Baldy Register Ridge 2-21-09

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 5:55 pm

I was planning on doing Register Ridge anyway, but the crowd on the Ski Hut Trail would have probably diverted me there, There is a lot of snow on the whole mountain. Conditions were not bad, as long as the occasional hip-deep post hole is not objectionable. The snow was quite firm on some of the route, and crampons made up for my failure in kicking steps into the stuff. It seemed to take forever to get to the top of Harwood, but it wasn't that bad considering the conditions. No one seemed to be coming up the Backbone, but I saw a line of skiers coming up the Bowl. I saw a fair number of people still coming up the Ski Hut route as I headed down that way. The Hut area was crowded with hikers and skiers. All in all it wa a great day, with temperatures in the 40s and decent visibility.

Pix

Post by **HikeUp** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:20 pm

Thanks for the pics.

I'm surprised to see bare spots on the top of Harwood. Is it wind scoured or did it melt or did they not get much snow up there or what?

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:45 pm

The wind must be just right on Harwood to scour the snow right off.

Post by **Taco** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:46 pm

HikeUp wrote:Thanks for the pics.

I'm surprised to see bare spots on the top of Harwood. Is it wind scoured or did it melt or did they not get much snow up there or what?

The wind always keeps some spots real dry.

brian90620 · Post by **brian90620** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:36 pm

Nice pictures and great trip report 8) ...........So, the snow on Baldy is getting pretty hard already? Iv'e been waiting anxiously to get up to the bowl, I really want to practice my self arrest skills

.........

LD · Post by LD » Sat Feb 21, 2009 8:31 pm

Nice pictures. Were any climbers going straight up the bowl? See any crown lines?

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 9:05 pm

Overall, the snow was pretty soft -- all day. The biggest exception was parts of Register Ridge. One could do self-arrest practice in the Bowl area with basically no risk.

There were fairly many skiers in the Bowl today. I got one photo of a good-sized line of skiers, along with several hikers, heading up to the summit from the west side of the Bowl.

There were almost no signs of avalanche activity.

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:17 pm

Nice work Alan, wish I could have gone today - was out doing volunteer work at the Northern Trust Open for Shotlinks at the Riviera Country Club in Racho Palos Verde.

The pictures were great and I like the "Parade of Skiers" heading up the bowl on the west face - niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Bill · Post by **Bill** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:34 am

Nice pics, and report. 8)

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:43 am

Hey Bill -- all that deep snow gave me a little better appreciation of your pictures of the snow situation in Wrightwood recently.

glamisking · Post by **glamisking** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 5:32 pm

Alan- My buddy and I were on the summit around 12:30 Saturday when a lone hiker came up from the Ridge Route. Was that you? I was disappointed that the snow was so soft but it was nice for glissading I think we glissaded more than 2/3rds of the way from summit to the road in about 1.2 hours. In fact we beat some skiers from the hut to the waterfalls by 15 minutes

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:44 pm

That had to be me because I hit the summit at around 12:30 and had seen no one else on the Register Ridge route. I guess we have to do a better job of introductions!

It was pretty soft on the Ski Hut route. Everyone was having a good time going down or working pretty hard going up.

406 · Post by **406** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:59 pm

nice photos.

Needs to start getting colder at night.

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:05 pm

406 wrote:Needs to start getting colder at night.

Yeah, please... before summer, eh?

GigaMike · Post by **GigaMike** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:11 pm

Great pics Alan. I actually thought about doing Register Ridge on Saturday also, but with a late start I didn't want to mess with the crowds at Manker. If you look close at some of my pics from Ontario Peak, you might be able to see yourself

EManBevHills · Post by **EManBevHills** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:25 pm

Took a RR noobie up on Sunday. Actually, he did the heavy lifting.
Postholing that is.

For me, it was just another glorious day on Mt. Baldy, albeit a bit breezy.

'Pons, 'shoes, and boots were used sequentially as conditions softened.
The snow had a nice corn to it, particularly on the N facing slopes.

There were conga lines crawling up several routes in the bowl.

We took our time. That was part of the wonder....

[img http://picasaweb.google.com/EManBevHill ... 9602749154

glamisking · Post by **glamisking** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:49 pm

I have been up Baldy from every side but the southeast ridge (Register Ridge) and I am looking forward to taking a crack at it this Saturday. I have moderate technical experience in the snow but I will be taking a noob with me. We both have crampons and axes harnesses and the like but I am not sure how exposed the route is. Is it ever necessary to set up a belay? Should I bring pickets or are there alternate anchors (trees)? I would use extra caution with him until I can assess his skill level but I want him to be safe. For the class 3 option is there a recommended winter route (left, right, center)? And lastly should we bother to bring our MSR Denali shoeshoes as well? Thanks in advance for the beta.

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:13 pm

Under normal conditions, Register Ridge does not have much in the way of exposure. I went up partway once and encountered ice rink conditions that changed the situation, but that is rare. It's a steep route in sense that it provides a great workout.

I could have used snowshoes in places and did use crampons in others when I went up a couple of weekends ago, but conditions are changing every day. Hopefully, you can get some recent info on the snow, especially with the new stuff.

EManBevHills · Post by **EManBevHills** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 4:18 pm

Glamisking,

Be prepared for a long day. Looks like some snow is falling at the moment.

The route has become pretty well delineated and you can avoid the 3rd class easily. When in doubt stick to the ridge line proper.

I would suggest an early start since you will probably not wish to return the way you came. Plan on either summiting and returning via the ski hut trail or bailing once you reach the backbone -- which is exposed in places and can be intimidating in icy conditions.

The snow is still pretty deep in spots. Snowshoes will keep you from postholing too much. The skihut trail was pretty trashed when we descended it last Sunday. If its been below freezing, you might have a sketchier descent than usual.

Hope this week old beta is useful.

glamisking · Post by **glamisking** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:26 pm

Thanks! The resort has only reported 3-4 inches with light snow falling tonight however it is now 25 deg. and I am afraid of how bad the freeze thaw has been with it so warm this past week. But thanks again and I will report back tomorrow night.

EnFuego · Post by **EnFuego** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 6:37 pm

Nice pix Alan. Glad to see the snow still hanging in there. I had a couple routes nearby on my "to do" list, I think I'll try to hit one up next week.

glamisking · Post by **glamisking** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:47 pm

My brother and I went up the Register Route Saturday 3-7-09 and had a great time. As I said this was my first time up the route and found mixed conditions until 7,500 feet. Crampons were a must until we reached the Backbone were the snow had been blown clear. The temperatures stayed in the 20s most of the day which gave us outstanding snow conditions but I was surprised at the amount of melting which was occurring below 7,500 ft. We glissaded the bowl and few smaller sections as we headed down the ski hut trail. No snowshoes were needed. 4 hours up, 2 down.

The pics from this trip are just the last 10 photos in the album.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 58&l=75e8b