Really nice to watch this this morning. My buddies did Snow Creek one Memorial Day Weekend back in 1982 or so. We left car in Idwylld at trail head and bought some guys a case of beer to drop us off on North side of mountain. Started bushwhacking at 9pm. We topped out about 5 pm the next day. Got to posthole off the mountain that afternoon/evening arriving back at our car around 10pm 25 hours after starting the ascent. It was quite an adventure.

@JamieTuckey

7 ай бұрын

Glad the video brought back great memories for you! Walking back to Idyllwild adds a lot of distance and time from the summit - so your effort required a really big push! Of course, the isthmus was in play back then, so that saved you some time and energy there, but no matter how you slice it, Snow Creek requires an absolutely massive amount of output and strong technical mountaineering and climbing skills. Congrats on the summit. It's not one that gets easily forgotten.

What an amazing climb. Just gorgeous and more challenging than any climb except maybe Denali. Wish I was young again. San Jacinto my most beloved mountain on the planet. Good job you guys and thanks sooo much for sharing. 🏜

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

It is an amazing mountain - so many unique facets to it !

Wow, amazing. Those falls/pools along the way were pretty cool.

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

Yes, they were pretty stunning! Took some scrambling up Falls Creek to get there, but well worth the effort!

Incredible adventure and awesome music. You guys are animals. Thank you for memorializing it for the rest of us to enjoy.

At 9:22 I got dizzy fell and careened all the way down to my living room floor. Excellent video. You guys are gnarly. Beware the hammock hanging tree limbs of Falls Creek Camp.

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your help on the project, Blake! Hope to see you soon!

We did it in April this year. We were lucky in that the chockstone was completely buried in snow from the avalanches and we just walked up there without the rock climbing part of it. It's a brutal hike. But we enjoyed it wholeheartedly.

@JamieTuckey

9 ай бұрын

Congrats on the successful ascent! Absolutely amazing how much snow filled in this last season. Was following the trail relatively easy to discern? Did you follow the KML? Just curious how the cairns and footbeds are holding up. Congrats again.

@4-SeasonNature

9 ай бұрын

@@JamieTuckey Thanks. The collective wisdom of half a dozen of us who did it made the route finding much easier. It's like a once - in - a - life hike. Too challenging to most mountaineers.

Good video Jamie, good music choices too. Thanks for putting this together.

@JamieTuckey

2 жыл бұрын

No problem - had to be made! Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks a lot for sharing your remarkable trip.

Warning for 2023: there is much more vegetation from all the precipitation so this route has much more bushwhacking

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

For sure - what a season of precipitation! @francksitu was the last I know to use the trail - he and his team summited on April 8th - you can see his comment below. He spoke of bushwacking and some minor cuts from branches. Studying and following the GPS track (link in description) and spotting cairns will reward you with intermittent footbeds, best elevations for crossing gullies, efficient lines, etc. It is by no means an established trail. Perhaps some day soon a work team can be organized to move more dirt and help make the trail more resistant to recurring growth.

Thanks for posting. I love that face, but I'd never climb it

Amazing. I served a two year mission for my church in the area and was always amazed when I saw this mountain. I did Rainier last year but this video pumps me up for climbing this one day.

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Jonathan. Amazing is a good word for it :) . I'm sure Rainier was awesome as well! Hopefully this video helps you get the beta together for giving it a go someday!

That was incredible

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! I'm glad I put the time to capture the effort and experience.

Very impressive

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Phillip! A lot of hard work and preparation on this one!

I've known about Snow Creek since 2021 and I've been really wanting to go. It's insane to know that we have something like this in Southern California. Good stuff! I have no climbing experience and some of those sections you dudes were mentioning are definitely beyond what I'm comfortable with but I wanna try reaching the chockstone, maybe this spring. What a burly route.

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

To the chockstone would be a great goal! It's another world up there. You definitely want to have climbing and snow-travel experience beyond that point. The steepness and rough terrain of the route likely also warrants some stiff training hikes prior. It took us 7 hours to the chockstone so it would probably be an 11-12 hour day. First water spot will be at Falls Creek. Downloadable navigation track found here: tinyurl.com/yt8ueaw7 . Safe travels!

