Climbed Shooting Star today (Dec 20) on Mt Wilson. We were psyched to have a cloudy day preventing solar radiation from cooking the 1500m of snowy terrain above our heads. Clouds and cool temperatures are desirable conditions for all of Mt Wilson's routes to keep both the snow (for avalanches) and the ice (for climbing) in reasonable shape.
The first pitch is hanging in there but is getting pretty white and thin in spots. It is sporting lots of in situ V-threads most of which are sun-leached and melted out so check them carefully. The 3rd pitch has broken and reformed as a skinny pillar but the ice is wet and plastic making it friendly. I would recommend Gore-tex for this pitch because it is pouring with water.
We drove up the road a few km to see what else is in. Ice Nine is "formed" but the first pitch pillar appears the diameter of a tree trunk so I would give it a week or so to fill out a bit. Happy Days / Nine is almost touching down.
Cheers,
Sean Isaac
Assistant Alpine Guide