Mt San Jacinto -- conds in early mar

[PeakBagger]

Hello California!

Ill be out in Palm Springs for a conference the week of Mar 7. I had planned to stay a few extra days in the hope of summiting Mt. SJ from the tram dropoff. I am curious what kind of weather and conditions I might encounter. Will I need a full complement of winter gear?

Advice appreciated!

Thanks!

Greg

PS. I just saw a recent post indicating the summit may have gotten as much as 2 feet of new snow... with temps in the teens. Is this what I can expect in a couple of weeks as well?

[Hikin_Jim]

Greg,

It's hard to say just what's going to happen. We've had unseasonably warm temps in Jan... but now a storm is moving through. You might need crampons; you might not. You might need snow shoes; you might not.

If you've got the gear, then bring it and then make the decision when you're here. At the very least there should be snow on the ground and it'll be cold up there -- the summit (as I'm sure you know) is nearly 11,000 and it's rocky and windswept. I've been up there in the summer and frozen my keister off.

You might get a clear, windless beautiful blue sky day with views of a 100 miles or more the kind that make droves of people move to So. Cal. or you might get cold wet gray fog with visibility of four feet (whiteout). Hard to say.

Aren't you glad you asked? Seriously though, be prepared, keep an eye on the weather forecast, and watch this forum.

HJ

[PeakBagger]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply. (The board never notified me of your post -- hence the long period of silence).

We are experienced hikers... and I am aware of the elevation and possible summit conditions... I do appreciate the heads up in that regard tho.

I wondered if we might need crampons and/or snowshoes. I can probably squeeze my cramps in my bag, but im not sure about the shoes. Are there any gear shops in the area where we could rent shoes?

Again, appreciate the advice,

Greg

[Hikin_Jim]

Greg,

Normally, the shop at the top rents snow shoes. I have no idea as to their quality or availability. Someone said something recently that made me think that the 'shoes are aren't always available.

As to snow shoe rentals in Palm Springs, I'm not the best person to ask. Maybe a local can chime in here.

What airport are you flying in to? There might be an REI or Sport Chalet en route from the airport to Palm Springs that might have rentals.

Right now, I think snow shoes are the order of the day. We got a good dump over the weekend, and it was storming some again yesterday. I guess throw your crampons in your bag (what about your ice axe?), keep an eye on this board re conditions, and make the call right before you go out on you hike.

HJ

[PeakBagger]

Jim,

Flying into Ontario. I guess I should google around a bit for some local shops... maybe try to call the shop @ the top.

Ice axe... hmm... think I can carry that on? LOL

Txs again,

-g

[Hikin_Jim]

Yeah, I've checked an ice axe before, but kind of a pain.

There's an REI about 10 minutes from Ontario airport.

HJ

[DevonTaig]

Hi Greg - Saw your post...Are you out for the ESRI Developer Summit? If so, small world, so am I! Anyway, just thought I throw this out there...my hiking buddy bailed on me, and I'm kinda looking for someone to tackle the snow with particularly in the San Jacinto area. I'm planning two trips - the first is the weekend before the conference (March 5,6) and the second the weekend after (March 11-14). I'm not planning on bagging San Jacinto, but am wanting to hike a 60 mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail (definitely using snow-shoes for 75% of that) from Interstate 10 - Highway 74. If you're interested in doing a chunk of that too, give me a holler. I'm planning on starting the second trip from the intersection of highway 243 and road NF-4S01 (see map here: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UT ... 3&t=h&z=18 )...that might be a good spot to access San Jacinto from.

[PeakBagger]

HJ- Thanks for that lead! That may save me from having to transport some of my gear from the east coast!

DT - Yes, I am coming out for the DevSummit. I will let you know about your proposal. Im not getting in until late Sun, conferencing M-Th picking up my girl back in Ontario on Thu, then plan to hike SanJ sometime between Fri and Sun.

Should be a hell of a week!

-g

[PeakBagger]

So, just to bring some closure to this thread, I thought Id let you know we had a great day on the mountain last Sat 3/12. Due mostly to the altitude and LOE required with snowshoes, we were only able to make it to Wellman's. A great day nonetheless. Perhaps we'll summit some other time when we're in better shape

Some pics here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Greg.Knight ... nto3122011

Best,

-g

[93ludegirl]

Nice pics