Multiple day point-to-point ski tours are not common in Southern California. One of the best is a trans-San Gabriel tour from Wrightwood to Baldy. It is possible to ski a continuous ridge that connects four peaks: Wright Mountain, Pine Mountain, Dawson Peak, and Mt. Baldy. I did this route for the 1st time as a day trip in Feb 1985 and repeated it several years later as the final leg of a 3-day winter ski from Mount Waterman to Mt Baldy. It was much more pleasant the third time in late April with long days, a leisurely schedule, and mostly corn snow.

It is almost noon on April 20 when Armando Menocal and I start walking from the Blue Ridge Trailhead on Hwy 2 just above Big Pine. We had spent the morning driving from Redondo Beach and spotting a car at Manker Flat on the Mt. Baldy road. The elevation is 7380 feet, and although we can see snow covered Mt. Baldy in the distance, there is no snow on the road in front of us. We quickly gain elevation and by the time we reach the top of the Mountain High Ski Area, we are able to put on our skis and ski most of the road as it winds its way toward Wright Mountain. This year was a heavy snow year for the San Gabriels. For most years, this tour would have to be done much earlier in the season.

The Blue Ridge road parallels the Pacific Crest Trail and it often is on a narrow ridge with precipitous drops on both sides. After about 7 miles, we reach the point (8240 feet) where a narrow ridge headed south toward Pine Mountain. This is the beginning of the "interesting" part of the tour. The sign that I remembered from many years ago, marking the start of the summer hiking route, is no longer there. After a short detour to summit Wright Mountain, we walk down the steep ridge carrying our skis. We decide we will contour left around the first bump on the ridge. This turns out to be a mistake. The east side of the ridge is too steep and we are forced to descend to 7600 feet before we find a steep gully where we can ski up again toward Pine Mountain. Staying on the initial ridge would have been difficult for a short distance but easier overall. Shortly after
7 p.m., we find a flat spot and camp for the night.

On day 2, we climb to the summit of Pine Mountain at 9648 feet. To the west, Mt. Baden Powell dominates our view on the far side of the huge valley formed by the East Fork of the San Gabriel River. Although the skies are clear and the temperatures pleasant, a strong wind prevents the formation of corn snow. We wait for a while, hoping that the snow will soften, but we become impatient. We drop down 400 feet to the saddle between Pine and Dawson, having to sidestep and survival ski most of the way. By the time we reach the summit of Dawson, the snow has softened a bit and we have reasonable skiing down to the saddle between Dawson and Baldy. Thirteen hundred feet of climbing with skins gets us to the top of Mt. Baldy. It is still windy, but the snow in Baldy Bowl is excellent and we do nice turns all the way to the Baldy Hut. The snow becomes sparse, and our skis are on our backs as we walk down the trail to Manker Flat and our waiting car.

This seldom done tour consisted of about 15 miles and more than 4000 vertical feet. The views in all directions are unbeatable. We went relatively light - our packs were 28 pounds each. We carried crampons and an ice ax but didn't use them. The snow can be very icy on this tour and it is sometimes hard to predict the conditions.