South Fork TH to Christmas Tree Hill (and Beyond) Snow Climb, Feb 21 2015

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It’s hard to tell how long the snow will last in SoCal, so I took the opportunity to join the SoCal Hike & Peakbag Meetup for some ice axe & crampon practice. It was also my first opportunity to get out with my new Oboz Beartooth BDry boots; with the foot pain I’ve been dealing with lately, I was excited to see how they’d perform.

The Plan

The plan was to follow the South Fork trail for 4.25 miles trail to South Fork Meadows. From there, we’d start our off trail climb to the ridge west of Christmas Tree Hill. The crampons section was estimated at 500-600′ vertical gain. Along the way we would try to find a place to practice self-arrest skills. We expected the hiked to be ~10 miles with 2800′ of gain.

The Outcome

The hike essentially went as planned. We made good time to South Fork Meadows. Soon after heading off trail, we started using our crampons and our pace slowed as the slope increased. The last mile to our turnaround point gained approximately 1100 ft. We found an area to practice our self-arrest skills and spent over an hour there. Around 2 PM we started our descent, finishing the hike before sunset.

Gear

Heavy pack today – the bad thing about combining ‪winter hiking‬ and (redundant) ‪gear testing. My pack was 29 lbs when I left the house.

Notable Gear

Hydrapak Stash
- With several hikes planned in ‘bear country’ this year, I’ve been looking for a bottle to use for electrolyte replacement drinks. Anything that has a scent should be stored in a bear-proof container at night, so a collapsible bottle seems like a good idea.
- So far, I am impressed. I like the design and it appears that it will fit my needs:
  - packs down small; if you have multiple bottles they are stackable
  - when compared to other collapsible bottle I am testing, it has a larger mouth, which means:
    - cleaning is easier
    - filling is easier
  - material seems durable
    - will use it this week as my water bottle at work and the gym, hike/snowshoe with it this weekend, then start writing my initial review.
- Others in the group liked the bottle too and are looking into purchasing one.
- The capacity is less than the other bottles I looked at (750 ml), but the size could be a limitation of the material. If it was much taller, it wouldn’t hold it’s shape well when empty. The fact that it holds its shape when empty makes it easier to fill.
Oboz Beartooth BDry
- Amazing – I now have a new go-to boot. This was the best my feet have ever felt after hiking 10+ miles, especially when crampons are involved.
Grivel G10 New Classic Crampons
- Easy to adjust and the anti-bott plates w/ accordions worked extremely well. The snow was wet and sticky and I had no buildup.
- I need to get more time on the trail with these, but they seem like a good alternative to Black Diamond Contact Strap Crampons (details to follow)
Kahtoola K10 Crampons
- I planned to use these for the duration of the climb and to carry the Grivels as backup. Someone in the group had problems with their crampons, so they borrowed the K10s. They were impressed at how easy they adjusted and at how fast they could be put on and taken off.
Hillsound Trail Crampons
- I carried these in case we came across mixed terrain and to show them to the group. The trail was mostly clear of snow, so I didn’t need them. They stayed in the pack.
Peak Design PROPLATE
- PROplate fits into Capture in 4 directions
  - This is awesome for lens changes
- Hex/coin-drive connection screw
  - The option of using a coin, allen wrench or CAPTURE TOOL to secure the plate is a great feature
- 4 loops specifically designed for attaching Peak Design Anchors
  - There are much easier to use than the neck strap loops that are part of the camera