If the question is "Can they leave their ice axe at home?" then the answer is NO! For reference, in 1977, the driest year on record, I sure loved having an ice axe on Fuller Ridge on San Jacinto in mid April and on Forrester Pass in mid May. Others have attempted Forrester on light years much later in the year and still need/required/wished for an ice axe. IMHO, YMMV Greg "Strider" Hummel