Tramshoeing

[KathyW]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the storm this week will bring enough snow to make for a good tramshoeing trip on Saturday. I always love riding the tram up when there's snow on top to snowshoe in.

Anyone else thinking of heading up the tram on Saturday?

[zippetydude]

Hey Kathy, I saw in some of your other postings that you're doing some trail running nowadays. Good job!

Since you're a trail runner, I thought I'd mention that trail running downhill with snowshoes can be crazy. If the trail isn't very well packed down, every now and then I suddenly crash when one of my shoes breaks through the surface and sucks me in up to my hip.

It's a pretty good wipe out, but so far I haven't been hurt. If you get crankin' down hill, watch out!

Perry, if you're reading this, does that happen to you? Or am I just a clumsy ox?

z

[Perry]

I've had some interesting tumbles, especially in deep powder snow. With more experience it becomes easier to handle that stuff. Poles are great! When there was a lot of snow I did bound down from the peak to the ranger station in I think 24 minutes. Dropped about 1,000 feet on the east face in about 5 minutes. But I wouldn't try that in the spring time. Only when there's at least 5 feet of snow on that east face. Seven years ago I would have been falling all over the place trying to do that.

Edit: with poles you want the large powder baskets for backcountry, not regular baskets for ski poles.

Actually I think last winter I fell once or twice in the conditions you described with the crusty top layer.

[KathyW]

Zip - My trail running is probably slower than your trail walking, but it sure is helping me get stronger.

I have run down a hill or two in snowshoes - can be lots of fun, but I've never had the energy to run uphill in snowshoes - doubt if I'll ever be able to do that. Postholing in snowshoes is no fun at all - once you get in deep with snowshoes on it's pretty tough pulling your feet out. I guess it would make sense to carry a shovel.

[KathyW]

It sounds like the storm might really come - we might get 8 to 12 inches of snow on San Jacinto and then Saturday is supposed to be clear. I'm dusting off my snowshoes.

[KathyW]

It doesn't look like there's much new snow on top of the tram:

http://www.pstramway.com/cams-weather/cams-detail.asp

Maybe tomorrow won't be a great day for snowshoeing afterall.

[KathyW]

It's starting to look like this weekend coming up might be a good weekend for hauling those snowshoes up the tram.