C2C in March

[summitbagger]

Is anyone doing C2C these days? My buddy and I would like to do some hiking on San J in a couple weeks and need to decide if we want to tackle C2C or just take the easy way up and snowshoe to the summit from the tram.

[zippetydude]

Hate to leave you hangin' there, I haven't done Skyline in the past few weeks, but did the summit last weekend. This is prime time for the summit, 2.9 miles (instead of 5.5) of packed snow (like a sidewalk!) and beautiful every step of the way. If you're dead set on Skyline, I can't give you any input. But if you're considering the peak, it's a great option right now.

z

[Hikin_Jim]

C2C in March can be pretty tough because of the ice and snow on the Skyline portion. If you're well skilled with an ice axe and self arresting, then Skyline might be doable. There was a mountain guide a few years ago that slipped on one of the icy chutes and did not survive. As I understand it, he did have an ice axe, but he was unable to arrest. Not trying to sound like a "nervous Nelly." Just saying that Skyline in icy conditions is not to be undertaken lightly.

HJ

[lipbiter]

Not trying to sound like a "nervous Nelly."

hey... isn't that MY job???

[Hikin_Jim]

Oh, sorry.

Uh, what I meant is that only sissies sorry about the ice on Skyline in winter.

HJ

[summitbagger]

Thanks for the info. So is anyone doing C2C these days? Having climbed Shasta and Hood a couple times each, I'm reasonably comfortable with an ice axe although I haven't had to use it to save my life yet (knock on wood). By "doable", do you mean it's doable but you'd be crazy to try it OR it's doable as long as you're not some newbie expecting to waltz up the hill wearing running shoes? We would come with crampons, microspikes, snowshoes, and ice axes. How much different are the conditions now than in December? Back then, there was snow from just above Flat Rock on. We were able to get to the tram with microspikes and used snowshoes after that.

[neverwashasbeen]

Summitbagger, there have been some good storms since December, so there will be a lot more snow. If you're proficient with ice axe, crampons and snowshoes, you should be good to go. If things cool down again to make it really icy, you may want a rope on the upper skyline and I doubt you'll need microspikes.

[mattytreks]

Offbeat question: I went up Skyline a few years ago, and I'm not recalling some areas above Flatrock.

Snow and ice aside -- is route-finding above Flatrock fairly easy in the warm weather months?

[bluerail]

two of us went up skyline sat. deep new snow from the traverse up, some tracks into the manzanita, no tracks beyond that.. It was a long trip..we were postholing from our knees to our butts....and using all fours when it got steep.

[Ellen]

Howdy Summitbagger

Bluerail (Speedy Steve) can do Skyline in a little over 3 hours without snow. He also climbs very quickly in long, steep snow chutes with crampons and ice-axe. I'll get to the point -- if the Skyline traverse was a pain in the butt for him, it would be impossible for most of us.

RMRU has had to hike down and back up Skyline many times to rescue people on the traverse. This is unpleasant slog and also puts them at considerable risk.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen