I'm curious where the snow level is on those peaks right now. I looked for a weather cam pointing that way, but no luck. I realize the Sierra probably took the brunt of the snow, but I'm still guessing there may be a foot on the ridge.

We plan to go out there in a week. At least the water supply won't be as big a problem.

Snowline northwest of Vegas is currently around 8500'.

Thanks.

I'm assuming that if there is any snow up there, it is not much. I was actually planning on doing a full Inyo range ridge traverse and would appreciate any beta, as well.

Also, does anyone has any info on white mountain, boundary, and montgomery snow levels?

Just saw the barcroft robocam:
http://63.198.242.102/

looks like maybe a foot at most at 12000'.

1000Pks wrote:

Darija wrote:I'm assuming that if there is any snow up there, it is not much. I was actually planning on doing a full Inyo range ridge traverse and would appreciate any beta, as well.

Also, does anyone has any info on white mountain, boundary, and montgomery snow levels?

I've done the peaks and it is a nice backpack, or even doable in a day for you all. I think about 40 miles. The DPS had an account with photos on their home page a year ago, look into their archives. I'd start at Cerro Gordo and come out at Union Wash, a great scree run down from say Mt. Inyo. Best with a good vehicle though not really necessary. You can drive to Burgess Mine and leave out Pleasant, for a shorter hike. Hairy road, then. Some pix at PTP>Peaks Archives,>Desert Peaks.

By claiming that you've "done the peaks", which peaks are you referring to?

From what I can tell, there are the following peaks along the range:
1. Cerro Gordo peak (not DPS)
2. New York Butte (DPS)
3. Keynot Peak (DPS)
4. Mt. Inyo (DPS)
5. Waucoba Mt. (DPS)

6. Squaw Peak (non SPS)
7. Andrews Mt. (non SPS)

Any ones I'm missing?

To do the full Inyo range traverse from Cerro Gordo to (lets assume you go all the way to Death Valley Road, after dropping off of Andrews, its about 52.9 miles in a straight line. A daunting task indeed for dayhiking but it would qualify as a full Inyo traverse. This is assuming you set up a car shuttle. You could always hitchhike if you want to avoid car shuttle, but if doing solo, you would be screwed, you would HAVE to get a ride from random passerby's (dangerous, but doable). From Cerro Gordo to Waucoba and back down to Blue Bell Mine is 47.3 miles. If focusing just on the DPS peaks, the mileage is 37 miles from south to north.

I was told terrain may be problematic on the way to Waucoba. Is Mazourka Rd 4WD?

Darija wrote:From what I can tell, there are the following peaks along the range:
1. Cerro Gordo peak (not DPS)
2. New York Butte (DPS)
3. Keynot Peak (DPS)
4. Mt. Inyo (DPS)
5. Waucoba Mt. (DPS)

6. Squaw Peak (non SPS)
7. Andrews Mt. (non SPS)

Any ones I'm missing?

I believe you are missing Pleasant Point. It's a DPS one as well. There are other peaks too, but I think those are the only named ones.

Thanks guys, keep the info coming. I'm a bit of a wuss for soft snow amid broken rock, since spraining my ankle.

Speaking of ankles...

Darija -- nice work getting SAR into gunsight so quickly; that takes presence of mind. Also saw your name in NGA register -- takes some chutzpah to climb solo in Zion.

Zion bc office will not recommend anything that shows non-standard and principally off-trail routes. It's a liability issue, and you can understand why if you look at the accident record in Zion. We've had the same policy in Red Rock.

The most important aspects of Courtney's book, are 1) it tells you what is possible, and also points out the seemingly easy routes that are hard; 2) it gives pretty accurate difficulty grading, and time recommendations; 3) it gives access information (critical in Zion); 4) it gives hardware recommendations.

Now back to the topic -- keep those Inyo updates coming!

NGA is about the simplest route in the book. Compare the descriptions in the DPS guide and Courtney's book for SGA, and you'll have a better idea what I mean.

All routes in the book were MLC SC-approved.

MoapaPk wrote:
2) it gives pretty accurate difficulty grading, and time recommendations;

Now back to the topic -- keep those Inyo updates coming!

Yea, except for his estimate for Bridge Mountain......claiming 6 hours roundtrip. That is literally impossible, we were moving-we got close to the summit, but never reached it because we ran out of daylight and had to bail at the start of the final 5th class pitch, and ended up taking 11-12 hours roundtrip. This mountain had extremely sketchy sections, like random flimsy bushes for anchors and questionable terrain and very specific route selections (straying off intended route leads to inevitable cliffs). I'm of the general impression that there is a 30% likelihood of death when doing Zion peaks. GPS and preferably track is necessary if you plan to be hiking out after dark.

One of my more memorable hikes was doing Keynot from the Saline Valley floor as a dayhike-requiring 10,000 ft. of gain and mostly off trail. The Inyo canyons are also very remote and wild, some of my most memorable and adventurous outdoor excursions to date, especially McElvoy canyon. In general, Inyo range is one of my favorites.

On the topic of the Inyo's: We still haven't determined if there is any snow on them yet. Because if there is, that would greatly alleviate the whole water burden issue thingee.

Ah-Rick's injury. It's such a shame, because I keep thinking it could have been avoided. Basically, after I briefly investigated the slope which he ended up falling on; I backed off of it because I had a bad feeling about it and started traversing right to find an alternate drop in for gunsight canyon, staying on higher ground. I was already on my way when Rick called me back-at the last second he spotted a tree anchor that was on that same slope that I had not liked and had already turned away from. Well, that same slope ended up completely collapsing under his feet which was escalated by the huge boulder breaking loose. I also keep thinking if this could have possibly been avoided if he had immediately clipped into the webbing around the tree(naturally one would do this, because the terrain was so freakish, questionable, and significantly exposed), since to get to the rappel rings, it required stepping down 2 feet and grabbing hold of that large boulder as a hand hold, which then broke loose and crushed his ankle.

