snow has been falling so i wanted to prep for the coming season and do some basic winter mountaineering snow skills practice (axe/crampons/rope belay/travel/etc).

where are places that i can practice that is close by the San Francisco BayArea and prefer easy access from the road?

btw: i want to avoid the long drives up to lassen or shasta

if anybody has any suggestions please post up here or shoot me a PM...any info. or help would be much appreciated.

mucho gracias!

Donner summit offers a good training ground with easy access from the road

Donner summit area is where I go from Santa Rosa. The trail to Castle is a great area and you can practice self-arrest on the side of Andesite Peak. I went to a local park the other day and did prussik up a rope in a tree for crevasse work! Got a few odd looks. I also made a run to Shasta last weekend for practice, not reccommended from the Bay Area for a day trip however!

wml & scotty: thanks for the info. about a good place to practice those snow skills...donner summit sounds like the spot and its close by the road too...nice! anybody know what the snow conditions are like up there right now? also, are there descent slope angles around there as well to practice on??

You can get some slope on Castle and Andestite. Also on the south side of 80 you can go behind the old AAI school (now Sugar Bowl Academy) and get some decent terrain to self-arrest on. I am heading up this weekend for some skiing and hiking, I'll let you know what I find. Scott

DMT, you are NOT losing your mind! He posted twice in different locations! Scott

scotty--thanks for the info. about Castle and Andestite peaks being good spots with descent slopes to practice self-arrest,etc...are these peaks easy access from the road? also is this the location of the--sugar bowl academy?

http://sbacademy.org/directions.htm

should be ideal snow conditions this weekend so have a great time up there and please post up here and let us know what you find out any good places to practice them snow skills and snow conditions of those areas.

dmt--sorry my badd for x2 posting...how do i delete the other?

thank you.

Yes, Castle is a nice snow shoe hike in. And yes, that is the SugarBowl Academy formerly known as the AAI Hut. The PCT winds up from there but in the winter you can just climb the small headwall. There is a great couloir just east of the trail that goes 50-60% that is a great ski. I imagine it would also be a great climbing practice area. Be confident of your skils however as there is a dogleg at the bottom to negotiate if you slip! Scott

What about Lovers Leap & the Hogback ? There are places you could set up top ropes for mixed & dry-climbing practice .We also used to set up top ropes to iceclimb on the East side of Flagpole Peak near Meyers. I've also seen crampons & axes on the South Face of Pyramid Peak. Good luck !