I hiked this 2/6/21 as the first winter hike of my life. I had the intention of hiking up the ski hut and down the backbone. I started at 6am from Manker trailhead and the lot was packed. Mt Baldy road is completely clear from last weeks storm with no need for chains. I started with fleece socks, thermal underwear, convertible pants, a fleece shirt, a puffer jacket and a rain shell. I managed most of the hike with just the thermal shirt and pants though. There are a few spots of ice until you get to the fork for the ski hut route but nothing of concern. The next mile was covered in a bit more snow but also passable without spikes. I put my spikes on at about 1.5 miles but many folks did not use them until the ski hut which was another mile. This will come down to personal preference but that next mile to the ski hut was covered in pretty slippery snow and ice. After the ski hut, I began to feel very out of my comfort zone. The remaining 2 miles to the summit was not clear and I highly recommend some sort of GPS. You can tell folks who had broken in the trail had trouble finding their way because there were so many different paths cutting through. The snow was fairly compact too at this point but only for about a 2 foot width. If I ventured even slightly to either side, the snow was up to my thigh (I’m 5’6). Let’s just say it made for quite an interesting potty break. Normally the last mile is brutal as you scramble up the ski hut trail but with snow it was ten times that. I spent 2 hours on this last mile alone! Finally after various bouts of trekking through thigh high snow and fumbling for compact spots, I made it to the summit at noon. 6 hours to go about 4.5 miles. By this point, the temperatures had increased quicker then expected and the snow was melting into slush. I opted out of the backbone for safety and went back down the ski hut trail. The growing slush made the downward scramble very dangerous at times. I did not bring an ice axe but many hikers had them. I seldom use trekking poles but wouldn’t let them leave my side today. The melting snow was brutal to navigate through until after the ski hut where gravel began to take over. I kept my spikes on till I was maybe half a mile from where the ski hut trail meets the main trail. I finished around 4pmand drank 3L of water and a L of gatorade for reference