With new snow and lots of sunshine, be prepared for glopping snow until everything has a chance to transition to corn. South and east aspects are turning quickly, as well as everything at the lower elevations. But the north faces will take a lot longer.

This time of year is tough because you’ll go from warm snow to cold powder (and back again) in just a few steps. The tiniest change in aspect can mean a huge difference in snow temperature. And, no matter how hard you try, your skins are going to ice up eventually.

So don’t forget your skin wax. Or better yet, take the time to re-treat your skins some evening.

My skins had been giving me a lot of trouble last week. So I tried out the the Nikwax Skin Proof, and it works great!

It’s easier to apply and seems much more effective than the BD spray on stuff.

Yesterday was spent going through a huge range of temperatures and snow conditions. And my skins did surprisingly well.

While you’ll lose a little bit of grip, it’s better than not being able to skin at all!

d_mingori News & Information

 It has been a very strange year for the Sierra. Throughout the year, most of our storms have been quite warm. In the Mammoth area, this has left very little snow at the lower elevations around 395. Many of the approach roads are melting out. South of Rock Creek, this has left almost no snow below 8000 feet, and minimal coverage until you reach 9000 feet.

While there is a drastic difference between the lower and upper elevations, the southern portions of the range haven’t received nearly the amount of snow as the Mammoth-Bridgeport area. While Mammoth Mountain is reporting over 400 inches so far for the season, conditions in the Whitney area are grim.

The Whitney Portal road is clear for nearly three miles past the ‘Road Closed’ sign. One very large boulder has damaged the road quite a bit, so it may be a while before that road opens completely. I followed the main Whitney trail last week, and coverage through that section is decent, but spotty in places. The North Fork drainage looks similar, with a lot of bushwhacking through the lower sections.

Onion Valley is a similar scenario, and reports from Big Pine Creek say that there is barely enough snow to be able to ski through the lower sections. And it’s going fast.

Don’t forget, it’s only March!

camp below Mt Muir:

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As one of California’s highest peaks, Mt Williamson sits high on the ‘tick list’ of many hikers, climbers, and skiers. Both the east and north faces have incredible skiing and climbing options, with a huge vertical gain. But, as many quickly learn, the majority of this mountain is closed to the public except during the heart of winter.

These closures have been in effect for many years, in an attempt to protect the bighorn sheep. The validity of the closures has recently come into question, and many people are petitioning to have this rescinded. I’m not a biologist, and can’t really form an opinion on the matter until I see all the facts. But this reversal would greatly affect skiers. So if anyone is interested in learning more, see this thread:

http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=43948&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&sid=87992b72977395124d8c532499b81b40

 a herd of bighorn sheep across the valley in the White Mountains:

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For one reason or another, the Mammoth police department has decided to start ticketing vehicles parked at the standard lot on Sherwin Creek Road.  This has been a long established parking area for dog walkers, cross country skiers, snowmobilers, and backcountry skiers, so the tickets have come as a bit of shock to those who have been using this area for years.

There is a brief article on Sierra Wave:

http://www.ksrw.sierrawave.net/site/content/view/1838/48/

Stay tuned for updates and info. Reports from today (3/6) are that numerous vehicles were there all day and did not receive a ticket. But park there at your own risk until the issue is resolved.

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