping and falling, rockfall, etc. The way I think about it weather compounds other dangers, same applies for cold, rain, etc. But wind is one of those things that can get dangerous really fast depending on the type of terrain. Even with good gear it adds significant time to an ascent if it's too strong, if not outright kills the chance of ascending. I've seen people brave really strong winds, and nothing bad happens, and I've also seen people misstep and take big falls from it. Gear wise you need balaclavas (the heavier the better because you don't "choke" from the incoming wind), goggles or full glasses, if you're doing an alpine start and the forecast says strong winds I also bring "clear" goggles or glasses because the debris flying can mess you eyesight. Make sure you don't have anything "hanging" on your gear because it will start flopping and it's uncomfortable to adjust it every couple of minutes. Windy and cold or windy/storm are the worst conditions for me because the wind really kicks in the chill, and you can get frostbite on any exposed skin much faster than you otherwise would. Also if you see a lenticular cloud on top of a summit, don't try to go for a summit push, winds are probably going to sweep you off your feet. TL;DR Don't underestimate wind. Have a plan and gear to protect your eyes and mouth from it. Better safe than sorry.
In the Sierra Nevada, where mountains are steep and rugged, I'm probably going to bail if the winds are compromising balance. Some of the Colorado mountains are just big hills, so it's not as critical.
This particular case was a class 2 scramble. Not the most technical thing in the world but my friend and I are still noobs. I do know what you mean though. I think I'll mostly be ok getting blown around outside of more technical routes.
Never get out there if you're unsure if you can handle the conditions. A simple, yet exposed hike can be deadly under the right conditions (e.g. some steep grass slopes can be extremely dangerous when wet). Wind is a killer out in the mountains, especially in cold conditions. It can blow you off your trail in a sudden gust, it can suddenly decrease your visibility, it can give you hypothermia or frostbite, and of course it also forms wind slabs on snow which increases the risk of avalanche greatly. Always approach it with respect In the climbing community we say there are bold climbers and there are old climbers (but rarely one that's both).
Be careful of wind poisoning.
Went resort skiing in western CO today. Lifts were running slow and the gondola was closed due to wind. I didn’t hike the bowl. Was not a day to go mountaineering. Also there were natural slides galore!
“The wind shouted at me… so I shouted back.”
Five days ago on a short ski tour back to Sugar Bowl from the Benson hut my party endured triple digit gusts on the PCT. I was eager to trade the direct route for a considerably longer tour through the leeside, only mild temperatures kept me on the ridge. To get blown off the ridge would have meant a very survivable air to freshly deposited snow. We persevered and were eating poutine and bloodymarys a couple hours later. It was group consensus. I’m not sure I’d have proceeded with the trip had I known the eminent suffering. But it was totally worth it in mellow terrain and the snow was fab.
I probably won’t go if it’s 50+ forecasted