May 26 2011

Winter reigns through May

It’s still winter here in Truckee. A fresh two inches dropped on the front lawn yesterday afternoon and there’s certainly more up on the mountainsides. My biker buddies are bummed. I’m not worried about winter not leaving the building. I’m worried that Ol’ Man Winter won’t feel welcome when we want him to come back in October.

Here’s to freshies this weekend, whether that be in Tahoe, Mt. Shasta, the Sierra, or the Rockies. Don’t leave snow to find snow, and don’t leave snow for a cold beach either. When the weather says it’s winter, it’s time to ski! 😉

Donny Roth in the Wasatch, January 23, 2011.

 

May 19 2011

TR: Tahoe showers bring May powder!

Winter is in its last throes here in the Tahoe area, but it keeps on throwing down fresh coats of powder. It simply will not yield to summer without a fight. Non-skiing locals want to serve old man winter with an eviction notice.

Dawn Patrol = Freshies!!!

Yesterday was indicative. Brendan Madigan from Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City, a get after it backcountry hustler called it the best powder day he had ever experienced in May. It would be silly to dispute that, especially when you consider where he skied, and when.

The call was universal among Tahoe’s dawn patrollers.

6am at the shuttle lot. Snooze you loose.

Skinning before 7am.

Top out by 8am and point ‘em down.

Brendan followed the plan, knocking out a 2500 vertical skin to the top of Jakes Peak right on schedule, and trust me, that was a vertical track – competition style.
Keep making backcountry turns

May 15 2011

Semi-Lite lessons from the Sierra High Route

It’s been just over a week now since skiing the Sierra High Route. Unlike my previous attempt two years ago, this time we skied all the way across. Two years ago I started out with ASI’s Geoff Clarke, Nick Washburn, and Nori Hamaguchi. We made it to the beginning of Deadman Canyon before hitting the brakes HARD when the entire bowl settled three to six inches — ka-whoomph! It wasn’t that we were worried about Deadman letting go — it was just a 20° slope. But the equivalently oriented slope dropping in to Cloud Canyon from Coppermine Pass had a 38° rollover. If it had any inclination of whomphing on us there, that might be the beginning of somebody’s last ride and no one was volunteering to be the avy poodle (not that Geoff was taking volunteers either).

Geoff Clarke teles beneath Consolation Couloir, near Pear Lake Hut, May 2009.

We set up camp early and hoped the slope would freeze solid overnight. When the slope still let out an audible crack that echoed off the rock walls around the bowl the next morning we decided that was an omen to retreat. We headed back to camp one and spent the following day leaving tracks off the ridge leading up to skier’s Alta Peak near Pear Lake Hut. Still a great trip into the Sierra Nevada interior, but not the classic traverse.

During the first week of May, 2011 the stars aligned, the weather broke for the first time since Junuary, and six of us rendezvoused at Wolverton trailhead to ski the Sierra High Route, West to East. How we went from six to five is a story in itself, but I’ll save that for later. Maybe.

For now I just want to share some of the lessons I learned before I forget them so you might benefit from the analysis in preparing for your next overnight adventure. Substitute your fave food or fetish for the examples below.
Keep making backcountry turns

May 12 2011

Review: Marmot Minimalist

Marmot’s Minimalist jacket fits perfectly in the “What’s Not To Like Category”. After all, what’s not to like about a good-looking, well-built waterproof/breathable shell for an easy on the wallet $200? Especially one made of Gore-tex®?

Clean, simple, functional. What's not to like about Marmot's Minimalist?

Certainly not Marmot’s lightest shell, the versatile Minimalist, at 17.2 ounces for an men’s XL (my weight … weighed on a digital scale), is more than light enough for long days in the backcountry winter or spring — or for that matter, summer and fall. It has a simple, purposeful design and a Gore-tex® Paclite-backed face fabric tough enough for full-on, real-world alpine weather and reasonably abusive use.

Of course, like most people, I prefer carrying as little unnecessary weight as possible when in the mountains—for obvious reasons. To that end, I also own, use, and test several ultralight W/B shells. These are great as foul weather wear when I’m out on straightforward hikes, peak ascents, biking and even skiing. However, if forced to choose and own just one shell I’ll opt for a jacket like the Minimalist — with its laminated waterproof layer — every time because it’s going to be, while not that much heavier, more durable in the long haul, both in the field and in the washer and dryer. This equates to better value — which in this case is already quite smashing.
Keep making backcountry turns

May 10 2011

TR: Sierra High Route

Back from a week in the Sierra Nevada and completion of a trip I’ve put off for too long, the Sierra High route. This is a classic crossing of the Sierra first pioneered in the 1930s by men like Otto Steiner, then made popular in the ’70s when Dave Beck defined an efficient line between Shephard’s Pass on the east side, and the Pear Lake Hut trailhead at Wolverton on the west side.

Top of Coppermine Pass, aka Couloir Pass, between Deadman Canyon and Cloud Canyon.

This particular trip was spectacular. One of the guides on the trip, Peter Leh has been leading this trip for 30 years with ASI and said it was perhaps the best conditions he has ever experienced for the Sierra High Route. The guide for our group, Geoff Clarke agreed. After a winter of heavy snowfall and regular precipitation the weather finally cooperated and abated for a week of sunshine and moderate temperatures. The result was an easy passage through the Sierra in spring conditions with corn snow and spectacular views everywhere.

There were lots of lessons learned on this trip which I’ll delve into in future posts, but for now this blog needs some fresh images. So, without further ado, here are a few highlights from the trip with more to follow in the days to come, including some insight on gear used that can make or break such a trip.
Keep making backcountry turns

May 02 2011

The Giant’s Steps Couloir – Mt. Williamson

Standing 14,375 feet tall, Mount Williamson appears to be the highest peak and is the biggest massif visible from California State Highway 395. (Mount Whitney which sits a few miles south of Williamson is the highest peak in the lower forty-eight, but it is among the second tier of peaks farther from the road, and appears lower.) At first glance, Williamson’s north wall looks better suited for climbers. For practitioners of the steep, however, the granite ribs simply define the boundaries of a playground.

The Giant's Steps Couloir cascades diagonally across Mt. Williamson's north face.

Historically, locals have agreed to keep first descents along the Sierra Nevada’s “east side” undocumented. Despite this tradition and the uncertainty it breeds, it is generally accepted that nearly all the couloirs of the eastern Sierra visible from 395 have been descended. Except for one.

Keep making backcountry turns

Apr 29 2011

Springtime escape to the Sierra

It has been an epic season. One that is still going strong, except, that is, for the number of people still skiing.

Sweet corn snow. Excellent for climbing. Excellent for turning.

Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t like I don’t still see other people when I’m out skiing the backcountry. But there aren’t as many, and the ones who remain are friendlier. I don’t know if it’s because they just happen to be friendlier people, or if it’s because with fewer people to compete for freshies the friendly side just shines through so much easier. Maybe it’s just because in the spring the sun is out and there’s no need to hide inside a hood.

At times I’m perplexed that that number of people skiing drops so dramatically once the storms subside. The snow remains, but the visitors do not. I wonder – do they not understand how excellent the conditions are in the spring? True, the chance of getting a two footer are slim, but six inches of powder is still fresh powder. And if it’s six on one side of the mountain, you can bet it’s twice that on the other side, so it’s not like you can’t get a powder day in the spring. I’ll admit on most days powder doesn’t arrive, but that’s true in the dead of winter too.

Keep making backcountry turns