Posted by Jim
on May 14, 2009, 2:56 pm, in reply to "Re: What kind of XC-skiing trails are on Mt. Pinos?"
63.193.144.X
I agree with Yuzo and jdb that I think the most useful ski for Pinos is full metal edge with fish scales. Even at a particular time of day it's possible sometimes to go from hard ice (in places where sun has earlier melted snow out of the trees, or shone directly) to soft and wet (where the sun is currently hitting) to powdery (under the trees on the north side of the mountain), all within a few hundred yards. If you don't see all these conditions on the same day you will see them in the same season if you go often enough.
That said, I have often seen people up there with skinny cross country skis, it is doable.
I live in LA and this is what I use to gauge the amount of snow on the mountain (in addition to this board):
http://www.frazierparkinfo.com/snowcond.htm
Keep in mind that there is always some delay in the text report on this page. If you click on "PMC - Mt. Pinos WebCam", you can see if there's snow on the mountain. If there's snow around the houses, the whole mountain is covered, and if there's snow on the road between the houses, it means the road up Mt. Pinos is going to be closed.
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