Anyone been up Middle Palisade in the last week or two? Wondering if I can get by with non-rigid shoes, or if I must still wear the big ones.
Thanks!

Bump! THinking about hitting Middle Pal this weekend, wondering if I need crampons/axe? Haven't been in that area for several years, guessing the glacier is still there but can we get around it to get on Mid. Pal?
Thanks!

You will be fine in approach shoes. Although if you want to access Mid Pal via snow field, the inversion may be quite wide - jump strong!

Yeah I did it in September in a heavier snow year and if going up the red chute the snow was not an issue. Looked to be the same when I was in the area late July of this year.

Thanks Deb and mrchad9!

Deb you seem to be my "go to" for crampon requirements this year! I posted for Temple Crag conditions earlier this year and you chimed in! Although... I must say I think you were wrong on the TC beta! I was glad to have had an axe and crampons for that one! I must be just wimpier than you!

pmorash wrote:I must be just wimpier than you!

You might be right cuz I know some people used crampons and axe to climb Emerson's SE chute this April, and I didn't. So you might want 'pons, axe, rope and 3' picket if you plan on accessing Mid Pal off the snow....just in case I'm "wrong." I had to jump nearly 2' to reach rock in July.

Pretty subjective question isn't it!

I climbed a route, that can't be named here, on the north side of San Jacinto with you a few years back Deb and we share a few mutual friends so I do appreciate your opinion, even if it is wrong! Sorry last jab! I'll leave the pickets at home for sure and will probably take your advice and leave the crampons too!

Climb safe! (aka wimpy)

We did it last weekend. If you want to go up the loose red band, no snow or ice travel necessary. If you want to go up the ramp, you can kind of make it crawling between the ice and the rock, with just a few steps on the ice. There was soft snow barely hiding a deep schrund in places, and stepping there would be extremely unpleasant. The snow/glacier level was about 15' lower than Aug of 2012. At that time we stepped off the ramp onto soft snow. This year there is 15' of not-that-easy 4th class climbing above the moat/schrund to access the ramp. Super fun and easy after that. For a picture of the type of climbing necessary to enter the ramp, see the 5th picture in this thread (looks like they climbed it the day before us):
http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Middle-Pali ... 2138n.html

Be safe, it's gonna be windy as hell out there Saturday.