C2C the day after a storm?

[CaliHiker]

I am interested in hiking C2C this weekend. The weather forecast says Friday morning there could be as much as 4 inches of snow on top and rain at lower elevations. The storm should be over by Saturday but I wanted to ask do you think it is a good idea to hike C2C the day after a storm?

[cynthia23]

I think it mainly depends on how low the snow goes. If it is below 8500 feet , there is the potential of getting lost and misdirected. Have you done it before? It can become very confusing in the traverses below 8500 if they are covered with fresh snow, and there is only one (safe) chute up. The other variability is your comfort level with winter mountaineering--i.e. do you have/have you used crampons or yaktrax, an ice axe, etc? Some of the slopes below 8500 are very steep and have exposure. When the portion from 7000 to 8500 is covered with snow or ice, people have fallen and even been killed there. If going up steep snowy slopes is something you do frequently and you have GPS (or have done it before) and you are (very) well conditioned, you should be okay. Also, it seems likely that it will stay warm enough that the snow dump below 8500 feet will be very trivial or non-existent. Rain will make the trail muddy obviously but not to the point of obliterating it. As far as the part from the tram to the peak, that's actually less concerning,( so long as you have proper gear), because it is less steep and there's signage and more people around.

If you have never done any winter mountaineering and the latest weather reports indicate significant snow below 8500, then I would say no, don't go. If there is no snow below 8500 you should be okay. That's my two cents.

[CaliHiker]

Thank you for responding. I do not have experience with the Skyline trail or snow. I have hiked Baldy, San Gorgonio, White Mountain and Mount Whitney but never with snow on the ground. According to the mountain forecast online it says 2.8 inches of snow on top and 1.2 inches of snow at 8,200ft and below that should just be rain on Friday. By Saturday the storm should be over but my concern is the snow that might be on the ground. I do not have experience with crampons/microspikes but I was going to take some with me in case. Do you think it is doable or not worth it?

[zippetydude]

There will be a bazillion people, you have virtually no chance of getting lost! Bring the micros and have fun!

z

[cynthia23]

Zip is our resident optimist ... and I am the resident pessimist . But I think he's correct that there will be a lot of
people on the trail on Saturday, at least early on, and you'll likely be able to follow them or at least their trail. I think that so long as you have some kind of microspikes (i.e. yaktrax or the like) you should be okay, and it's quite possible there will be no snow on the ground anyway. Just keep a close eye on the weather.

[sdtrackrunner]

I dunno, this storm is going to be fairly big, with snow levels creeping down near 6,000 feet, and it will last into Saturday morning. I would respect that final section with the steeper slopes if a foot of snow falls there. It could come in soggy too, and then freeze overnight. Should be a cake walk if you know how to use your crampons and ice axe, but I would definitely raise an eyebrow if I didn't have that experience and equipment.

[Ed]

I would check the write-up of the scheduled trip on Saturday for the Mt. San Jacinto Hiking Club. I know it's not nice to free-ride on them, but they have excellent trip write-ups, with last-minute posts from leaders on expected conditions, gear, etc. If you follow their tracks in the snow, you won't get lost. How can you be sure it's their tracks? That's another question.

I doubt the snow will be so deep or so hard as to be a problem, so long as you have trekking poles, microspikes, and ankle-high boots with gaiters. But even soft snow can be slippery.

Now that I've posted this, I will admit that I am planning to go up tomorrow rather than Saturday. In case the storm arrives late.

[CaliHiker]

Thank you! This is all very helpful. I will probably make a decision later in the week based on the weather reports and the Hiking club's site.

[cynthia23]

If the snow is actually going to be down as low as 6000 feet, then I would definitely not go. If you have never hiked uphill in snow before, you sure as heck don't want to be the very first time to be the last two thousand feet of Skyline. As SDtrackrunner put it so well, that area definitely deserves respect.

[zippetydude]

Here's the NOAA forecast as of Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 for expectations of snow on Friday up at Long Valley:

Friday Rain showers before 4pm, then rain, possibly mixed with snow showers. The rain could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. High near 40. West wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Friday Night Snow showers likely, mainly before 10pm. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. West wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Very slight chance of a dusting on Saturday. If you're going to do just Skyline, you won't need ice axe or crampons. The peak may receive considerably more snow, but even then I'm thinking the snow will be fresh and you'll only be looking at snowshoes. There are always a bunch of people up top after a snowstorm, so you can always tag along with a group going to the peak to find the way.

Speaking of tagging along with a group, you could always join the club mentioned above and go with them. They're free and friendly. http://www.meetup.com/Hiking-Coachella- ... ?a=ro2_grp

I'm hoping to go Saturday morning myself, as my daughter has a swim meet in Palm Springs this weekend. I may go in the afternoon instead, but I'll be on the trail one way or another. Skyline is always extra nice after a rain.

z