We hiked from Mammoth Mountain Inn to Minaret Summit, then snowshoed to Peak 10,242 Provisional via San Joaquin Ridge. Here are some conditions and a few photos:
- Between Mammoth Mountain Inn and Minaret Summit, we did not use snowshoes on our ascent or descent. Once the snow goes through several thaw and freeze cycles, snowshoes (traction) might be more useful.
- We used snowshoes from Minaret Summit to Peak 10,242 Prov. Until about 10,125 ‘ (false summit), there were alternating areas of hard packed, wind-swept snow and powder. Above 10,125′ snow coverage was very thin in most areas, until we hit the very top of Peak 10242’.
- There were snowmobile tracks all the way to Peak 10,242.
| If you’re interested in snowshoeing, please join our Facebook group, Snowshoeing & Winter Hiking! Through the end of December, we’re raffling off some excellent gear from Tubbs, Hydrapak, WoolX, Farm 2 Feet, and Oboz. |
It was very cold (2 degrees F, when we arrived at the ski area this morning), so it was an excellent opportunity to test some of my winter gear. I got some great first-hand experience with my Tubbs FLEX Vertical Snowshoes and Woolx’s Heavyweight Merino Base Layer Shirt in particular. I’ll post more info on my gear, as well as the hike itself, in an upcoming trip report.
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