A few weeks ago I took the tram, 40 pounds of snowboard gear, and hiked then climbed the face of san jacinto. didn't traverse it, had these great alpine snowshoes that allowed me to go straight up the face. Got back after snowboarding and hiking out some hours later, kind of jacked up my right knee. Now most of what i am doing is restrengthening my legs and driving by, looking up at Snow Creek Canyon. I am not currently a Mountaineer, and haven't done so for 20 years. But this canyon is on my mind all the time. Is my irritation at the Water dept. justified for claiming that land as their own? WTF. What a bunch of bastards. F them. Anyway, now that that rant is out of the way, thanks for doing this video. I know I will do this, just when i believe I will have the recovered fitness and rebuilt my thigh and knee in a way that can handle it, I don't know. This time, I probably won't be carrying snowboarding gear, snowshoes, etc along with me, but maybe after doing it a few times, I will. Ive been looking at this chute for years, and basically dreaming of riding it down. First plan is to get more fit, skilled and climb it.

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

That's a lot of weight for sure! Sorry about the knee. Yes, I would agree that training for this is a must, both physically and technically (ice axe use, self-arrest, various crampon step methods). I would recommend doing something on Mt Baldy first, would allow you to get comfortable with snow travel. That and push yourself on hikes in terms of distance, time and elevation. As an experienced snowboarder you could likely evaluate best snow/ice conditions. And get an early start! The KML file of our track is in the description 👆. Best of luck to you!

@orthopraxis235

Жыл бұрын

@@JamieTuckey Hey Jamie thanks for that encouraging response. The mountain won't lie to you about your fitness for sure. And maybe that's kinda of what I needed. I drove out to snow creek village today to take another kind of wishful look at it, and the DWA had their neat little signs up everywhere. Your way is more legal. I took the time to send the DWA an email just because they seemed lonely with all that free water they take and nobody to share the land with, i mean its not like they don't immediately filter and chlorinate that water, they do that at the building you see by the road. So what's the problem with some climbers? Dont know. Anyway, just happy I can deadlift, stair climb and try to crush it in the gym on the daily, already stronger than when I did San jacinto peak, but not ready yet. I don't know if ill make it in time whilst the snow is still on the tongue, its just like it teases you everytime you drive by and look at it. Truly an accomplishment and great job with the climb. For SURE its' wayy steeper than it appears on camera. Having said that it still looks steep even on camera. I just read a story on i think it was on traditional mountaineering, the guy went up with his father in law who fell and slid way down the canyon on the snow and ice, search and rescue had to come in. Anytime you make that Snow Creek canyon unscathed is a blessing. Thanks again for the video and the work. It's super inspiring and informative. Maybe taking the tram to the top and riding down the tongue would be an alternate route to the goal. Looks pretty sketchy to downclimb from there though. I asked around and nobody I talked to ever heard of anyone climbing down. We will see...or it will remain a dream.

What a great video if you do this again can go with you!? Absolutely amazing great job

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Chef! We should be doing a couple trips this Spring into the area for visual recon on a possible next mixed climbing objective. Find me on instagram and we can connect from there? @nativesandiegan

In August 2018 I ascended snow creek in 9 hours 20 minutes. I then ran down to deer springs trail to the Pacific Crest Trail, and then back to my car. I was accompanied, but my partner took the tram down to where we staged his car the night before.

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

Your fitness levels sound off the chart! You could have what it takes to complete the full car-to-car loop incorporating Leatherneck Ridge on the return.

@OffWidthCrack

Жыл бұрын

@@JamieTuckey where is leatherneck ridge?

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

@@OffWidthCrack www.summitpost.org/leatherneck-ridge/1037125

For the beginning do you mean from lowest elevation to highest elevation? Or total vert gain? Because if it's vert gain, the NE ridge of Williamson surpasses Snow Creek. You gain over 10k in 5 miles if you start at the 5700 level or almost 10k vert if you start at the 6200 sign.

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

I was referring to the starting elevation and finishing elevation. I was also echoing what I have read, that Snow Creek is the steepest escarpment in the lower 48 (ie the Mountain Project route description states this). Not sure what entity holds the ultimate authority to declare this the true case. I do think we can agree that a ridge and a couloir are very different modes of travel :) . The NE Ridge of Williamson looks like a true and burly test, especially due to the apparently inevitable 5th class climbing and that there is no water on the entire route. Have you done the NE Ridge?

