What 109-mph Winds Look Like

I think the worst winds I've experienced were during a solo winter ascent of Mt. Democrat (CO) {Yeah, the TPA folks are getting a chuckle outta that}, with a night spent at the Kite Lake Campground (12,000'). Wind was actually driving microscopic snow particles through the zipper of my (4-season) tent, so it was effectively snowing inside my tent. That is, when the tent wasn't lying flat or smacking me in the head. The decision to abandon camp came when I heard the steel door of the toilet building (about 150' away) banging like a machine gun. Just as I was able to put eyes on it, the winds ripped the door off, sending it skyward into oblivion. The first 1/2 mile of retreat was primarily tumbling and rolling interspersed with some labored walking. But after I reached treeline, every step became easier. At around the 3-mile mark, I was able to reach my wife by cell phone, and she picked me up at the highway junction.

Apparently, both my wife and the hotel manager (a backpacker) were happy to hear from me. They had actually closed Breckenridge in the afternoon and I-70 in the evening due to the wind, and there were reports of 120 mph winds in some of the mountain passes.

The next morning my wife and I headed back to the campsite. I checked out the damage to the toilet building, and found that the door sheared off at the hinges (the hinges were still intact, but the door itself ripped off the hinges, leaving behind jagged sheets of metal attached to the hinges).

I started a different thread in the Trailhead Register with more details, if you're interested in reading:

bpbasecamp.freeforums.net/thread/2558/worst-weather-experienced-camping