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Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:54 pm
by mve
I've been patiently waiting to hit Baldy all week during which some serious storms came through the LA-LA land. I had a feeling it was going to be something special in the mountains but after reading glamisking's Register Ridge on Thursday it became obvious that the amount of snow that fell in that area was something out of ordinary.

It also meant that logistics of getting to the mountain became quite involved. For starters -- there was a very large possibility that snow chains were going to be required. And according to glamisking's TR it was impossible to move past the gate at Manker's without snowshoes.

It was a bit of challenge to quickly procure both chains and snowshoes in time for the weekend but it all came together by Saturday afternoon. I spent Saturday night test fitting the chains and the snowshoes and by night we were ready to go:





Of course we didn't need either! But if I hadn't gotten them I am sure we would have :lol: .

We left LA at 5:54 and were at the Maker Flats at 7:30am -- most of the time was spent stuck in traffic around the Baldy Village area where the road was pretty much occupied by the snow chain installing motorists. CHP also had a road block right at Mountain Ave/Mt Baldy Rd. juncture and when our turn came up CHP officer quickly glanced at our all terrain tires, asked if we were going all the way to the top and waved us through without asking anything else -- I guess we didn't need chains. The road was peppered with sand and salt and pretty much was bone dry all the way to the village. But at the village it all changed -- there was a lot of sleet, long lines of motorists mounting chains and dense traffic caused by it all.

We hit Manker's parking "lot" at 7:30am with temperature reading 28F! Gearing up took almost 30 minutes -- it's a real PITA to strap poles, snowshoes, axes and crampons to the pack -- the snow-pack felt very firm and I was doubting we'd need the snowshoes but we decided to bring them along just in case and then if conditions prove we didn't need them we'd just bury them somewhere on the trail marking location with GPS.

Fire road was beyond recognition:



so was the rest stop before the gate:



as we moved further in we were floored by the beauty of the landscape in front of us:



Recognize this place? And can you distinguish what's protruding underneath the snow?:



That's right it's a truck!

The fire-road is pretty much gone -- the only thing that's left is a fairly narrow trail:



It also got pretty icy around this area and we strapped on our crampons (so far no need for snowshoes).

Here's what the register box looked like:



And finally the Ski Hut trail (quite a different from what we are used to :lol:







There were a lot of skiers and they had a blast judging by their tracks:



Ski Hut Trail has changed quite a bit since the last time we were there -- it's a little more "direct" now :lol:



Looking back:



Wonderland:





Taco Sauce:



Got snow?



maybe a bit too much?



I had a permanent grin attached to my face all day long :lol:



Break time:



Heading down:





Quick note: bring a helmet -- we were under constant bombardment by the rime ice falling from the trees and some of the chunks are HUGE! I took couple of hits on my helmet and I was really glad it wasn't my head.

The fun ended right after we arrived back at the Manker Flats -- it was a complete and utter debacle -- I have never seen so many people there and they were all going wild. Police towing cars, tickets issued, stuck vehicles, traffic and pure chaos:













There were cars everywhere -- no parking left, and more and more people kept pouring in! The same picture was unfolding in the Village:



Finally we are out and here's a look back at the wonderland:



I am ready to go back! It was awesome (minus the traffic of course).

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:15 pm
by Tim
Wow, wonderful pictures! What camera did you use to take these?

Baldy looks incredible. The Bowl looks so smooth! That is an amazing amount of snow. Too bad about the circus on the roads.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:27 pm
by mve
Thanks Tim -- yes it's beautiful out there and I think any camera would have captured it. Today I mostly used Nikon D40 with the kit lens. It's a great little camera and is capable of taking great pictures as long as I don't screw it up.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:29 pm
by Sam Page
Awesome trip report. Thanks for taking the time to put it together. It's amazing how much the terrain has changed, especially the fire road.

Did you need your snowshoes?

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:38 pm
by mve
Thanks. And in regards to the snowshoes -- we had no need for them at all -- the trail was really packed down by the time we got there, but if we had to get off of it then yes, we would need them for sure. We ended up burying the snowshoes at the beginning of the trail and picked them up on our way out.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:25 am
by norma r
Thanks for posting MVE. awesome shots. how fun to see that transformation. Baldy was sooo white as i passed it yesterday, i could believe it. i did San J today to avoid the traffic, and it was great, but it did not get as much snow as Baldy. it got a ton. but it looks like Baldy got tons. heading to Baldy tomorrow. or looking at the time i guess it's today! yikes better get some sleep.

curious... how long sis it take you to get from Manker back down to the 210 freewaY?

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:12 am
by Taco
HEEEEEEEEEELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is that a newer generation Toyota FJ? I recognize the rear axle, brakes, and flaps. 8)

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:44 am
by mve
norma r wrote:i did San J today to avoid the traffic, and it was great, but it did not get as much snow as Baldy. it got a ton. but it looks like Baldy got tons. heading to Baldy tomorrow.freewaY?
San Jacinto and Baldy back to back! Norma -- you are a machine!
norma r wrote: curious... how long sis it take you to get from Manker back down to the 210 freewaY?
Sorry for the late intel -- 33 minutes.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:48 am
by mve
TacoDelRio wrote:Is that a newer generation Toyota FJ? I recognize the rear axle, brakes, and flaps. 8)
Not bad man -- yes it's an FJ, I just traded in my Tacoma to get it.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:33 am
by gregp909
Awesome TR and the pictures are incredible! Thanks for posting.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:33 am
by He219
Nice TR, mve!
:D
How do you like those Spantiks?
mve wrote: Quick note: bring a helmet -- we were under constant bombardment by the rime ice falling from the trees and some of the chunks are HUGE! I took couple of hits on my helmet and I was really glad it wasn't my head.
They were HUGE alright.
It got hot yesterday and those things could squash a person like a jellybean.
Saw some ~400lb sections of rime ice fall from the trees right around me on Harwood.
Sketchy.