@Devoted96

Жыл бұрын

@@JamieTuckey Ah gotcha! I think that's accurate, from lowest to highest altitude. I can't think of anything currently. I'll have to double-check but some things come to mind like George Creek etc... Although I think the mileage there is a bit more. I wouldn't say they're entirely different modes of travel. The 5th class section is fairly straightforward and short. Barring that, you're just getting pummeled going up. If you do it late spring you can find snow throughout the ridge which you can melt for water. Doing it in the summer is a bit less vert gain but arguably more hardcore because there's likely no water left.

Wow, looks way harder than c2c

@GrumpyCat24

5 ай бұрын

It is 😂

Hi Jamie, I watched your video a couple times and found out that it is very informational, thanks for your hard work and sharing this. I and my hiking partners planned to do this route on 1st April this year, I am wondering the mileage from the trailhead to Chockstone, and from there to the summit? Please let me know if you can, appreciated!

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

Awesome! The recent avalanche combined with warming trends bodes well for April 1. I am not aware of where the avalanche fracture initiated. Here is the KML file that will help yield other distances: tinyurl.com/45eykmmj . 7.11 miles to the chockstone and 2.99 miles from the chockstone to the summit. Our approach is cairned but not yet heavily used, so navigating with the KML is highly recommended.

@francksitu

Жыл бұрын

@@JamieTuckey thanks so much for helping.

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

@@francksitu Would love a short trip report! Good luck!

@francksitu

Жыл бұрын

@@JamieTuckey sure, we are going to scout the route to Chockstone on 18 March, and planned to approach the entire snow creek route on 1st April in one single day. The recent avalanche of snow creek on 26 February was from the top of couloir according to the picture I saw from a friend.

@francksitu

Жыл бұрын

We postponed our trip to April 8, here is the final climb from the recon climb done three weeks ago. Midnight start and it took us 18.5 hrs from start to finish: bushwhacking, bouldering, traversing and all, with heavy pack of multiple gear for different terrain. All six of us summited, mostly injury free. A few of us got some bloody scratches from dry tree branches, rocks and thorny bushes,.We were lucky to have the best snow condition in the loooooog and steep chute but not icy. The class 3-5 Chockstone detour was covered with snow so it was a relatively easy maneuver. There were a few near vertical dicey steps right below the summit rocks as we did center direct, but all made it up safely. Glad we were able to do this epic route as a group. Partnered with strong and experienced mountaineers .

So this makes me curious if there are routes up the northsides of san gorgonio and baldy like this??

@JamieTuckey

5 ай бұрын

Can't say I've ever hiked or explored on San Gorgornio or Baldy. Projects on San Jacinto have continued to keep my attention. There looks to be north face/chute options on both.

Did you see any 150ft - 200ft vertical walls?

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

Not sure about dead vertical. Directly below Falls Creek, as seen at 6:20 in the video, there are some steep walls in that height range with what appears to be undercut/vertical sections.

did yall need permits?

@JamieTuckey

Жыл бұрын

The journey does take you through San Jacinto Wilderness, so technically you do need a permit. A link to a downloadable GPS track can be found in the description.

So was this on DWA land at all? Saw the video by another guy forget his name ricardo soria? Who climbed from blaisedell ridge but looked like he tresspassed crosscountry through the DWA refuge...totally confused what is open and what is closed and what the penalties are for being on private land. Those water authority folks dont mess around with prosecuting tresspassers. Im willing to get just a warning though 😂

@JamieTuckey

5 ай бұрын

This approach is a legal approach that is not on DWA land. The bottom of Blaisedell Ridge cuts across grid 33, so if you take the ridge from the desert floor, you are passing through DWA land. The vision of building this trail was to get a sustainable approach method going that could be repeated and established further over time. This route really deserves one. Setting out on trail with the looming possibility of helicopters and dogs just isn't as enjoyable!

@jonathanstiles7221

3 ай бұрын

Why does DWA care so much if people are hiking on parts of that land?

@JamieTuckey

3 ай бұрын

@@jonathanstiles7221 Good article about it: www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2014/09/20/snow-creek-desert-water-agency/15990019/