Hike to the summit of San Jacinto in late January

[stobbart]

I recently hiked to the top in July and have been thinking of doing the hike in the snow. About late January or early Febuary. Does anyone know what snow conditions to expect? And will the tram even be in operation then? thanks for the info. Also if anyone would like to join me and my friends (about 5 including myself) I can post dates when we finalize things.

[Hikin_Jim]

The tram should be in operation, although it never hurts to check. They could always have a mechanical problem or something. See also this post: http://www.mtsanjacinto.info/viewtopic.php?t=1181. Inclement wx, high winds, etc. could also shut down the tram. Generally, the tram is pretty reliable though.

As far as snow conditions, it's tough to say. If we get streak of hot wx like we had a week or so ago, that would really affect snow levels. Probably, though, you'll encounter a fair amount of snow; what quality of snow, I cannot say. If it hasn't snowed recently at the time of your trip, it could be dangerously icy, and you'll probably each need an ice axe and crampons (and beforehand the classes that that teach ice axe and crampon skills).

You might also find the post linked here valuable.

[stobbart]

do you really think crampons will be necessary? I have done plenty of ice hiking in the alps and found that crampons were only necessary on glaciers. Places that had snow packed down to ice due to heavy traffic was fine in boots. I do not know the what San Jacinto does this time of year but I dont think it becomes galcier like up there. I was just planning on bringing an ice ax and snowshoes.

[Perry]

If it's soft as it usually is, then snowshoes would work fine for the miller saddle route. If it rains on a snow base and then freezes hard, that's when crampons or sharp snowshoe cleats are necessary.

[stobbart]

Thanks for the info, I guess I'll just have to wait and watch the weather conditions. Has anyone here done a mid-winter hike to the top like this? If so please post about the experience.

[Perry]

Here's a photo from January of 2005:
http://geocities.com/cactus2clouds/death.html

Ignoring the slug, you'll see the ice stuck to the summit sign and the trees. That ice was so hard that most people were using crampons. I got away with Redfeather snowshoes. You couldn't even see marks where people had walked because it was very solid ice. Usually it's not that extreme, but the melting and re-freezing normally creates some icy spots.

[Norris]

Thanks for the info, I guess I'll just have to wait and watch the weather conditions. Has anyone here done a mid-winter hike to the top like this? If so please post about the experience.

Hi stobbart, I've climbed Jacinto in mid-winter probably a dozen times, from both Idyllwild and the tram, and the conditions vary enormously depending on a) how much snow has fallen season to date b) how long since the last snow c) whether anyone has broken a trail d) etc. So you have to use resources like this website and the ranger station recorded phone message to ascertain conditions before you go.
Sometimes you don't need snowshoes even with deep snow cover, if the snow is really consolidated. On at least one occasion in each of the last 2 years, I have taken either snowshoes or crampons or both, but never taken them out of my pack even though I took a cross-country route. On other occasions, conditions were perfect for crampons, going cross-country and taking a more direct line uphill than the trail (which was totally buried and invisible). Most often though, snowshoes and trekking poles or an ice-axe are what you would need. Given the unusual amount of snow for this early in the season, my guess is that in mid to late January, it will be good conditions for cross-country snowshoeing.