Skyline Upper Section, Ice Climbing possiblities?

[kevin trieu]

Hey guys,

I've been reading reports from this board of icy sections around 8k' below the tram on the Skyline. With all the current reports of "rock hard ice" I'm just wondering if there's sections with good and extended ice coverage for low angle ice climbing.

Lugging tools and boots up there to climb a some ice is definately worth it. There aren't that many other places to ice climb in CA, unfortunately.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Kevin

[Rick M]

Hi Kevin,
Unfortunately I've been to the upper part of the Skyline many times in the winter when I wasn't planning on being there. I've ice climbed in Oregon, Washington, Canada, Alaska, Utah, Wyoming and in California. The upper part of the Skyline is not a place to go ice climbing. I'm sure the posts are in reference to the snow there being "rock hard ice" is in reference to hikers without ice climbing equipment or experience. A quarter or half inch of hard ice on rocks or a hard layer that you can't kick through is very intimidating and outright dangerous to be in, a slip can and will kill.

Baldy Bowl is a much better place for low angle "ice climbing" if you get there before the sun (it faces south east) or after the sun gets low in the sky where it can then refreeze. Also, the run out when the bowl has full coverage is much better...it offers quite a variety of slopes, the higher you go the steeper it gets. And when conditions are good you can get some nice 30-50 degree or more stuff (between the rocks near the top). If you haven't been to the bowl I suggest you do that before going to the Skyline for "ice climbing".

There are many great small ice climbing areas in SoCal tucked away in the local mountains, you just need to know where to look and be there at the right time and weather conditions.

Another place which is really easy to access for ice climbing is Falling Rock Canyon just up Ice House Canyon. There are some small waterfalls there and depending on the year/date/time/temp I've been on 2-6" or more ice. Just last month an individual was killed in the area while possibly solo ice climbing.

Another place we used to go (in my younger days) was the north side of Devil's Backbone accessed by Lytle Creek and Stocton Flats Road with a mile or two hike. Some places in there we would incounter cliffs and slopes covered with sometimes 12" or more thick of clear hard water ice...none of my 10" ice screws would bottom out in some places and as an added bonus, we would then climb up either Mt. Harwood or up Devil's Backbone and then down Baldy Ski Lift Road on skiis if enough snow. Check my current Avatar, I might have the area outlined in red.

If it becomes popular for ice climbing, so be it. Seems the sun doesn't hit it much from December to February but right now it gets enough such that it makes rock fall a possibility when the sun hits it but refreezes in the evening. If you know what you're doing and have experience, it makes a nice moon light technical climb and I want to say that so weekend ice axe and crampon wearing hikers don't try this (it is like any climbing potentially dangerous).

There are also places up above Lower and Upper Boy Scout Lakes that offer ice climbing possibilities but for ICE CLIMBING in California, Lee Vining Canyon is one of the best places (very steep and vertical) and you're not putting yourself out in the middle of nowhere like below Devil's Backbone.

Regardless where you go, be safe and don't go alone.

[cynthia23]

Excellent post, RickM. I can't speak to anything regarding true ice climbing. When posters talk about 'rock-hard ice' they only mean that the trails and slope are covered with a cement-like frozen snow/ice mixture that you can't kick through and which even crampons do not easily pierce. It's also unstable. It offers nothing in the way of technical ice climbing, it's merely highly nerve-wracking (at best) and fatal (at worst.) It's like hiking on a dirty, half-broken ice rink, which just happens to have been tilted on its side (and to be interrupted at intervals by giant boulders, pine trees, and unexpected cavities that collapse under you.) All of RickM's suggestions for real ice climbing on other routes sound much, much better to me.

[kevin trieu]

Hey Rick and Cynthia,

Thanks for the suggestions. I was hoping agaisnt hope that there's something up there for some tool swinging. Rick, I did see that report on the accident near the Rock Fall Canyon area. I've been keeping an eye out for the tucked away areas in Socal like you mentioned. I have to check out Lytle Creek and Stocton Flats Road. 12" of ice in the local mountains?!? That sounds too good to be true. I heard there's some ice in the Taquitz area also but it came and gone in a few days if not less.

I made one trip to Lee Vining this winter. Unfortunately, it is extremely crowded and I was lucky to get in just three routes. I climbed the Mountaineer's Route a few weeks ago and saw the ice between LBSL and UBSL. It looked fat but I didn't bring the gear. That's something for next year.



This is to give you an idea of how crowded it is. You stand there and ice chunks fly down your way constantly.


Thanks again for the suggestions.

Cheers,
Kevin

[Rick M]

Hi Kevin, this is the area (around the red section 4 mark) And yes, twelve inch thick ice in some places. Again, not big like Lee Vining but closer and less crowded and fun to mess around on here in SoCal.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=34.28648&lon=-117.61655&symshow=n&datum=nad83&layer=DRG

Kevin said

saw the ice between LBSL and UBSL. It looked fat but I didn't bring the gear

What does "looked fat" mean?

Is that first photo of the LBSL/UBSL area? (it looks like it to me). We used to have lots of fun on it after doing EFR or MR on Whitney. No crowds there but the approach! And we never needed permits at that time of year (don't know if that's true anymore). I remember once stopping at the Lone Pine Forest Station for a permit and the ranger saying "You don't need a permit cause you can't get up there". Having no clue why not, he said the Portal road was covered by snow a foot deep from the locked gate. Excellant I shouted...it meant no one up there and we could ski up and then back down on our return. On coming down, we found a boulder the size of a VW sitting squarely on our up hill tracks.

Perhaps we need to move this to the Other Areas on this list.

ps Cynthia, great description of the "trail" conditions when icy.

[kevin trieu]

fat = thick = 12" ice

[Rick M]

Hi Kevin, this weekend I came across a new area near the PCT that might develope some great ice climbing potential during January (too warm now) in the Garner Valley area. I'll check it out next year and let you know...and it's only a couple hundred feet from trail. And you'll need a 50m rope for top roping it...70-80 degree near vertical slope