EISPIRATEN

My ex-GF is visiting from Australia and wanted to head up Baldy sometime. So with the recent heat wave and the $10 round-trip lift ticket/dinner special we went up on Saturday. (I know it's cheating...) Brought plenty of layers since it was still a little chilly but the wind was supposed to die down in the late morning - didn't happen. We rode up about 1230 and walked up the steep ski run, so I got to practice the rest step a little bit and she got to use hiking poles for the first time. No snow until just before the top of Chair 4, but then pretty constant until the backbone sign (which is missing).
Wearing trail runners, with a relative mountain newbie and in the strong winds, I chose to stop right there. By myself, might have gone but I really didn't want to come back down when that section got icy. Of course by myself I would have left earlier and walked faster.....
Few pics from up there:


Looking back at Telegraph and Thunder.



Long-distance zoom of SanG.



Slope before the end of ski lift.



Almost at the lift, cool wind patterns.



Backbone. As mentioned, didn't want to drag someone else over it in the wind and ice.



Nice thing about the wind, it's clear enough to see Catalina.

Nice! You probably made the right call if you didn't have microspikes or crampons. Ice is nothing to fool with. I slipped last weekend on ice near the backbone just below Harwood (with microspikes on) and slid about 25 feet. With 1 inch of hard ice peppered with exposed frozen rocks it was like sliding on a cheese grater. Quite painful and continues to be so a week later.

Very nice, thanks for the pics and the report on the conditions. Baldy isn't going anyhere anytime soon, props on the decision to turn back.