Cucamonga Peak

LD · Post by LD » Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:15 pm

I was able to get a hall pass today and never having done Cucamonga in the winter I wanted to do it while the ridge is still in good condition. Started out of the parking lot at 7:30 and with the trail to the saddle well beaten I didn’t need shoes or crampons. At the saddle changed to shoes for Bighorn then going down Bighorn’s east ridge needed to change to crampons as I felt more secure due to the steepness in certain areas.

At the saddle I needed to stay to the right of the ridge until I was able to pass a large rock outcropping. Some major post holing here. Once on the ridge the snow was in great shape so no more post holing. While I was going up, there was a helicopter that was checking the south side chutes of Ontario ridge for quite awhile. Not sure what that was about.

After that it was just a straight climb up. Once on top I intercepted a single pair of snowshoe tracks that were a few days old. I followed them and it looks like they came up from the ridge that starts from Deer Canyon.

I originally wanted to continue to Etiwanda but I had run out of Cytomax the day before so I used some old Gatorade I had around the house and it wasn’t agreeing with my stomach at all so I ate a small lunch then headed down to the saddle all the while looking at Bighorns east ridge knowing I’d have to go back up that thing (ugh).

Except for a persistent 20 –30 knot wind, weather was perfect. Except for a large group of people I passed in the morning didn’t see a soul until I got close to the parking lot.

Not as steep as this picture makes it look

Ridgeline with rock toward the bottom

Thankfully this didn't last to long

Chute to the left of ridgline

Top of Cucamonga

Cucamonga Peak

Etiwanda

East ridge of Bighorn

Sashimi · Post by **Sashimi** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:33 pm

awesome pix sweet trip report

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:11 am

LD wrote:While I was going up, there was a helicopter that was checking the south side chutes of Ontario ridge for quite awhile. Not sure what that was about.

That was Fish & Game doing an annual survey of bighorn sheep. That was most likely the large group you saw on the ground too - they send people into various canyons & ridges, and then compare the numbers from the chopper & the ground count to see how the population is doing.

Great TR - nice pics! I'm always surprised how long the snow sticks around up there.

EnFuego · Post by **EnFuego** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:29 am

Nice job and excellent TR. That Cytomax stuff is awesome. I started using it in January on all my trips. Stuff works great. I also ran out, and this past weekend, filled one of of my bottles with Gatoraide too. Didn't agree with me either.

If you don't mind, what was your total mileadge, elevation gain and time? Also, if you were able to see down into Deer Creek, what did that canyon/ravine look like? There's someone else on this board (and myself) thinking of doing Cucamonga from Deer Creek.

Thanks.

LD · Post by LD » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:25 pm

EnFuego wrote: If you don't mind, what was your total mileadge, elevation gain and time? Also, if you were able to see down into Deer Creek, what did that canyon/ravine look like? There's someone else on this board (and myself) thinking of doing Cucamonga from Deer Creek.

Thanks.

Total gain was around 5300' with around 10 miles. Having to go up Bighorn twice adds about 1400'. It will be nice when that trail around the east side of Bighorn gets broken.
I Left parking lot at 7:20 and on the peak at 12:10. Back in the parking lot at 4:00.

Looking down Deer Creek there still is a lot of snow on the ridge. Found this recent TR on summitpost.This will be more help.

Looks like the ridge is coming back to life.Bring extra Cyto

http://www.summitpost.org/object_discus ... _id=159562

Post by **HikeUp** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:34 pm

LD wrote:It will be nice when that trail around the east side of Bighorn gets broken.

Forgive my innocence, but is it more difficult to break that trail versus going up and over Bighorn? Are the snow conditions that different? or is side-hilling difficult in snow shoes?

He219 · Post by **He219** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:47 pm

How would breaking trail on skins be and then up/down NW chute?
Great job LD and nice TR!

406 · Post by **406** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:05 pm

Nice work.

LD wrote: Not as steep as this picture makes it look

Never admit that

LD · Post by LD » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:01 pm

HikeUp wrote:
LD wrote:It will be nice when that trail around the east side of Bighorn gets broken.
Forgive my innocence, but is it more difficult to break that trail versus going up and over Bighorn? Are the snow conditions that different? or is side-hilling difficult in snow shoes?

No forgiving needed.
Are you volunteering?

That trail around Bighorn traverses some very steep chutes with a lot of exposure. The angle is such that it would be a pain in the arse traversing with snowshoes even with soft snow and if conditions dictate crampons that exposure definitely ups the pucker factor.
Right now there is not even an outline of a trail so either a gps would be needed or just wag it. The saddles are both around the same elevation.
It just seems safer right now to go up Bighorn and over.

He219 wrote:How would breaking trail on skins be and then up/down NW chute?
Great job LD and nice TR!

Thanks He219
The chute looks in good shape for skinning up. You may have to dodge a few trees coming down though. Seemed to be quite a number of them in the center. I'm guessing about a 30 deg angle.
You might want to try the west slopes coming down like this guy did last year. If you do it you just gotta wear a helmet cam.
http://www.sierradescents.com/skiing/cu ... -face.html

They seemed more open and at the bottom you can "just"(easy for me to say) skin up Cucamonga Canyon to the saddle.