Darija wrote:Yea, except for his estimate for Bridge Mountain......claiming 6 hours roundtrip. That is literally impossible, we were moving-we got close to the summit, but never reached it because we ran out of daylight and had to bail at the start of the final 5th class pitch, and ended up taking 11-12 hours roundtrip. This mountain had extremely sketchy sections, like random flimsy bushes for anchors and questionable terrain and very specific route selections (straying off intended route leads to inevitable cliffs). I'm of the general impression that there is a 30% likelihood of death when doing Zion peaks. GPS and preferably track is necessary if you plan to be hiking out after dark.

His estimate for Bridge Zion is 6-8 hours. The other fellow who has written up this "hike" is Branch Whitney; he recommends 8-9 hrs and also gives it a class 4 rating.

I just looked at the track logs, and my group took 7.8 hrs, but we had one very methodical, safety-minded guy who slowed us down a little (this includes a substantial stay on top, and a 0.25hr side excursion through "The Vortex"). None of us were in your kind of condition (that's a compliment). However, I set handlines just twice, and did so while other folks were catching up, so there was no wasted time. If one does real belays up there, it will slow you down a lot. I bet you were carrying a big heavy rope and gear; I was carrying just 100' of 15mm webbing and two slings.

Bridge Zion is the creepiest mountain I've ever done. The class 4 rating is very deceiving; on that traverse, if you slip, you die-- no doubt about it. (BUT note cp0915 comments at length about the danger.) The anchors there are really sketchy; I'm still thinking of a way to protect that stretch. If a recent rain has washed sand over the rock, slipping is all too easy. Above the traverse, I followed a guy who knew every subtle ledge, so it was easier to save time. There is a way around the last wall, mainly through bushes, and that saves time.

I presume you now have a GPS record, but if it might help and you ever try that again, I'll send you my GPS track.

Ah-Rick's injury. It's such a shame, because I keep thinking it could have been avoided. Basically, after I briefly investigated the slope which he ended up falling on; I backed off of it because I had a bad feeling about it and started traversing right to find an alternate drop in for gunsight canyon, staying on higher ground. I was already on my way when Rick called me back-at the last second he spotted a tree anchor that was on that same slope that I had not liked and had already turned away from. Well, that same slope ended up completely collapsing under his feet which was escalated by the huge boulder breaking loose. I also keep thinking if this could have possibly been avoided if he had immediately clipped into the webbing around the tree(naturally one would do this, because the terrain was so freakish, questionable, and significantly exposed), since to get to the rappel rings, it required stepping down 2 feet and grabbing hold of that large boulder as a hand hold, which then broke loose and crushed his ankle.

Everything worked out as well as it could. Everything is 20/20 in hindsight.

I thought I heard a copter going overhead Saturday, when we were just S of NGA, but that might have been a tourist deal.

As for loose rock... cp0915 is such a nice guy, that he offered to show a random fellow up NGA. The guy seemed stuck below the crux, and cp0915 almost got him to the ridge; but on the way, the fellow set off a 5-minute rockfall, and cp0915 held this heavy guy on belay for that entire time, as rocks went flying by.

EDITS: additional info from old thread, in blue italics.

There is snow on Waucoba, but I don't know about Inyo or Keynot. Just can't quite see those two from work.

Also, the CHP website has an entry for two vehicles stuck in snow 4 miles north of Shulman Grove on the White Mountain Road. That kind of thing seems to happen every year now.

Thanks all. I just heard from a friend-- he was on Montgomery and Boundary 10 days ago, and he said there was about a foot of snow, some hard and slippery.

1000Pks wrote:I won't be buying his book from my quick look, NGA descript sucks.

Agreed. I think it's best you don't buy the book, Pete.

I'm of the impression that some folks appreciate not being spoon-fed beta step by step. Explorer-types, like me, like there to be mystery. I don't want someone holding my hand from trailhead to summit; others, like you, do. It's all good, man. You and my book are not a good fit. You think I'm just gonna give away all of Zion's secrets?

Darija wrote:Yea, except for his estimate for Bridge Mountain......claiming 6 hours roundtrip. That is literally impossible, we were moving-we got close to the summit, but never reached it because we ran out of daylight and had to bail at the start of the final 5th class pitch, and ended up taking 11-12 hours roundtrip. This mountain had extremely sketchy sections, like random flimsy bushes for anchors and questionable terrain and very specific route selections (straying off intended route leads to inevitable cliffs). I'm of the general impression that there is a 30% likelihood of death when doing Zion peaks. GPS and preferably track is necessary if you plan to be hiking out after dark.

Six hours is not "literally impossible". You think you are the only one who can move? Plus I know the Zion backcountry 50X better than you do. I did it in six hours. But I was alone and had only a very light pack (with no rope, etc.).

The "30% likelihood of death when doing Zion peaks" is a bit dramatic but I understand the sentiment. I managed to climb my 125th unique Zion peak yesterday, but I might not be here after next weekend. Folks need to be careful. The multiple warnings in the book exist for a reason.

1000Pks wrote:The page for NGA does not even say left or right once you get to the rock ridge.

Of which "rock ridge" are you referring? You mean, once you get to the saddle on the northeast ridge? It's pretty obvious from there which way is uphill. Unless it's dark out, you can see the obvious mountain to the southwest and the obvious non-mountain the other direction.

And even if you couldn't tell which way is uphill, it's still pretty obvious. (Hint: You're on a peak's northeast ridge.) Since you are facing south, you would hang a right to go southwest.

Or you can actually READ the text (which you obviously didn't) and see that it clearly reads "hang a right and begin ascending the northeast ridge."