Check out the hard rime on this tower!
Image

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 10:22 am
by mve
He219 wrote:Nice TR, mve!
:D
How do you like those Spantiks?
Thanks. Spantiks are awesome -- no comparison to the heel chewing Nepals I traded in for them! It was toasty when it got warm but nothing unmanageable. My justification -- I am not that rich to have a boot for each mountain -- Spantik should be good up to 25-26k and I've seen three of them on Baldy already before plopping the $$ -- everyone I spoke to were happy campers. Yesterday we ran into a guy who failed to summit Everest last season -- he said he used them up to Camp III ...

He219 wrote:
mve wrote: Quick note: bring a helmet -- we were under constant bombardment by the rime ice falling from the trees and some of the chunks are HUGE! I took couple of hits on my helmet and I was really glad it wasn't my head.
They were HUGE alright.
It got hot yesterday and those things could squash a person like a jellybean.
Saw some ~400lb sections of rime ice fall from the trees right around me on Harwood.
Sketchy.
I had very uneasy feeling walking (scratch that -- running :lol: ) under those trees -- that tower picture is sick WOW!

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:06 am
by Zach
Great TR dude! Looks sooo awesome. I'm itching to get out there!

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:06 am
by Taco
I forgot to ask about those Spantiks. Good to hear you used them.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:23 pm
by EnFuego
Ncie pictures. Looks like there will be some cool climbing in the bowl soon. We got good chance for some more snow tuesday night. Then wait for some consolidation and it's open season on climbing in the area.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:43 pm
by 406
nice tr
snow play within a 100 feet of the highway should be outlawed.
I was glad to see CHP, FS, Baldy rangers out and about, I think they kept it from getting really bad...like the times it has taken hours to drive 3 miles from the ski area to the village.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:30 pm
by tinaballina
Ditto to all the posts, awesome pics.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:44 pm
by glamisking
Hey MVE. I am glad you had a great trip. Sorry for the "poor intel" 8) My brother and I made almost an identical trip on Sunday. We parked at 7:30, started out about 7:50, and got to the hut around 10:00. In fact I saw you through the ski hut window :D and I even double took thinking it was Taco but noticed your green helmet not his white one. Sorry I didn't put it together sooner. We used snowshoes the whole time (simply for traction below 7K but above where the snow hadn't experienced as much of freeze thaw I was glad I had them over crampons). Did you buy or rent the snowshoes? Did you ever try them out off trail? Cause that is a unique and awesome experience although it is twice as much work as on-trail.

I was wearing a red long sleeve and Oakley sunglasses and my brother was the only 10 year old on the mountain. But we pretty much hung out in the hut until heading down.

Excellent TR. You definitely represented the experience well.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 5:05 pm
by mve
glamisking wrote:I am glad you had a great trip. Sorry for the "poor intel"
Your intel was spot on -- we were all just lucky someone else broke/packed the trail for us :D One foot off trail and I would bog down up to my hip in some places -- snowshoes would have been invaluable. Plus I was fully prepared to not use them, but I like to go prepared and it's good to have a pair in case I ever find myself in conditions you experienced on Thursday (which was awesome!).
glamisking wrote: My brother and I made almost an identical trip on Sunday. We parked at 7:30, started out about 7:50, and got to the hut around 10:00.
WOW you beat us by 10 minutes of departure time that's why we didn't run into each other at the TR.
glamisking wrote:In fact I saw you through the ski hut window :D and I even double took thinking it was Taco but noticed your green helmet not his white one. Sorry I didn't put it together sooner.
Hey no problem man -- maybe next time :D and I am getting used to being mistaken for Taco. When he gets filthy rich I can be his double :lol: how about it Taco? Do I have the gig?

glamisking wrote:Did you ever try them out off trail? Cause that is a unique and awesome experience although it is twice as much work as on-trail.
Nope -- buried them right after the register and picked them up on the way out. I should have tried them on ...
glamisking wrote:I was wearing a red long sleeve and Oakley sunglasses and my brother was the only 10 year old on the mountain. But we pretty much hung out in the hut until heading down.
WOW your bro is growing to be an adventurer! Man that's hardcore! That's a tough trail for a 10 year old.
glamisking wrote:Excellent TR. You definitely represented the experience well.


Thanks -- it was well worth sharing it here.

Re: Ski Hut - Jan 24 2010

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:59 pm
by glamisking
mve wrote: WOW you beat us by 10 minutes of departure time that's why we didn't run into each other at the TR.

WOW your bro is growing to be an adventurer! Man that's hardcore! That's a tough trail for a 10 year old.
We both must have been equally busy enjoying the view and taking pictures because we had a fair amount of people pass us and I am surprised you didn't make up the 10 minute difference.

And it was a pretty intense trial and even more intense conditions but he is a crazy athlete (runs a 5:30 mile!)