SoCal Kick-Off

[Angle Parking]

I like this thread. I have family in SoCal and have hiked some of these spots on summer visits. Hope to ski them some day.

[abcdethan]

I think I walked by your bikes they where locked right.


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Yeah maybe! We locked them by the hiking trail at Dawson Saddle. Love your SoCal video! I was thinking about camping behind the crest for a weekend next season and hitting everything I could. Looks like you already did that.


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[sticksplitman]

Years and years back there I’m 40 started snowboarding back there in 93-94 at the patch. Lots of sick lines I’m hitting new ones every trip. I might go poke around there tomorrow. Yeah the bikes where locked at the Dawson trail head.


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[406]

Got the email from baldy ski area for discount code for next years pass. We are due for a year of no snow, but I figure it is good to support Baldy. Fly to skiing might not be an option next year for me, for a few reasons. I was tempted to get the 10 year pass, but noticed it requires $250 per year food/drink purchase, wtf. How are they going to manage that?

Watching the radar, if I see some snow, might slog into some high elevation 1k patches this weekend. Just need enough to smooth out the cups if the temps stay good.

[Long duc dong]

Got the email from baldy ski area for discount code for next years pass. We are due for a year of no snow, but I figure it is good to support Baldy. Fly to skiing might not be an option next year for me, for a few reasons. I was tempted to get the 10 year pass, but noticed it requires $250 per year food/drink purchase, wtf. How are they going to manage that?

Watching the radar, if I see some snow, might slog into some high elevation 1k patches this weekend. Just need enough to smooth out the cups if the temps stay good.

250 per year!!!! What!!!!

I'm curious about the fine print on that one. I ski Mammoth about 30-35 days during a typical year, and I would say I probably spend about that much a season there. In a good Baldy season I get about 10 days there, this year I might have hit 15-20, but Baldy is different. With Mammoth I don't tend to do three hour days, with Baldy I often do. The lot is only an hour and 20 minutes from Newport, so I love being able to arrive at 1030, ski straight until 130, and then take off. It might be earlier or later than that, but at Baldy what I often do is some variation of that. I love the convenience, but I often don't eat there, although I love getting a beer and a brat and sitting out on the deck. Even if, hypothetically, this season was a normal Baldy season, meaning you could get good turns on Thunder until late April, I don't know that I would spend that much. If Baldy was like this every year and I didn't do a Mammoth ski lease I would ski Baldy far more and MAYBE spend that much. But as we all know Baldy is basically a no go many seasons, and given how often I go to Mammoth I don't see spending that much time there on a regular basis. You would have to average 25 baldy days a season to have that 250 be reasonable. Ironically if Baldy was further away it might make that expenditure easier, as if it took 2.5 hours to get there for a day trip I would probably stay longer when I did go, no skiing Thunder for 3 hours and bailing.

[brannen]

Thanks for the beta, got around to skiing the Big Draw as well as Jepson N.
Did the Big Draw on a random day that ended up being mega warm and overcast. Snowline near 8500+, lots of hiking. Shmoo and rotten at the bottom of the run, ended up booting through slop since my skins were rendered useless. Waited up top for a lil refreeze w a north wind and cloudcover. Skiing was pretty good for top 2/3, total garbage after that. No movement observed, which surprised me. There was an amazing sunset on the drive home, wow.

Got Jepson on a much nicer, sunnier day. About a week after the big storm, snow line was much lower, skis on on the road @ 7100ft. Skins on almost all the way, a lil too icy last couple hundred feet. Opted to boot sans crampons instead of dealing with the always disappointing ski crampons. No wind whatsoever, snow was nice and corny top to bottom of the zone. Got sticky and annoying in woods and near base of Little Charleton. Could ski all the way back to 7100ft though. Lots of wet debris on E and W and one wetslide observed on E Jepson slopes.

Really appreciate the bike beta, that made the hike out so much more bearable.

San G Summit

Big Draw

Sunset

Gettin Lit

Switching over to bootin

Jepson summit

Jepson N, looking good

Tracks

Scenic


Thanks again for all the beta.

[gimpy]

beauty++++

[1000-oaks]

Damn, never noticed that Big Pines & Wrightwood is right on the San Andreas fault.
https://youtu.be/1vWvHaaMJnM

Even if you don't watch the whole video, check out 14:55 for a photo of the Davidson Arch at Big Pines. The 1932 Winter Olympics was almost held there, but was moved to Lake Placid.

[1000-oaks]

Well shit, Caltrans map showed Hwy 2 is only closed between Islip Saddle and Dawson Saddle, so I headed up for the dregs. Nope, it's closed at Grassy Hollow...grrrrr, didn't bring a bike....

NE side of BP is dry, but N chutes still have some. Sorry for the crappy zoomed-in cell photo pix from the desert.

Backside of Dawson & SA.


BP


MB

[1000-oaks]

Nice turns were made on the Hwy 2 crest today. Some chokes are getting a bit tight though, these are 170's, lol.

Current top of looker's right chute, Burnham.


Guessing only the bottom section will remain by next weekend, it's all avi deposit and deep. Don't fall off the WROD, it's undercut/hollow along the edges and a six foot drop in places.


About 300 vert up middle chute Burnham you get this. Hole is about seven feet deep and unpleasant to climb around.




Middle chute, Throop. Snow ends at bottom of chute, so a dry approach/exit.

[sticksplitman]

still a bunch of snow left in avalanche basin. We have built a few small features and 2 rails. If we could get 2 or3 more people we could build a fun jib park with few hits. If anyone is down to meet up and ride DM me.


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[sticksplitman]

Going up this Saturday for a bbq hotdogs and burgers plus a rider decider session. Tell your friends bring your kids. There’s enough space to social distance and still participate. DM me if your interested and I’ll send location.


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[sticksplitman]

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[406]

Cool you guys are still getting out and nice photos.

[wolfelot]

Dang still snow for you guys. Awesome!

[sticksplitman]

Cool you guys are still getting out and nice photos.

Come Saturday we are having barbecue. Still pretty fun for this time of year.


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[sticksplitman]

you can see behind my kids how far it goes up. There’s 2 other drainages next to it that are holding also.


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[1000-oaks]

Should be up about 11am to shred the pine needles.

[Deep Days]

Baldy 2021-2022 here we come. (Maybe).

Kerlan Jobe for shoulder & elbow surgery fellowship Aug '21 to July '22. Probably IKON pass for mammoth. Should have most weekends off... And the wife can ski now!

See y'all then. Woot.

[Speedfreak]

Baldy 2021-2022 here we come. (Maybe).

Kerlan Jobe for shoulder & elbow surgery fellowship Aug '21 to July '22. Probably IKON pass for mammoth. Should have most weekends off... And the wife can ski now!

See y'all then. Woot.

Gosey! Welcome to the hood

[1000-oaks]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CB7HMCSpLHC/

[1000-oaks]

Good news, heard the FD saved the lodge at Waterman, no idea how the lifts or other structures held up.

[~mikey b]

thanks for the update - I was wondering...

[1000-oaks]

Looks like El Dorado and Snow Creek fires might be calming down, for now. The Snow Creek fire might actually make the brutal access around DWP a little easier.

[1000-oaks]

And so it begins, maybe.