Mt. Washington Weather in May??

[alpinefit]

Hello everyone I'm new here although I've lurked for a bit. I'm going to be climbing Mt. Washington the first weekend in May. What weather is typical for that time of the year? This will be my third time climbing Mt. Wash. I climbed it for the first time last December (made it to the summit) and climbed it for the second time this past February (no summit). The weather between the two climbs was drastically different. December was a crisp balmy winter climb. February as a sufferfest, -50 and 85 mph winds. For the may climb I wanted to use micro spikes and trekking poles and less clothing than my Feb climb (even though it was -50, I was sweating my ass off). Should I bring my ice ax? Thanks for your input!
Jim

[Bill O]

Your best bet is to check trail conditions and trail reports (others can post some good links). Its possible there could be very little snow with only one crossing above treeline.

[Bill O]

....Or you get 40" in April and its just like winter again.

[Breeze]

Well, if there is anything typical for the first week of May-- it's typically NOT spring on top..

Here a link to a thread at Time 4 Tucks for some visual.

http://timefortuckerman.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=14944

The East Snowfields yesterday.

Barring any really sudden changes, looks like maybe a West Side approach and possibly some snowshoes.

Hard tellin, just guessing!

Breeze

[Kimball]

Your best bet is to check trail conditions and trail reports (others can post some good links). Its possible there could be very little snow with only one crossing above treeline.

The latest trip reports, complied from hiker forums and blogs:
http://trailsnh.com/Presidential_Range.php#6288