Baldy Tuesday morning

hamik · Post by **hamik** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 12:38 pm

You folks might be amused with this graupel stream. It's on Facebook, sorry for those without accounts... video isn't mine.

These went on for the hour or so it takes to get to the hut, and some (like the above) even cut "river banks" into the snow slopes! Pretty cool...

In other news, as of yesterday morning there is ~6 in of new snow on the trail. Not enough for skiing, obviously, but the hiking is easy and pretty until the hut. Thereafter there is definitely a lot for skiing, cramponing, etc. There were winter conditions in the trees below the S ridge on W side of bowl... mid April powder skiing in socal! I love this place. Skinned from hut to ridge just below chutes then started descent because we had to be back for afternoon classes and didn't have skin wax to treat the 30 lbs of snow that accumulated on each of my skins.

I'm not an avalanche expert by any means, but yesterday the new layer of snow was very unstable on western part of bowl and especially on the E face of the S ridge... skin track + 3 pole basket holes were enough to detach a cohesive slab ~6 in thick (low in bowl). Slab higher is probably thicker higher up because of west winds from last storm. Would exercise caution for a couple more days... we skied the trees for this reason. The same snow will be a prime candidate for skier/hiker-triggered point-releases as the sun has its way. I wouldn't expect the slab to stick around in the sun beyond today, but as a recent observation posted to esac.org shows, wet slides can be serious business--if not for the trigger, then for the people below.

Ominous avalanche reports aside, what an AMAZING way to spend the morning before school! Seriously, the federal government should levy an "awesome place" tax on us to make it up to the poor souls of the Midwest.

Sam Page · Post by **Sam Page** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 1:24 pm

Thanks for the conditions update, Hamik. I have a facebook account, but couldn't access the video. What is a graupel stream?

simonov · Post by **simonov** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 2:01 pm

hamik wrote:Ominous avalanche reports aside, what an AMAZING way to spend the morning before school! Seriously, the federal government should levy an "awesome place" tax on us to make it up to the poor souls of the Midwest.

MikeTx came out her from Houston for some climbing. HOUSTON. That's like BELOW sea level.

So.BayMark · Post by **So.BayMark** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 6:02 am

saw your trails wednesday I went up main bowl followed up ski trails coming down off lip at top of chute, dont know name of that chute, I call it the jump off point for skiers and snowboarders, yes alot of snow accumulated on bottom of pons, after I got to rock where you make left turn up chute I stayed close to rock rest of way up,kicking to get grip, the old sometimes one step up two back thing..

went around to west bowl to come down met Ernie and a friend of his on the ridge and Kurt W. at bottom of bowl..

Yes unstable..

mark

EManBevHills · Post by **EManBevHills** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 5:44 pm

More unstable than I reckoned for...

I started a small point slide as I dropped into the West Bowl in the early afternoon. Scared the crap out of the poor climber directly below me!
Couldn't see the facial expression because of a face mask. But it was definitely a surprise. It had really softened up in the bowl by then.

Trail to the hut was iced up early and pretty clear on the return. Snow up top was beauteous!

Met Tom & Mark, and ran into Kurt leading a couple of guys to the top.

I had a blast. The snow on the upper mountain was PURRFECT!

Afraid it won't last -- except on the N exposures.

Here's the pics for those interested:
http://picasaweb.google.com/EManBevHill ... directlink

hamik · Post by **hamik** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 8:51 pm

You have some awesome albums.

Wasn't it AMAZING up there for mid April?? I'm SO glad you got a chance to get up there too

EManBevHills · Post by **EManBevHills** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 5:21 pm

Hey, thanx for the plug, Hamik!

I'm certainly not as lithe, nimble, bold, confident, & strong, etc. as I was when I was your age....But the fotos don't seem to be the worse for wear.

That was the 1st slide I ever set off though.

It's going to be a late night for me, or I would be joining my regular outdoor adventure partner, Will, at the T/H @ 4. The N side ought to be AWESOME!

However, from the summit, it looked to me like Gorgo is the place to be this w/e.

norma r · Post by **norma r** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:07 pm

EMan, just read your TR and saw the photos. Beauteous snow in April... quite the season we've enjoyed! Setting off a slide must have felt pretty sureal and luckily the climber below was surrounded by good Karma. In fact, i think you both were. Look forward to hearing how the skiing is on Gorgo's & Jepson's north. Let me know if you need a photographer. I'll come out and shoot.

EManBevHills · Post by **EManBevHills** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:34 pm

Norma, how was Le Conte? You must have had some pretty great conditions, yourselves!