Baden-Powell Again
I know, I tend to rhapsodize when the San Gabriels have snow, but hear me out: perched as they are atop desert, city, and sea, is there really a better place to ski?
My son and I climbed BP's northwest ridge yesterday, expecting to skitter about on dangerously-hard snow. Instead, surprise: west aspects were soft-and-smooth corn snow, and shaded north aspects were... powdery?
Highway 2 is still open, meaning it's skinning from the car in November in Southern California, which is literally causing the synapses in my brain to sizzle and pop.
Yes, you will find variable conditions out there, including slick and textured regions where snow and ice have fallen from treetops.
But the big story remains the low sun angle, which allows wintery conditions to persist wherever it is shady or steep. Incredibly, this is the second time I've ascended and skied BP via the NW ridge this year.
Compared to my October adventure, there is a lot more snow up there now. On north aspects above ~8500 feet I'd guess the current compacted snow depth is at least four feet.
If we see any large storms on the near horizon, I would expect there to be potential for an avalanche cycle. There is loose sugary snow on shaded aspects which could act as a bed surface. Your best source for local backcountry conditions is probably the SoCal Backcountry Skiers and Snowboarders group on Facebook.
Allen Giernet is still running the Southern California Avalanche Center and requests you submit field observations and photos. Unfortunately that site is not https, so your browser may try to prevent you from visiting.
While ice was not a threat yesterday, please do stay vigilant if you venture out into the SoCal backcountry. Things change quickly out there. Our mountains are dynamic and that's why we love them, but they demand a great deal of situational awareness—one or two turns can take you from summer to winter (or vice-versa) and back again.
But the headline news is it's November and we have snow. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
— November 26, 2025
Andy Lewicky is the author and creator of SierraDescents
Dan Conger November 27, 2025 at 11:18 am
The conditions look amazing. Up north, the Donner Pass region only has snow on north facing slopes and there’s a foot of it at most. Slow start to the season up this way. The typical roles have been reversed.