EISPIRATEN

When there is snow at the Vivian Creek trailhead in Forest Falls, there are some great practice slopes on the south side of the road in the vicinity of the parking area.

The advice in the video is sound. Only raise your feet if you are wearing crampons. If you are not wearing crampons, dig your toes in. If you are wearing crampons, raise your feet to avoid catching a point and cartwheeling. Practice, practice, practice on a safe slope with a safe runout. For instanc...

On Saturday, Dave G and I climbed the complete South Ridge of Mt. Baldy. After one hour of horrendous bushwhacking, we enjoyed over 2,000 vertical feet of pristine ridge climbing. Then we intersected the Ski Hut Trail and joined the masses.

Here is my trip report.

Thanks for the link, HikeUp. Some of hammbone's photos are breathtaking.

So Rick "Clark" Kent is human after all! Seriously though, Rick is a source of inspiration and awe to many mountaineers in California and beyond. For instance, he once climbed Mt. Baldy from Manker Flat five times in one day. I wish him a full and speedy recovery. Regarding Lilbitmo, his a...

Looks like a memorable day, Dave and Norma. Great photo set. Congratulations on getting to see that high altitude hare.

On Saturday, Patrick and I scrambled up Falling Fir Ridge on Ontario Peak. Though it is a cross-country route involving some class 3 groveling, we did follow a game trail for a while. Actually, we followed two Bighorn Sheep up the trail. I think they bailed before the summit, though. Some photos and...

The Mt. Baldy Web Cam shows what appears to be snow, but I can't tell for sure.

Oh boy.

Glad you got it done, Dave. Accessing the ridge is a pain, huh?

Great outing, Dave. Your summit self-portrait says a lot.

simonov wrote:How can they stick an outhouse right at the top of a watercourse?

I've often wondered the same thing.

I can't believe how quickly the north side of Harwood has melted.

Thanks for posting. It's amazing how fast the snow is melting, especially on Ontario Peak.

Nice outing, guys. In retrospect, I'm glad we didn't glissade back into the canyon. It is fairly nasty in there.

I'm curious about the layback and off-width pitches above the second notch, since I didn't do them. I wonder if that way is easier in winter when there is more snow? When I did it in May, there was no snow on the steep sections of the crux tower. I remember surprisingly difficult and somewhat susta...

Nice trip report, hamik. It brought back some gripping memories (though I was on belay). I can relate to how tired you were on the final tower.

Cool. I like your photo of Whitney, Langley, and Olancha. On clear days, you get the same view from the summit of Baldy, except the Sierras are much further away.

Nice outing, Dave and Norma. Those cornices are incredible.

Fritz: Yea, I was in the Khumbu for 45 days in the 90s. That's by far the longest I've gone without a bath.

TracieB wrote:Nice work Guys! Hey Sam I really like that new ipod feature on your blog.

Thanks Tracie! Those are my home-recorded tunes.

Thanks folks.

mve: I heard that the Ski Hut trail is still partially snow-covered, but is passable without crampons once the snow softens. Recent pics.

Norma: I probably won't be heading up that drainage again anytime soon, but Patrick might be game.

Your pictures bring back some of the best memories I have.

Yesterday, Taco and I climbed the northeast face of Mt. Baldy. We were on snow for about 2,500 vertical feet. Here is my trip report.

Nice slideshow, Taco. You had a productive season!

Thanks for a good outing, Patrick and Ryan. Here is my trip report.

The north side of Jepson Peak or San Gorgonio are excellent right now. Multiple couloirs on Charlton Peak appear to be in good shape too.

Looks like a fun trip. I like the way you eat!

TacoDelRio wrote:That's one of the worst "roads" I've been on. All riverbed. I don't suggest taking anything on it that isn't raised up a little bit with 4WD.

Just to be clear, you are not talking about 3N06, right?

Thanks for the info, folks.

Taco: PM sent.

Does anyone have any info about climbing the Northeast Face of Mt. Baldy? I assume it is still mostly snow covered now, which is what I want. And how far can a normal car get on the Stockton Flats Road?

Thanks!