[pct-l] Ice Axe

[Dave Fajer]

Low snow doesn't mean no snow......one gent is already circling back to
Kearsarge thru Rae Lakes loop after getting down the North face of Glen
Pass and apparently not able to continue North.

I was on Glen Pass last week and without ice axe/whippet.....you may get
DOWN the North slope but doubtful you will get back up it and VVR isn't
seeing anyone coming from South yet as of last week so Pinchot Pass
probably is a "bit*h" too..  More snow in Sierras forecasted tomorrow...
6-12 inches above 7K.

It is really interesting for me personally to see the real difference
between "Snowfall" and "Snowmelt" in the Sierras.....before my PCT hike
this year...I just had to glean Info from reading.....that said....I will
be heading out from KM Tuesday.....again but still with cold weather gear,
hiking crampons and whippet!
On Apr 23, 2015 6:43 PM, "Dan McKean" <danlmarmot at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm at Kennedy Meadows and certainly taking crampons and an ice ax and warm
> clothing... and waiting for some of these thundershowers and snow to settle
> down, before heading out on Saturday or Sunday.
>
> With some good weather, Me and the other two adventurers will be in
> Independence in a week.
>
> (Thanks Ned for your class this past winter too :-) )
>
> Mr Marmot
>
> On Tuesday, April 21, 2015, Ned Tibbits <ned at mountaineducation.org> wrote:
>
> > Obviously, it depends when you enter the Sierra. The high country above
> > 11,000 looks like May-June rather than April.
> >
> > Most of the south sides of things right now are dry, with possible
> > exceptions on the steep pitches above 11,500. New snow is falling now,
> but
> > accumulations are not expected to add up to more than a foot or so which
> > can melt off at the thaw rate of an inch per day.
> >
> > The north sides of the passes now are snow impacted with up to 3 or 5
> feet
> > deep fields of snow for the whole descent with patches extending for
> miles
> > down from there (depending on aspect and shade).
> >
> > Whenever Mountain Education goes out to teach our snow skills courses we
> > always take a traction aide of some sort and a Whippet self-arrest hiking
> > pole because all it takes is a slip on a steep patch of snow and down you
> > go into whatever is below you, a tree, rock, lake, creek, or cliff....
> >
> > Give it 4 more weeks and you'll be good to go (depending on when the thaw
> > starts)
> >
> >
> >
> > Ned Tibbits, Director
> > Mountain Education, Inc.
> > www.mountaineducation.org
> > ned at mountaineducation.org
> >
> >
> > Mission:
> > "To minimize wilderness accidents, injury, and illness in order to
> > maximize wilderness enjoyment, safety, and personal growth, all through
> > experiential education and risk awareness training."
> > -----Original Message----- From: Andrew Bennin
> > Sent: Monday, April 20, 2015 4:11 PM
> > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Subject: [pct-l] Ice Axe
> >
> > So with the low snow levels in the Sierra, is it even necessary to carry
> an
> > ice axe this year?
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