SoCal 16/17

[Piggity]

could be some additional wind loading from what I'm reading, this weekend will be interesting with everyone heading out for the first sunny weekend in a while.

[chunder]

Inspiration

[Adamantium]

I have a couple friends who were up there yesterday initially with plans to ski the bowl, but they turned back when conditions on the backbone were too corniced and sketchy. Short instagram clip from what they did end up skiing looks pretty solid though

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPwlyuNgTPC/

[SD16]

Waterman opening tomorrow. Solid NE winds

[1000-oaks]

Local NSP avi class schedule:
http://www.socalsnow.org/avalanche-c...er-events.html

[Jumper Bones]

Speaking of avys, this is cool, and props to those who went back up to find the dog.

Link to KTLA story

[1000-oaks]

So glad to hear the dog was rescued.

#1, Wtf was the guy doing in the creek.
#2, WTF was he doing sliding down waterfalls? Good thing he didn't make it to the big falls.

[Jumper Bones]

I think that's the group of hikers caught in the big avy rescue last week (which was curious they were called 'hikers' by the news, as they had skis and helmets in the footage the news showed), and maybe they got swept down that far?

I work in La Verne, LA CoFire SAR guys fly out of here, and they were going up there almost non-stop.

[Falcon]

About a year and a half ago on the hut trail, descending hikers were leaving the trail to the south about a .5 mile (+/- 500 vertical) below the Sierra hut. This became a problem. This summer someone put up a sign pointing out the trail and blocking this area. This is probably where he left the trail as it goes to the drainage of San Antonio falls. I haven't been up to Baldy this winter. Weekend crowds have been terrible. J.B, I live in La Verne.

[406]

It is relatively easy to miss the contouring trail SE after descending the bowl. In fact, one time I missed the entire bowl and descended the next drainage south and dropped into the creek with scramble up to the road at the top of the switch backs...and I like to think I know what I'm doing.

[1000-oaks]

Yeah, doing a recon hike during the summer (when you can see the trail) helps a lot.

[Adamantium]

Thinking the storm + crowds combo at Mammoth will be a deal breaker this weekend, maybe Baldy is worth a visit Sat/Sun depending on weather? Looks like the bottom of chair 1 has melted out since the last storm cycle but Thunder should still have a solid base to build on.

[406]

^^^yeah, I was thinking Sunday, but now NOAA is suggesting the storm might be done Saturday am. Although seems like baldy would need awhile to get everything going if they get a couple ft.

[406]

Anyone go up today? How was it?

[1000-oaks]

Ha, Baldy was interesting today. About 6" of heavy snowcone at the parking lot, and a foot of heavy pow at the top of Thunder. Chair 4 rode well until the sleet and warm fog manked it.

Psych Out sloughed off the 6" of fresh snowcone pretty much everywhere patrol skied below the cliffs, which kind of freaked out non-skiers standing in line for chair 1, even though the sloughs were slow moving. Higher elevations like South Bowl were more stable and opened (patrol cut SB but didn't bomb), but still had a slide about fifteen yards wide that ran from the top of the far ridge almost to the wire. Bentley went bigger sometime in the afternoon, don't know if it was a cat push, patrol cut, or somebody ducked the rope. Big enough deposition to bury someone for sure though. Countless basketball-sized rollers all over, and loose wet sloughs exposing rocks and roots skiers left of chair 1. Could get interesting when the sun cooks it over the next few days.

Still, a very fun day.

[406]

Fun day at Baldy ski area yesterday, upper mountain coverage is the best I have ever seen it. Got there early thinking it would be busy, but never got crowded. Gave a friend the grand tour and skied every run off chair 3 & 4 at least one time, including some areas I have never seen covered, like ridge that is a left turn after starting down bonanza bowl. They had north facing runs on chair 1 well closed with someone standing there every time I checked (plus lower half looked very thin), but got into untracked Holcumac a couple times and it skied nice thanks to my Praxis powder boards floating on the mank. Didn't checkout any side country because wasn't really wanting to be in the terrain traps with all the heavy snow. Ended up getting in 25k ft and 6.5 hours moving time, legs are sore this morning, lots of heavy turns. Excited for all the snow, hopefully continues and get an awesome spring.

[Long duc dong]

It was a groomer day at Baldy yesterday. I was hoping the sun would soften things up but it never got warm enough and the wind didn't help. Later in the day the clouds came in and things got even colder. Still the groomers are in good shape on Thunder, didn't make it over to chair 4. It definitely was not a day for the runs down to the lot. Some avy rubble and the bottom has melted out. Without the rubble and if it had slushed up I might have done it, but given the conditions I really had no desire.

[1000-oaks]

Low-vis combat skiing at Baldy today, wind fog/blowing sleet and 3" of pow on bulletproof. Couldn't even penetrate with a pole tip a lot of places. Stuff off the groomers looked sooo good with a couple inches of smooth fresh thanks to the wind, but the evil beneath would rattle your teeth out. Skyline had vicious wind and South bowl must have been closed, no tracks on the exit. Groomer day.

[smallies]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzSoNhhDNA8

[smallies]

sorry it was Lasorda.

[Idyllwild]

Gorgo a go wed? Prob can skin from the car on wed, and after prob melt out.

[iTomahawk]

Tried to catch the post storm powder this week on San Jacinto. Ended up with a whole lot of breakable crust, but still a very nice day skiing the east faces of San J and Miller peaks.

Shitter was full.


Skintrack stoke.


Sea of clouds.


Flogging the breakable crust.


Top of Miller for run 2. Tracks from 1st run barely visible left of center frame at the edge of the more open area.

[Long duc dong]

Nice work and great pics.

[TEXASS]

Went up to Baldy for the First time Saturday. I have done other peaks in the San Gabriels so Im not sure why It took me so long to top this one.
Wife was out of town and I saw a window of what we hoped would be corn.
Altough the snow really never softened it was a good day in the Mountains

First time at the Hut



Looking up at the Terrain



You wouldn't thing all this rideable is less than an hour from Hollywood



We found a spicy chute to drop
Whippets were mandatory

Josh Droppin








Mike





Antonio



Gang Bang



Was a fun day but with the wind it was also one of the coldest days I have had in a while.
Should be great up there when it corns up

[406]

Nice, good to see some photos from Baldy peak. Hoping to get up there this We or Th if work allows...or this weekend if weather holds.