Mt. Baldy via Mt. Baldy Trail Conditions as of 2/9/2008

[Hikin_Jim]

Probably the ski hut trail or the register ridge variation. Alternatively, you could try the riding the ski lift to the notch and then hike up the Devil's Backbone, but a lot of people have found that route untenable lately.

Definitely don't go from the North or from the Village if you want a quick route.

Be careful of the ice out there. We had a fatality in that vicinity this past week.

[powderfinder]

Has anyone ever climbed/skied/snowboarded Telegraph Peak or have any information?

[lilbitmo]

I went up Bear Canyon Trial Saturday while the rescuers were being deployed into the Cucamonga Wilderness in search of the missing hiker.

The conditions on that trail had a slight amount of snow patches before and after Bear Flat 1.75 miles into the hike. Then a few more up to 6,800 Feet. Once you hit the first real ridge line at 7,000 feet (approx.) it gets thicker and Crampons or Snow Shoes are highly recommended depending on your preference and skill level (you choose).

Even with Crampons on, the early morning conditions had three or four spots with extremely slick ice (shaded spots, trees blocking the sun) that looked fine but were not. I slid ten feet down the most exposed part with Crampons on and had to dig my heals in deep to self arrest. It's no picknick out there when the wind is blowing, especailly in the shader parts of the approach.

Only one other hiker was climbing in that area until much later in the day - for obvious reasons. Once the sun reached mid-day the snow became much softer and snow shoes were more appropriate in some areas. That hiker and myself blazed the trail all the way to the summit as no one had been up that way for at least a week or so. We played leap frog all the way. On the return down there was some post-holing as the snow softened up - thus the need to switch out of crampons into snow shoes.

Having said that, I've gone up the Ski Hut Trail three times over the last three months in the snow as well. It's easier to follow, more people are on the mountian in that area and you will still need to bring both snow shoes and crampons as conditions change dramatically with wind conditions making the upper reaches extremely icy.

Be safe have fun. It's been a sad season for lost hikers. We want all hikers to come home safe.

Thanks lilbitmo

[Rick M]

Powderfinder: Back in the seventies we would ride up the Baldy lifts to the top of Thunder, ski to the saddle with Telegraph then crampon up the northwest snow field of Telegraph, have lunch and allow the slope to soften then "ski" down...didn't have snow boards back then and I don't know if Telegraph is out-of-bounds now-a-days so you might check on that.

[powderfinder]

thanks for that info! That will help a lot. My friends and I are planning a trip there the next season, and are hoping to hit both Baldy and Telegraph Peak.

[powderfinder]

Did you ski down the north face or the south-southeast face? Any other information will be greatly appreciated! thanks

[Rick M]

Northwest "face" just to the north of the ridge that separates Thunder Mt and Telegraph.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lon=-117.5981093&lat=34.2613942&datum=nad83

[powderfinder]

from there, how did you climb out? And how far down did you take it?

[Rick M]

Since it's been awahile, I'm now only guessing...the Northwest face has some open chutes that end in a bunch of trees below. We had thought about leaving a car at Stockton Flats and skiing up the back road up to the Baldy Ski lifts, riding the lift to Thunder, ski down to the saddle and climb the ridge to Telegraph. Come down as far as we could (ski traverses on the sides of Coldwater Canyon) before having to walk the rest to the vehicle.

Plans changed when one couldn't make it and we lost our second car which turned out to be good because the snow did not go down as far as we had hoped and it looked like there had been a slide (avalanche) that had previously gone down making any progress below the face an exercise in skiing on a frozen boulder field of icy snow...NO FUN on that). We ended up coming down to about, as I recall, the 8,000' level and then hiking back up to the Thunder ski runs (MORE FUN!) and ending at the Top of the Notch restaurant. And we did carry crampons and use ice axes for the climb back up!

I take it you're a snowboarder? Can you snowboard up hill (is there such a thing as snowboard skins?). If you are a snowboarder, I think you'll have a lot MORE FUN if you stay on the ski runs (or are they called board runs now-a-days?)

[powderfinder]

There is something called splitboards, that you can take apart and use as skis to skin, but i personally dont like them, and dont mind hiking a little more. Thanks for all the information, it will greatly help!