Mount Baden-Powell, San Gabriel Mountains, CA

I flew to San Diego, CA, on Tuesday to attend a conference. One of my students was presenting our work. The conference lasted the entire week and afterwards I spent the weekend with my family in Riverside, before flying back to VA. I travel with the bare minimum: laptop and ski gear. The laptop served its purpose. Now time for the skis.

My two brothers, Dee and Pat, and cousin Kam took the dogs, George and Abby, out for some fresh air.

We drove up to the San Gabriels, about 1 hour from Riverside. We didn't really have a plan, but there was hope for something to do if we drove past Wrightwood ski area (Mt. High). It was extremely busy near the ski area, but 15-minutes beyond the crowds disappeared and we found ourselves at the parking area of Mt. Baden-Powell. Surprisingly, we were the only skiers.  At the parking area we donned skis and skinned up a gentle snow-covered road on the north side of the mountain.

There was a light dusting of snow above 7000 ft. and the air temp was cool. the air also felt really dry, too. The slopes were moderately steep on the north side, but we found some good skiing. Coverage was better than expected and the snow that was sheltered was soft and powdery. Not bad for so. Cal.

More info

It's a quick 1-hour drive from Riverside, CA, to Mt. Baden-Powell.  Drive up to Wrightwood Ski area (Mtn. High) and continue past the resort.  Drive an additional 15-minutes until you see the parking area to Mt. Baden-Powell.  During the winter the road ends at the parking area.

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