El Diente Peak

Route: Navajo Lake Approach
Posted On: 7/4/2017, By: BobbyFinn
Info: Some snow in the basin. Some snow higher up.
You could do a snow climb from just above the basin to the summit. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/3/2017, By: glenmiz
Info: Snow in basin up to just below organ pipes and a few patches after that. You can bypass some, but not all, of the lower snow fields and all of the upper patches. I'm in Justin's "snow baby club" and thought it was difficult. I used crampons and ice axe and was glad to have them.

I had climbed Wilson Peak the day before and wasn't surprised by the snow on the north-facing Rock of Ages saddle. I was surprised at how much snow there was on the south-facing slopes of El Diente and up to Mt. Wilson - maybe this is normal for this time of year. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/3/2017, By: kwhit24
Info: Started at Kipacker TH. Lots of steep snow to hike. There are a couple small snow patches to cross prior to the El Diente/Mount Wilson turnoff but they are manageable with poles. Once at the split the snow is continuous form 1,100'+ until you enter the gully beneath the Organ Pipes. My partner and I felt comfortable in mircospikes but most people had crampons and I know there were at least 2 people that turned around because they didn't feel comfortable with just micros or the steep snow. Axe and/or poles were a must. Expect the snow to add 1-2 hours to hike. We didn't descend that route but the steepness may make glissading difficult

Once in the gully and below the organ pipes the route is pretty much clear. There are a couple small snow patches but they are manageable without traction 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/3/2017, By: benlen
Info: Came up Kilpacker, like many others––DO NOT, I repeat, do not do this route without a minimum of ice axe and microspikes, with crampons preferred. There is a lot of snow still up there, and we saw a couple folks attempt the summit without traction and only hiking poles––it made a very scary day for them.

Also, beware of mosquitos at lower altitudes––pack DEET! 

Route: North Buttress
Posted On: 7/6/2017, By: robhyde
Info: Deep snow all the way up to rock. Icy in the morning. Heavy and wet an hour after the sun hits. Rock is dry generally above couloirs. Noticeably less snow one day to the next. 

Route: Kilpacker Approach
Posted On: 7/6/2017, By: Incline Fanatic
Info: Long 4th of July weekend (I had Friday and Monday off in addition to the 4th) so it was an opportunity to make the long drive out to the Wilson Group to see if we could hike something. I planned to hike Fri and Sat so departed for the long drive after work on Thursday, which was probably a mistake since I had the extra days off. Anyway, off we went Thurs, arriving at the Kilpacker TH at about 11:30 pm. Too tired to set up a tent, we just slept in the car... another questionable move (Toyota Corolla). 

Route: North Slopes
Posted On: 6/26/2017, By: STIBungy
Info: Same deal as Mt Wilson's north slope: snow covered until the summit. The warm weather is causing some wet slides in the afternoon. 

Route: North Slopes
Posted On: 6/21/2017, By: DynamicPursuits
Info: I approached from Rock of Ages saddle. Reached the summit at 8:30. The snow on the north slope was very soft with many shin deep holes. The ridge was mostly dry with a few snowy patches. Snow for both the approach and exit was firm, except for descending the saddle's north slope on the way out. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 2/18/2017, By: SnowAlien
Info: El Diente got a lot of snow. Not much exposed rock in the entire basin. Lots of wet slides (frozen debris) on southern aspects. Traverse would be time consuming and tricky under current conditions, if doable. North side traverse is heavily wind loaded. Good news, the snow on southern aspect is well consolidated and climbable. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 10/2/2016, By: STIBungy
Info: Headed up El D via Kilpacker TH at 5:15. The trail through the wooded area was very wet and muddy after raining the day before. Once reaching the talus section, the rock were covered in frost and a thin layer of ice. Microspikes made for a faster and more stable climb of what seemed like an endless field of talus. The ascent up the south face was slick until the sun came up. Certain spots had a thicker layer of ice. Few spots of snow. All avoidable on south face. The north side of the peak held more snow. All unavoidable. Majority was knee deep powder under crust if you broke through. The lack of an ice axe made for a sketchy traverse and ascent. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 9/21/2016, By: Tab
Info: Great weather. Micro spikes recommended on north side traverse and final gully. Traverse to Mt. Wilson clear with only trace amounts of snow on north side of ridge line. Lots of loose rock in gully during normal route descent off Wilson. Fun traverse. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 9/19/2016, By: Nelson
Info: Once you get to the north side there's a fair amount of snow. If you don't have micro spikes you will be unhappy. I was on the summit with 4 experienced climbers. On the descent we narrowly avoided a serious accident. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 9/5/2016, By: My-Therapy
Info: Early morning storm moved through yesterday (Sunday Sept. 4th) which made for fairly muddy and even sloppy conditions below treeline in several areas. The wind and sun yesterday started to dry it out some in the afternoon. The last 100 yards or so of the hike has some accumulated hail piles that pose a few areas of caution, but can be done without traction or axes. windy above 12,500' yesterday but overall good conditions. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 9/5/2016, By: Strider29
Info: Waited all morning and part of the afternoon for the clouds to move off the summit. Started up from treeline at 2:30pm and reached the summit at 5:30pm. Routefinding was moderately challenging on the way up, very difficult on the way down. Never did find he "correct" route until nearly nearly back to the basin floor. There's about 6" of corn snow to deal with on the north side after crossing through the first notch. We kicked steps in it where needed and had no problems, but would need at least microspikes if it freezes up. Made it back to treeline right at dark at 8:00pm. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 9/1/2016, By: dweiss2
Info: Summer conditions with a few wet spots here and there until you drop over to the north side of the ridge. The last 300 feet is steep angled corn snow, just shallow enough to be unsupportive, but deep enough to help you slide off the edge should you slip. Too shallow for crampons, but deep enough to make microspikes marginally useful. Definitely bring microspikes and an ice axe if you intend to summit the last 300 feet. I did, but it took a lot of work on sketchy terrain. Wherever there is not snow, there is very wet and slick rock, so take your time and be willing to turn around if you feel unsure! Remember you have to down climb as well! My 2 cents: wait for warmer temps next week to let it melt out