2011 SoCal Snow Thread

[LightRanger]

Chunder and I are planning to hit Baldy bowl from Manker. Pm me if you want details and want to join us.

Will do.

[406]

Telegraph Peak

Did you guys skin back up the forest road to the Notch or exit via Stockton?

[hutash]

I knew you could get to it from there, but I didn't know that was the standard route. Makes sense because from 39 it's probably long and windy as shit, no?

39 has not been open for ages past Crystal Lake as far as I know,and 2 is closed at Islip saddle in winter even when the rest of 2 is open. At least that is how it used to be when I live in the area, so the Mt High side is the only real option.Though you could get to it from Crystal Lake with a lot of high traversing.

You boot or skin up right out of Vincent Gap, the drop back the way you came, or take a more direct descent to the closed part of 2 and skin/walk back.

There are a few TRs here.

[406]

Chunder and I did a Manker Flat to Baldy Bowl ( Mt. San Antonio ) via ski hut trail on Sunday.

Nope not spending the night:


Conga line to the ski hut:


Hut:


Car sized boulder that rolled down the bowl:


Wet Avalanche:


Nice view:


We are both happy to be done hiking and ready to ski:


View toward San G & San J. Looks like good coverage at the ski area:


West Baldy is looking very inviting:


Snow was not getting below freezing at night, so skiing was a mix of survival turns:


and good turns:


chunder takes in the view:


and is off:


in the bowl:


It was really warm. Note the new second wet avalanche:


Freshly plowed road:


January SoCal Apres ski:

[LightRanger]

I'll post some photos later today too.

Bummed I missed you guys. We skinned the ridge lookers left of the bowl. And I think we skied down while you guys were on the way up. I skied our ascent route because my shin is still giving me a lot of pain from my healed/healing fracture site. Those chutes looked tasty though.

The second slide was caused by and caught two glissaders about 5-10 mins before I skied down lookers left of the slide. See the second post here:
http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB3/pos...5.html#p810915

What a shitshow that place is on a busy weekend. Like Tuckerman Ravine West.

[chunder]

Chunder and I did a Manker Flat to Baldy Bowl ( Mt. San Antonio ) via ski hut trail on Sunday.

It was a bit warm and certainly a damn fine day to get my ass kicked by that hike and have another great day on a mountain--just what the doctor ordered.

I think that we skied the Figure 11 chute, but not totally sure
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=34.2824764...1&z=17&l=0&m=b
Anyway, we skied one of them thar chutes...

Sure was a fine view from the top


406 descending from the upper section of the chute


Working the kick turn; note the slush pinwheel rolling my way


Slay the slush


And smile






It always looks like a different story from below

[coretard]

solid work chunder. way to get after it. no time like the present.
you guys really slayed it. sweet tr.

that said:
im not sure you skied the right line though. you prob should have dropped the 100ft chute. what with the soft snow and all, would have been the call.

you should have hit baden anyway. you can get there really easy and its close to mt waterman.

[406]

wow, forecast claims ~60 at 7000 ft!!!

[406]

The second slide was caused by and caught two glissaders about 5-10 mins before I skied down lookers left of the slide. See the second post here:
http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB3/pos...5.html#p810915

What a shitshow that place is on a busy weekend. Like Tuckerman Ravine West.

Yeah, but thankfully they all seem to stick to Baldy and don't venture far from the hut trail or go to other peaks.

I like this one:

[Captain Awesome]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I figured it'd get the most local attention here...

I'm going to be in San Diego next week for a conference, and am planning to bring my skis/etc and getting out to a resort for a day (I've got no bc experience). Aside from the fact that any day on skis is a good day, are the conditions worth paying the baggage fees, lift ticket, rental car, etc, or should save the skiing for the next go-round?

I was hoping to ski Baldy or Big Bear or something within 3-ish hours of SD. I don't really know anything about those places, but looking at a map, they seem like the closest options. I have an early flight out of LGB on Saturday, so Friday's my one day to make this happen.

Any advice is appreciated...

[406]

Aside from the fact that any day on skis is a good day, are the conditions worth paying the baggage fees, lift ticket, rental car, etc, or should save the skiing for the next go-round?

If the warm spell keeps up, most likely not. Where are you coming from? If you live someplace with good skiing less than an hour away I would suggest checking out some of the many other interesting things to do in SD. Otherwise check the Baldy webcam and weather forecast prior to your departure.

[Long duc dong]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I figured it'd get the most local attention here...

