Seeking Advice for Enchantments

To be honest, both approaches are pretty brutal. You can either go in via Snow and it’s an incredibly long slog up to Snow Lake, then you still need to climb into the Core Zone which is pretty rough. Then from there, there’s more elevation gain to get into the upper core zone. Alternatively, you can hike into Colchuk, which is definitely a climb but somewhat more gradual, then you have to deal with the ascent up Asgard which frankly, is hard as fuck.

Personally, I think you’d be better off hiking in via Colchuk and probably setting camp there for the first night. Then the following morning, you can make your ascent up Asgard. While it is extremely strenuous, it’s fairly short and you’ll have the entire day to make it happen. The perk of that approach is it’s almost entirely downhill the remainder of the way and I think you’ll have a more laid back experience once you’re in the core.

I’ve been fortunate enough to hike in from both and while Asgard was definitely harder, Snow was more miserable if that makes sense. I’d for sure rather just suffer on Asgard and be done with it than the slow burn of Snow.

How many nights are you there for? When we had a core permit a couple years ago, we did the first night at Colchuck, and then started early the next morning to get up Aasgard (getting through the boulder field to the base of it took longer than expected). Our trip didn’t pan out because of a massive storm in the core so we spent one miserable night at Sprite lake and all the way out via snow the next day.

Our first trip there we had Snow zone (and also my first ever backpacking trip). While going down from Viviane to Snow Lake wasn’t the best, I’d rather do that than go back down Aasgard. Even though I hated going down that way with a heavy pack on (worse because we were soaked to the bone and it was icy in spots), it would have been 100x worse trying to go down Aasgard - it's steeper than it looks.

We have core permits again this summer (right around the same time as you - our start date is 7/9), and the first day will be the same. Leisurely pace up to Colchuck, camp halfway around the lake, then start up the next morning. I would not spend my entire time doing up and down to camp at Colchuck to get out of carrying a heavy pack up - there's way too many things to see up there, and then there's the thing of having to go back down that choss pile daily. Will it suck carrying a heavy bag up there? Yes. It will suck just as much going down through Snow Lakes and the endless miles and switchbacks to the parking lot. But what would be the worst is to get a core permit that's almost impossible to come by, and not taking full advantage of it. Since it'll be their first backpacking trip, just be their main cheerleader and motivator when everything hurts and you don't want to keep climbing up (or down).

I'd start incorporating heavier weight now. Not sure where you're located, but we do weekly trips up and down Cable Line and add weight each time. It gives you a similar steepness with being a super short hike so we can go after work. If the two who haven't backpacked before are close to that area, I'd say go there as often as you can.

My only advice, if you do descend aasgard, give yourself plenty of daylight…

Having done it once, I have no plans to ever go down Aasgard.

It's a much better plan to enter from the Colchuck side I think. You could always camp at Colchuck the first night. Last year I had a Colchuck permit and we went up and down Aasgard as a day trip, and that shit is brutal on the way down. Would be awful on the knees, feet, and hands on the way down if you had a full pack on.

Aasgard Pass is obviously a difficult climb but I can't even imagine how annoying and tiring it would be to descend it.

You can train for Asgard on Old Mailvox, similar steepness. See how you like descending that with packs on the nice soft muddy duff that won't crack your skull as much when you lose footing on it, vs the Asgard diorite.

Re parking, i day-thru hiked by parking at snow lake and hitchhiking up to the other trailhead. Maybe split into two hitching pairs but there's no need to jam up extra parking.

It is always upsetting to me that people like this get permits

Like others here I’ve done end to end both directions several times and they’re both brutal but I think it’s actually safer going up Aasgard instead of down with an overnight pack, especially with no experience. And the zip line from the top of Aasgard down to Colchuck is super fast and scary….