[pct-l] Just good advice from "Iceaxe"

Thu Mar 10 19:33:26 CST 2011

Hike-On,

I'm sure glad that you have the prior experience to understand what we're 
talking about when we refer to post-holing injuries up against boulders, 
logs, small trees under the pack, and so forth (not to miss popping through 
the icy crust and cutting your leg up as it plunges into our wonderful 
"sierra soup!").

Minimal snow shoe? Here's our point:

If you time your ascents and descents so that you clear the 5-mile descent 
before you start post-holing, and get down to the mud and water-swollen 
trail below snow line, you don't need snow shoes at all. You may have to 
start early in the day to make the 5-mile ascent first, but you won't have 
to carry the shoes!

If you find that you can't do that and wind up still on the snow and aweful 
suncups by "post-holing time," strapping on snow shoes instead of posting is 
a great idea. We carried MSR Lightning Ascent snow shoes last year during 
our May/June filming along the Crest north of KM and only needed them once 
in 40 days!

To help prepare next year's thrus (2012), Mountain Education is considering 
offering a 10-day Snow Skills instructional tour up the PCT from Kearsarge 
to Bishop in May allowing students to apply what they learned on our "Basic" 
Snow Skills Training Course and furthering teaching to include Creek 
Crossing Skills and the skills needed for the ascents and descents of the 
big Passes from Glen thru Muir. (Spring Applied Snow Skills Training Course)

"Just remember, Be Careful out there!"

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
1106A Ski Run Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Chapman" <altathunder76 at gmail.com>
To: <ned at mountaineducation.org>
Cc: "PCT MailingList" <pct-l at backcountry.net>; 
<johnmuirtrail at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2011 4:52 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Just good advice from "Iceaxe"

> What about a very minimal snowshoe Ned? I know spring snow is
> different,but you talk of alot of postholing. It only took one bad
> posthole a couple months ago and my foot swole twice the size of the
> other in hours,but it didnt feel too bad,and went away the next day. I
> know most wont,but im gonna ship a pair and if I dont need em ill send
> em back. Heck I use mine till june sometimes on Donner Summit,and as
> you say,if your already going slow,why not try to avoid these trip
> threatening injuries from the magic postholes? And it would help that
> bloody calf. Anyway,I know you are a sage of the mountains,and im not
> interested in wasting your time,but if its a bigger year than it
> already looks like on the PCT,would snowshoes help you in a highhhhhh
> snow year if weight was a non issue? Thanks,and Hike On.
>
> On 3/10/11, ned at mountaineducation.org <ned at mountaineducation.org> wrote:
>> I know this email is regarding the CDT, but the advice in it about
>> travelling in spring snow is right-on!  Since it is always good to hear
>> another voice saying the same things we (Mountain Education) do:
>>
>> "I left Chama May 31st last year. The trail was 90% snow covered till 
>> Stony
>> Pass. Then almost magically the snow became about 40% coverage to Spring
>> Creek Pass.
>> The type of snow i found was mostly consolidated hard pack from morning 
>> till
>> about 2PM. Then it became increasingly soft until i was postholing for 
>> many
>> hours until late afternoon.
>> I used an Ice axe and sometimes screwed some 3/8" sheetmetal screws into 
>> the
>> bottom of my trail runners for ice traction in the mornings.
>> The Ice axe was definitely helpful and I would consider it mandatory for 
>> the
>> snowslopes I had to cross. Kicking steps left my feet a bit raw but the
>> trail runners worked okay. I did not use gaiters so my calves became 
>> pretty
>> raw and trashed after plungin into the snow for hours every day. My 
>> mileage
>> went down to 14 MPD for 14 hours of hiking through the section from 
>> Cumbres
>> Pass to Stony Pass.
>> It was hard going but snowshoes would have only been helpful for perhaps 
>> a
>> few hours late in each day.. not worth the weight/effort compromise in my
>> opinion.
>> What i would do different would be to carry better traction aids. The
>> sheetmetal screws were workable but pretty minimal. I would go with a 
>> pair
>> micro spikes or maybe crampons next time. I would also definitely use
>> gaiters for the snow to avoid the "bloody calf" syndrome.
>> The best piece of gear i brought were my neoprene glacier gloves. They
>> insulated my hands from the aluminum handle of my Camp Corsa Iceaxe but
>> provided superb grip for chopping steps. Be ready for major UV light from
>> snow reflection.. I burnt the inside of my nose!
>> Your situation will no doubt be different to to yearly variations of
>> snowpack, weather, and timing. The San Juans are beautiful covered in 
>> snow!
>> My best piece of advice when the snow gets soft is forget about your 
>> pace.
>> Focus on your surroundings and make short goals. It may take an hour to 
>> go
>> 100 yards sometimes on an icy snowcovered sideslope or postholing accross
>> rotted snow. The reward is a stunning landscape in the process of 
>> emerging
>> into spring.
>> -Iceaxe"
>>
>> So, to summarize:
>>
>> Iceaxe--yes
>> Sunscreen--yes
>> Decent/Durable Traction Aides--yes
>> Snowshoes--not really
>> Slow Down & Enjoy--definitely
>>
>>
>>
>> "Just remember, Be Careful out there!"
>>
>> Ned Tibbits, Director
>> Mountain Education
>> 1106A Ski Run Blvd
>> South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
>>     P: 888-996-8333
>>     F: 530-541-1456
>>     C: 530-721-1551
>>     http://www.mountaineducation.org
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