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Backcountry Skiing -Southern California
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My climbing partner sent me this link to Baldy. |
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Headed out to San G area yesterday. Original plan was for Charleton trees, maybe some laps in the bowl below Charleton, then Alto Diablo to exit. We started at 6am to beat the afternoon heat. Unfortunately some gear issues (toe pieces coming loose for myself and my partner and a snapped ski pole) limited us to summit Charleton, do the trees then exited out. Snow was surprisingly good, there was a crust that disappeared about halfway up Charleton and turned to powder. The crust had mostly melted out on our way down. Coverage was very good, we were able to skin from the road! Just a heads up we both got ticketed for "blocking the fire gate" even though it was covered in snow and we parked about 100 ft in front of it... |
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Anybody been up high on San Jac lately? |
apogee wrote: Hoping this rain is brining in a lot more snow. |
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Kinda off topic, but I'm looking for a good ski shop to mount some Dynafit bindings in So Cal. I'm in the Long Beach area but figure I'll need to drive a ways to find a shop thats actually heard of Dynafit and has the jig. Any recommendations? |
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Anyone been up at baldy or san g areas recently? Have we blown past spring or is the snowpack still holding up with good isothermal corn cycles? If it's still in shape, wx this wed-fri looks reasonable if anyone is looking to get out, Cheers, Dave 239-two-three-three-2oo2 |
Dave Schultz wrote: Maybe skiing on the flats on the North, but I’m in no shape. |
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Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the Ski Hut Trail on Mt Baldy has been closed until DECE2025 due to the Bridge Fires. |
George Hayduke wrote:
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This is of course terrible news for SoCal mountain lovers, especially combined with the closures from the Line Fire. All my local higher altitude hikes are closed. But I am super grateful so few houses and properties were lost, given how massive the fires were. The SE tip of the Bridge Fire burned through Sunset Peak - 5.5 miles as the crow flies from my house. It was scary. The firefighters do an amazing job. Bridge Fire now 97% contained. |
 First dusting of snow on Baldy with the precipitation yesterday... |
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Hello friends in this majestic SoCal BC skiing thread -- I have a present to share for everyone to build the STOKE for this coming year. Hopefully in 2025 there will be coverage to go along with the hype. last season My friend Alex Reed & I dreamed up a full-season edit of only SoCal BC skiing... We planned this as a way to commemorate the amazing year we had, and it was also my last ski season before I became a father : ) so I was really maxing out my volume of days.  ( youtube link: youtube.com/watch?v=ejM-Lmh… ) I tried to keep it fast-paced & entertaining, even though it is longer-form, & really showcase the beauty, the moods, and the terrain we have available to us here. Thanks to all the partners & collaborators- and I hope the MP friends in here truly enjoy this- I made it for all of you ! Please share, save, & send to any friends who are planning to get out in SoCal this season <3      
Skiing in California is way of life. From the Northern Volcanos, to Lake Tahoe, Mammoth, & The Sierra Nevada- there are lifetimes of skiing & riding to be had, and a unique ski history unlike any place else on earth. In Southern California - two mountain ranges, the San Gabriels - & The San Bernardinos dominate. Rising to over 11,000' in elevation- and receiving just enough precipitation to create a winter snowpack- SoCal Skiing means big vertical relief, steep faces, complex terrain, and hard-to-time conditions. in 2024 we chased storms, explored new zones, scoured the internet for niche beta, & got intel on future lines... still awaiting their first-descent. |
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Wow! Cool! I’ll likely be closer to Tahoe this up coming season. |
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So fun! Thanks for sharing! I’m returning to dabbling with backcountry as a compliment to mountaineering and looking to break in my new gear with the recent snow. Looking at south fork to dry creek for the weekend if the snow holds. Is this too aggressive for a beginner backcountry skiier (lifelong downhill and cross country experience though?) Any other locations you’d suggest to just dip my toe into for now? |
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Nope not too aggressive, snow coverage might jusssst be enough to do that (was hiking there during the last storm). You're not gonna be taking turns per se but its a good test of systems/ gear |
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Thanks! Sadly I caught a bad cold and couldn't get out there. Also heard the snow melted out too much anyway. Fingers crossed for the next system! |
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Not super familiar with MP or how this works, sorry if this is the wrong way to do things. Anyway… Just moved to San Diego for work. New to the area, we got/are getting some snow and I don’t know anything about ski touring in Southern California. If anyone is looking to get a tour in sometime this spring, let me know. I’d love to get some local knowledge on this zone. I‘m 44, male, have been backcountry skiing in one way or another for about 30 years now. Also down to make an east side trip later in the year but for now, just looking to explore what so cal has! Thanks! |
Jesse Gray wrote: I’m currently in Bay Area, so, not really available for anything down there. Baldy is a great place! There’s a”ski resort” if you can call it that where you’ll be able to find the local conditions. 10,000 foot ridge on Gorgonio is good, but a really long hike in. Other places are iffy. |
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Jesse -- yeah, San G is the place to be if you're fit, IMO. I'd even call it incredible if it weren't for the 4 mile approach. The main piece of beta I've got is don't start going up towards the ridge from too low. Somehow the conditions always suck at first; start higher up on the road than you'd want to. I've honestly really been enjoying doing the approach Friday night and bringing an overnight tent, and waking up to go ski. Feels very chill and fun :) It's also where I'd go if I was looking for some powder (not that we get champagne pow here, but still the snow can be soft and nice). Baldy's good but personally I find it a little crowded and less grand than the San G area. It's great for some springy mountaineering laps. San J can be fun but it's very mellow unless you're doing snow creek, and it seems to get less snow than the other guys. If you're in SD there's novelty laps in Cuyamaca/laguna maybe every other year. That's fun too. Just don't stay out after 11, the rockfall and wet-loose threat is pretty real cause the sun down here is HOT! Some of my colorado expat friends almost got themselves into trouble after going out too late. Lots of hikers doing sketchy stuff on baldy too. |
