Mt Whitney Webcam
Mt Williamson Webcam
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 172 guests, and 6 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Mt. Dana in February?
#35067 02/01/14 09:32 AM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 55
OP Offline
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 55
Hi folks,

I'm very interested in climbing Yosemite's Mt. Dana. At about 13000 ft it's not as tall as Whitney, but I understand the steepness of the trail makes it quite challenging.

Given the extremely dry conditions in the Sierra this year, might it be possible to climb Dana in February? If you've done the route before, is there a lot of snow? Ordinarily I wouldn't even think about attempting it in February, but I was in Yosemite last month and there was virtually no snow anywhere, with temps in the 60s and 70s, and it hasn't snowed since. And I see that Whitney is almost completely clear of snow at the moment too. So it seems like it might be a good opportunity for some winter climbs.

I'm mostly a summer hiker with only a few experiences climbing in snow with crampons. If Dana in February had a few icy patches to navigate I think I'd be fine, but if it were mostly snow and ice climbing, I'd probably choose to wait until later in the season.

Re: Mt. Dana in February?
Steve Chamberlin #35068 02/01/14 12:05 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 648
Likes: 52
Offline
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 648
Likes: 52
Steve,

Much of SR 120 is closed for the winter. You would need to hike, snowshoe, or ski something like 10 miles to get to Tioga Pass from the east. I’ve heard of snowmobile shuttles, but that’s probably not an option right now with so little snow down low. Mt. Dana is a short distance but 3,000 feet of elevation gain from Tioga Pass. You would be on the north side of Mt. Dana, so it’s probably covered in snow, maybe some deep snow. There is probably very little real ice, but I would take crampons, ice axe, snowshoes, and ski poles. Either that, or wait until July when you can just stroll up in trail runners.

Re: Mt. Dana in February?
Steve Chamberlin #35069 02/01/14 12:05 PM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,034
Offline
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,034
bring crampons and poles and an ice axe for the upper section. Rest is a piece of cake. Great place to ski if there's snow.

The south side of the mountain will probably be clear of snow, but that's not where you are coming up. The west flank for the most part should be low to now snow but higher up on the final section you're facing north. On the crest itself won't be a lot of snow due to wind moving it over to the east slopes, but there will be no trail to speak of.

It snowed yesterday all the way down to 6000 feet. Probably a foot of fresh stuff up on Dana.

check conditions on lower Yosemite elevations with this webcam link

http://pixelcaster.com/yosemite/webcams/sentinel.jpg

Re: Mt. Dana in February?
Fishmonger #35070 02/01/14 12:53 PM
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158
Offline
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158
Summit Post and Climber.org are good to know about for general info and perhaps a recent trip report. I don't see anything recent about Dana though. But generally good beta on the routes and some interesting stories.

Re: Mt. Dana in February?
SierraNevada #35073 02/02/14 12:54 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,261
Bee Offline
Offline
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,261
I have been on Dana with solid snow from where the "plateau" starts (the brief flat area before the final "push" to the summit) and before that, there was about 2/3 coverage about half of the hike. This meant that the top part required kick-stepping, and the middle part was annoying intermittant postholing, and the first third of the way was clear. I did not have any mountaineering gear, so I ended up turning back from the main face part way up (as a precaution, as I really don't care if I make the summit if it requires foolish decisions) My hiking buddy easily made the summit in the shallow packed snow. While the views were stunning, my opinion is that I would only do it again with either a fully packed base (or mostly clear) & only if the road was open (as it was for us)


The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
Re: Mt. Dana in February?
Steve Chamberlin #35087 02/03/14 09:58 PM
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 18
J
Offline
J
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 18
The storm Thur./Fri added about 12 to 16" of new snow over what was about 1 foot on the trail up to Dana. I climbed Tioga Pk a week ago and there was little snow but I was on south facing slopes whereas the trail up Dana is more north facing. At that time the Dana couloir was still blue ice.
It's 8 miles to the pass from the gate at the bottom at appr. 7200 ft. then another 2+ miles to the summit and the total elevation gain is appr. 5800 ft. Not enough snow for skis except for portions of the road but snowshoes would be helpful for the peak from the pass.
It's a wonderful winter climb and fun to spend the night on the summit.
Have a great trip.

Re: Mt. Dana in February?
John E #35088 02/03/14 10:24 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,506
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,506
Likes: 103
John E: Do people park at the gate and just walk the road, or other means of transportation useful? Would a bicycle be helpful?

Re: Mt. Dana in February?
Steve C #35091 02/04/14 04:37 AM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,251
Likes: 1
Offline
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,251
Likes: 1
Road might be opened early.


Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Re: Mt. Dana in February?
Steve Chamberlin #35096 02/04/14 08:23 PM
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 18
J
Offline
J
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 18
Steve C
People park at the gate and use whatever means the conditions permit to get up the road; ski, walk, bike, snowmobile, etc. Before this last storm I rode my bike up several times but the new snow has made that a poor option until and if it melts out. Although the road is mostly south facing the cold temps since the storm have meant little snow melt. Also, even though the road is closed, sometimes CalTrans plows it to do some work.
Given the current forecast for the rest of the month, there is no chance they will open the road, even just the east side.
Cheers


Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4
(Release build 20200307)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.4.33 Page Time: 0.039s Queries: 33 (0.033s) Memory: 0.6129 MB (Peak: 0.6938 MB) Data Comp: Off Server Time: 2024-03-29 05:28:31 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS