Pedal, pedal, shred, shred

The Mt. Abel (Cerro Noroeste) Bike-n-Ski trip has appeared in the Schedule of Activities for several years in a row, but for various reasons (mostly due to lack of snow) it has not gone on for some time. With over 40 inches of rain in the valleys and many feet of snow in the local mountains this year, Mt. Abel was in its prime with wonderful spring skiing conditions. The Feb. 13 trip was also the first co-sponsored Ski Mountaineers Section/Mountain Bike Committee trip, which incidentally involves the oldest outings entity of the Angeles Chapter (SMS) and the youngest outings entity (MBC).

photographs by Reiner Stenzel Bikers rode as far as they could, then became skiers, finally rewarded by spectacular views on the summit of Mt. Abel.

While many cross-country skiers and snow-play enthusiasts regularly make their way to the slopes below Mt. Pinos every winter weekend in a good snow year, Mt. Pinos' sister peak, Cerro Noroeste (Mt. Abel), is quiet and seldom visited, due to its closed, seldom snow-covered road. The Ski Mountaineers and Mountain Bike Committee had the idea to ride bicycles up the gated road until the snow line is reached, at which point one can continue on skis and enjoy fresh tracks.

Ten adventurous spirits set out from the Apache Saddle roadhead with skis, boots, climbing skins, and poles strapped to their packs, helmets on their heads and feet on their pedals. We posed for several group photos while neighbors looked on with amusement to see skis and bikes on the same trip.

Riding uphill with heavy packs and big skis sticking out is quite a workout, especially at high elevation, as we soon found out. The single-track mountain bike experts could not resist trying to ride uphill in every patch of snow that covered the road, and provided entertainment when they stalled out. The rest of us took the conservative route through the early morning ice and snow and got off our bikes for short snow portages.

After 2.5 miles and about 600 feet of elevation gain, we reach a hairpin turn where the aspect was north facing and the road snow covered, and we could abandon our bikes and head up on skis and climbing skins.

At the 7000-foot level, we skinned up through the mixed conifer forest of pinyon, Jeffrey, and ponderosa pine, and white fir. We headed up in a southwest direction on firm snow and then made our way south to access the sunny west ridge of Cerro Noroeste. By noon, we ascended the ridge to the large Campo Alto campground. In summer one can drive to the summit, but in winter it is a 12-mile, round-trip, cross-country adventure, made much nicer on skis.

The picnic tables at the camp made for a nice lunch stop before we headed out to tour the flat-topped peak. We headed southeast out of the campground toward a radio tower and were pleased to find the Mt. Abel (8286 feet) Hundred Peaks Section summit register under a pile of rocks, with views toward Reyes Peak and the Cuyama River valley below. We then headed toward the other nearby high point that looks up toward Mt. Pinos and down to the Puerta del Suelo (Gateway to the Bottom). In the 1800s, Spanish sheepherders used to run their sheep from Ventura to the San Joaquin Valley and graze them in the high country through this route. It is said that the missionaries blazed a cross on an old Jeffrey pine somewhere in the campground where they held mass for the shepherds, but we did not find the cross. However, the tour on top was pleasant and the sun stayed out for the rest of the afternoon. Back at the picnic tables, skins were removed and we started our descent the way we came.

Once back on the ridge, we found silky, Sierra-quality corn snow. We enjoyed many nice turns and wound our way down through the forest, catching open areas with the most sun and best snow. We quickly descended the ridge and then back through the forest until we hit the Mt. Abel road, where our bikes waited patiently for our return. Once packed up, we had a fun coast down the road, and were pleasantly surprised that much of the early morning ice and snow had melted out, making the bike ride down a cruise.

We had great camaraderie, wonderful spring snow, and excellent attitudes from everyone willing to give this unusual 'bike-n-ski' outing a try.

For more trip reports from the Ski Mountaineers Section, go to http://skimountaineerssectionlachaptersc.org/text/triprpts.htm .