I'm going to be in San Diego next week for a conference, and am planning to bring my skis/etc and getting out to a resort for a day (I've got no bc experience). Aside from the fact that any day on skis is a good day, are the conditions worth paying the baggage fees, lift ticket, rental car, etc, or should save the skiing for the next go-round?

I was hoping to ski Baldy or Big Bear or something within 3-ish hours of SD. I don't really know anything about those places, but looking at a map, they seem like the closest options. I have an early flight out of LGB on Saturday, so Friday's my one day to make this happen.

Any advice is appreciated...

I would go with Mt. Baldy. It has the best terrain, by far. Bear/Summit/Mt. High are nothing special, Baldy at least has some steep terrain. It is bare in spots, and you will hit rocks, but the terrain is steep enough that you will be amazed you are in socal.

[hutash]

Go to the beach, unless we get some new storms before you get here. Use the extra $50 you would spend on the ski bag for drinks at a beach bar.

If you do want to ski, Baldy is the only place worth the effort, unless you can figure flights out and some how get to Mammoth.

[Captain Awesome]

Go to the beach, unless we get some new storms before you get here. Use the extra $50 you would spend on the ski bag for drinks at a beach bar.

If you do want to ski, Baldy is the only place worth the effort, unless you can figure flights out and some how get to Mammoth.

Thanks to all for the feedback.

I've been wrestling with this spectre for a bit. It's about 6 hours, by Google Maps, to get from San Diego to Mammoth. I'm not unwilling to do that, but I'm not going to make that drive to ski slush. Is it worth the drive at this point?

Otherwise, I'll probably just drag my boots and helmet with me, and rent skis if I need 'em (and I can check the suitcase with boots, etc, and avoid using my checked bag to lug skis I won't use).

Baldy seems pretty rad, but since I travel to San Diego 4-5 times/year, I might be better to wait until next winter, I guess...

[TWINS]

I would not waste my time dragging gear down here.The local snow is going fast.
The beach weather has been good though.
Mammoth is in the middle of a extended dry spell/next 2 weeks.
Go to the beach,rent a board and surf.

[406]

Waxed the newly mounted Super Bro's last night and they are ready for terminal velocity while using snowboarders as a giant slalom course at mt high ( friend is taking learn to ski class) this Saturday:


Hoping to make it to Baldy ski area on Sunday, want to get a day in before the snow melts. Anyone else?

[chunder]

Waxed the newly mounted Super Bro's last night and they are ready for terminal velocity while using snowboarders as a giant slalom course at mt high ( friend is taking learn to ski class) this Saturday:


Hoping to make it to Baldy ski area on Sunday, want to get a day in before the snow melts. Anyone else?

Nice! But the Super Bro on the right really needs an Arrogant Bastard on it to give your photo the correct balance

[BirdRock]

I would not waste my time dragging gear down here.The local snow is going fast.
The beach weather has been good though.
Mammoth is in the middle of a extended dry spell/next 2 weeks.
Go to the beach,rent a board and surf.

This!. Beach is the call in SD right now and surf is good. Weather is supposed to hold for at least another week. Location mountains are in the 50's today.

[TWINS]

Went to Baldy today for some lunch time fun.Parking lot runs are done.


Frozen tundra on chair 3 right now.Was getting better by the end of the day with skier/boarder traffic shaving the ice.



Chair 4 had spring skiing/southerly facing slopes.Pretty fun under the chair line.

Baldy Bowl had some big wet slides this week.Looks fun if you time it right.
The road up has also been fixed/asphalt in place now

[406]

^^^thanks for the update.

[hutash]

I flew over Baden-Powell on my to Cham (but in stuck in Montreal, fuck AirCanada), and it still looks good , and the road appears to be open to the gap.

[Long duc dong]

Skied Baldy yesterday afternoon. The runs to the lot are done, without another big storm. Thunder was mostly ice, the winds kept things very firm. I did find one area of nice slush, near Herb's(?) that was fun in the afternoon, but all the rest of Thunder was bullet proof. I thought about testing South Bowl, but decided against it. They lost a lot of snow this week, but there are still good turns to be had, if things soften up.

[montanaskier]

UNREAL to me all the melt considering all the snow that fell early, that's crazy. But I live in CO at 8k so maybe it isn't crazy?

[Long duc dong]

I was at Mammoth last weekend, but will be hitting Baldy this Saturday and Sunday. How is it? Has anyone skied south bowl? I know things are going to be bony, I'm just hoping there are still good turns to be had.

[406]

will be hitting Baldy this Saturday and Sunday.

How was it? Snow get soft in the afternoon?
Hope we get a good amount of snow out of this next storm.