12/13 Eastside - Mammoth/June mountain stoke & conditions thread:

[Franz Klammer]

JimW, I rode the same line 10 days ago (Saturday after it opened) and it also seemed burlier than usual to me!

[Franz Klammer]

Oh, and the way to do Powerhouse is to take the main drainage and then to cross into the skier's left chute right below the cliff band.

But the snow is melting fast!

[AKbruin]

Well, 2013 sucked for snow, but this last week offered perfect weather and generally awesome conditions. Franz Klammer and I finished eight straight days of bc skiing, ticking off the following lines: Red Slate, Solstice, TJ Bowl, North Peak, Dana Couloir, Ellery Bowl, Emerson (North Couloir), and Leavitt.

A few thoughts:

(1) The Eastern Sierra bc community is still pretty small. Funny how you frequently run into the same circle of people, especially around Tioga.
(2) Don't trust Franz Klammer's glue-stick style sunblock, unless you want to look like a leper.
(3) The Shiloh Inn in Mammoth Lakes--with its pool, jacuzzi, steam room, and free breakfast--is a nice base station for Eastern Sierra missions.
(4) Emerson's North Couloir is one of the best around, but it is a hell of a slog in a low-snow year.
(5) Don't forget that you have a whippet in your right hand when you go for an old-school mute grab.

Franz or I will probably get around to posting some photos eventually.

Now that so many Tahoe trails are clear, it's time to put the hurt to the dirt.

yeah jimmydub!! i actually made that same statement on the previous page. less snow = more steep. lotsa sideslippin in the entrances. whenever you can ski to within a 5-10 min walk to your car, powerhouse is a way better run then ellery imho.

any reports from sonora???

Rode the Y yesterday around 1 p.m. It was still pretty firm. Otherwise, conditions were pretty good.

I wanted to ride Powerhouse but had to shepherd a snowboarder friend who understandably was not wild about heel-sliding into the PH entrance. Oh well. Ellery was actually pretty fun.

[rod9301]

which y did you ski, probably not leavitt?

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[AKbruin]

which y did you ski, probably not leavitt?

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The Leavitt Y as far as I know, from the looker's right arm. There was a small cornice in the middle but a relatively easy entrance from the looker's left.

Deadman's chute looks good and had a set of tracks in it. We were too lazy to boot it though.

[~mikey b]

I bet a few folks hit the Leavitt Y yesterday.

[kidwoo]

About 20

[~mikey b]

excellent

[skier666]

If I didn't have a job, kids, and a wife...I would have hit the Y zone and then over to Deadmans yesterday. That seems to be the perfect day. But a day trip to Alpine wasn't too bad.

[Ottime]

If I didn't have a wife, kid or lack if cash, I would have joined ya. Or gone up on opening day. Or both.

[Vets]

I did a Solo Dusk Patrol recon mission up at Sonora Pass last Thursday.
Here is a link to a TR
Sonora Pass currently offers many good options.

[gimpy]

when someone mentions the Y when talking about sonora, wtf other Y could they possibly be talking about??? cereally!!!!

thanx for the reports all!!!

[~mikey b]

He's just upset because he didn't do it the other day.....

[rod9301]

how true

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[jtran10]

haven't pulled the trigger on MVP yet for next year.Thinking I really should though...

[213]

Time for a dope photo paid for by your tax dollars.



Cool stuff going on at JPL

[jimw]

That's awesome! The article says they will do weekly flights. It would be awesome if they posted aerial photos like that from each flight. Hell I would buy them a GoPro for that. Anyone got an in with JPL?

Speaking of snowpack research, I saw this thing in the Conness lakes area on Monday. Looks like some sort of sensor. I've seen some research stuff out by the Conness glacier before, but not in the Conness Lakes. That's the bottom of S couloir in the top left.

[jimw]

Here are some beta pics from Sat-Tues last week, mostly around Tioga. Conditions were decent, though the snow is still transitional in some areas. Also some stuff was getting pretty warm and rotten, need some good melt-freeze cycles. Weather looks to be vacillating between above and below normal temps, so YMMV.

Most importantly, conditions at the Mo-mart are GOING OFF!!!



Dana plateau. V-bowl is burnt. Many of the upper chutes were getting ridden, then climbed back out. Mostly Coke, Ripper and Powerhouse. 3rd Pillar doesn't go.



Gibbs



Powerhouse. It was still worth doing to the bottom last weekend, but was going quick. The diagonal connector requires some walking on dirt to get into, and there's a burnt section between that and the top of the last snowfield above the cars. Probably not worth it anymore, it's just as easy to go straight down the drainage to where it ends and talus-hop to the road. Likely not worth doing to the bottom by this weekend.



Upper Powerhouse



Upper Powerhouse chute entrances felt steeper than normal due to low snowpack









Powerhouse exit



Ellery was looking pretty bony at the top of the bowl, and Chute Out requires a downclimb. Apparently it was riding pretty well though. Didn't ride in there myself but heard it was good, there were lots of people up there.







Third Pillar. Someone sideslipped about 100 ft down, then decided f*ck this and climbed back out. Two major chockstones completely block the choke.





Liberty. Huuuuge wet cornice, super tight entrance, crappy snow. What's not to like? (umm, not recommended...)







Unknown was in good shape. Looked like lots of folks hit it.







Top of the plateau. Still a decent amount of snow to skin on.



Glacier canyon.



Looking up towards Solstice entrance and Dana summit. Sounded like Solstice was riding really well. Not many reports on Dana other than give it time to soften up.



Dana and Solstice





View of Dana/Plateau/Ellery area from across the road by top of Greenstone area

[jimw]

Pt. 2 (stupid post size limit! )

Backside route up to Conness plateau



False White



White area





Saddlebag. Lake was still frozen and skinnable, not sure for how long. Road is patchy. More road than snow on first mile, then more snow than road 2nd mile.





Greenstone area looking good





Conness area



Snow finger/S couloir. S doesn't quite go from the top... but it is downclimbable.



Backside of North Peak. We were going to head over there and hit the chutes but bailed. Probably should have gone, I heard they are in good shape.



Flinty's



Bottom of Y couloir, and Conness summit chutes. Shrunds just starting to open.



Backside route up to top of Conness plateau



Top of Flinty's



Shots from the drive home. Dunderberg to Green Creek run looks worth doing, at least from here. Probably a decent amount of schwacking at the Green Creek exit.



Twin Lakes/Matterhorn area



Shot from near the hairpin turn on the west side of Sonora pass. Is the second one Leavitt/Y?





Love the eastside!

[Skeeze]

That's probably the best beta ever posted here, wish I was able to make it back up this year!

[dhklauer]

Shot from near the hairpin turn on the west side of Sonora pass. Is the second one Leavitt/Y?





^^^^Yes, Y Couloir on Leavitt.

Thanks for all the Beta!

[w j b]

Does anyone have beta for the Virginia Lakes area?

[kidwoo]

Ladies and gentlemen....................................

[kidwoo]

JIMW RODE SOMETHING THAT'S NOT OFF THE PLATEAU!!!!!!!!!

[rod9301]

leavitt y couloir skied really well today@2.
About 2-3"of soft snow.
Skinned from the car at the first switchback w of the summit.

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