Mount Williamson

[Bigwookie009]

Have any of you guys ever climbed this mountain before? I have been reading around trying to find a mountain 8k plus to climb and I would like to climb on soon. Most I want to do have snow and people say I need crampons and experience which makes sense but this mountain said "Spring through Fall are the most accessable. But even in winter the trail up from *Kratka Ridge stays pretty much snow free due to southern exposure."

You guys think I could do with with no snow gear?

Or any other mountains that are pretty big that you think I could do without snow gear?

Thanks for any help guys

Also guys just found Timber Mountain says that its normally snow free and can be a easy walk up on fry ground? I think Timber mountain may be it! What do yall think?

[Kevin]

Where I live in the Eastern Sierra the snowline now is somewhere between 4 and 5K', depending upon exposure. Now, how far anyone could reasonably go without gear, experience, etc once they hit the snowline ... did you also intend to go home?

Seriously - get some experience, get some gear, and work into it. No one in their right mind is going to tell you to just "GO FOR IT".

[Tim Le]

I've hiked both Williamson and Timber. I was recently in the Baldy area and I can report that Timber (and everything around there) is totally covered in several feet of snow. I'd imagine Williamson is the same way, being above 8,000 ft. The more perplexing problem is how to even get to Williamson. Angeles Crest Highway, AFAIK, is still closed due to road damage inflicted by the week of monster rains. Unfortunately the high country is just full of snow right now and will be for several months.

[AlanK]

Rte. 2 is indeed closed from La Canada to somewhere in the Vincent Gap area. That makes a lot of nice peaks inaccessible without long hikes.

I also agree with TIm that anything approaching 8000' in the Southern California area is probably well-covered with snow at thie point.

For discussion specific to the San Gabriels, you might want to try this fine message board.

[Bigwookie009]

man the web site I was looking at said the ice house trail on it or something normally didn't get snow for some reason, I thought it seemed too good to be true

[AlanK]

There are places that get less snow than others with similar elevations. The problem right now is that the snow level is below your target elevation by quite a bit. That can change, but in either direction. Well, it will change a lot by summer! For now... keep monitoring the boards and the weather.

[Bigwookie009]

Guys not that I am trying to argue but I just read this in a review for timber mountain
"weather was slightly warm and no wind, even at the saddle. some snow and ice after the 2 to 3 miles, but passable without ice crampons or ice axe. Although hiking poles were VERY useful on the slippery tricky spots. The advanced canyon trail always busy with the bionic international old people, and at the entrance near the parking lot where the dirty people hang out and leave trash behind. The first mile had 6 separate large dog poos. come on people."

Now the date on that is 1/9/2010 so that was not that long ago, I am not doubting you guys or anything but do you think it got worse because of all that weather we had then or what?

[AlanK]

There was rather little snow in the San Gabriels until the week of storms that began on January 18. So that report about Timber is very believable. And totally irrelevant today. It snowed a lot that week!

Things change quickly in the mountains. It is not possible to get current weather advice from books or old Web reports.

[Bigwookie009]

There was rather little snow in the San Gabriels until the week of storms that began on January 18. So that report about Timber is very believable. And totally irrelevant today. It snowed a lot that week!

Things change quickly in the mountains. It is not possible to get current weather advice from books or old Web reports.

I see that makes sense. So it will probably stay up there for a while or you think it might die down a bit within the next month or so? I was already planning out the hike I actually dreamed about it last night thats how excited I was getting lol

Also do any of you guys ever use ski poles as trekking poles I was going to suck it up and buy some but then I a realized I have some old ski poles they seem about just the right hight and are built good think they would work just fine?

[Kevin]

Also do any of you guys ever use ski poles as trekking poles I was going to suck it up and buy some but then I a realized I have some old ski poles they seem about just the right hight and are built good think they would work just fine?

Lots of people use ski poles rather than trekking poles. There's a couple of advantages to the trekking - one is that you can adjust them (a bit shorter on the up, and then a bit longer on the down) and two - the tips on trekking poles usually have a replaceable carbide tip which lasts longer, grips better, etc, than ski poles. But, if you've got some ski poles around, give them a try, especially in winter. Snow doesn't wear the tips down very much.