Snake dike early spring?

Hi,
I'm considering climbing Snake Dike early March but I'm nor sure what condition I would find. What's the best approach? How much snow should I expect? What gear should I bring?

Have you done the approach and route before?
You'll also need to think about the conditions on the descent, and whether or not you'd want to use the cables. I understand they're removed for winter. That will likely slow your descent.

On the descent ... The cables are still in place , the supports are removed though , so the cables are lying flat on the granite . You can lift them though , or put a runner / biner around them for a bit of added safety .

Spray from the Mist Trail will likely get you wet , so you might consider taking the John Muir Trail approach ... across the top of Nevada Falls .

Supertopo has a great route description and overview. Decending the downed cables is easy. I did it last summer. All you do is put a pruisk on the cable then clip into it. you walk down and the pruisk catches you if you fall.

The pitches are runout slab so a few quickdraws / alpine slings are good for the majority of the pitches. The anchors are bolted belays so short cordlettes work fine.

The first pitch takes gear as you have to traverse under a small roof. 4 cams and a set of nuts will do fine.

The last pitch after you leave the final top bolts can be soloed. My gf and I used the cams and nuts for a safety belay until we got onto comfortable slab walking.

Start super early or expect to wait in line at every single belay. .....

If there has been a recent snowstorm, the cables could be buried under snow/ice, and impossible to use. But you probably wouldn't attempt the route after a snowstorm. The crux of your plan would be the approach/deproach, by far.

The pitches are runout slab so a few quickdraws / alpine slings are good for the majority of the pitches. The anchors are bolted belays so short cordlettes work fine. The first pitch takes gear as you have to traverse under a small roof. 4 cams and a set of nuts will do fine. /quote>

I think we took a set of nuts and maybe a blue or yellow metolius sized piece, and BD .5-1, so 4 cams and some nuts seems about right. I distinctly remember placing the .75, but nothing else gear specific. you really only need maybe 5 draws or something, if I recall correctly the majority of the pitches only have a couple bolts, but the climbing is casual.

As said above, my biggest concern would be snow/ice on the short class 3+ slabs on the approach. After that, I bet it would be spectacular in March. Good luck.

I think you could encounter enough snow on the approach and descent to make for a very long day, so try to get current snow depth intel before you go.