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Thread: TR: Sierra Crest Tour – SB to SV
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03-12-2014, 08:33 PM #1
TR: Sierra Crest Tour – SB to SV
Armed with high-pressure, clear skies, a decent re-freeze the prior night and a light, Southwesterly wind, LightRanger and I decided to head out last Saturday for the classic Sierra Crest tour from Sugar Bowl to Squaw in the North Lake Tahoe Basin. I don’t think I am surprising anyone in saying that this season has been pretty bleak in Tahoe for snow accumulation, and I think a lot of the pictures below will show how thin the sun-exposed aspects are right now. Still, it felt great to get out on a longer tour and get some exercise. I particularly like these “meadow skipping” type tours where you cover longer distances to see a lot of terrain. I particularly like multi-day tours in the Eastern Sierra in the Spring, but this season (like last season) is looking like May will be more devoted to High Sierra climbing.
Warning – there are not a ton of action ski shots in a tour like this, but figured I have not posted a TR in a while so why not.
For most of the route, you are pretty much right along the Sierra Crest. It is around 11-12 miles from Sugar Bowl to Squaw. There are a myriad of ski descents along the way if conditions warrant and you want to drop down off the Crest and skin back up. There are also two Sierra Club Huts in the vicinity en route (Bradley and Benson), and some folks turn this into an overnight. LightRanger and I were not trying to set any records, but also had quick conditions for skinning and didn’t veer of the Crest too much so we finished it in around 6 hours.
Looking out from the gates on Mt. Lincoln at Sugar Bowl, out towards Anderson Peak in the distance. Photo: UCL
Basically the entire day was frozen North aspects, and South aspects frozen in the morning and then turning to nice corn snow as the day warmed. Fortunately, the Southwesterly winds kept it from getting too gloppy for some descents later in the day on the South face of Tinkers Knob.
LightRanger in some variable conditions in the morning. Photo: UCL
Sometimes folks boot-pack up the North Face of Anderson Peak and ski it (or ski down the opposite side in bigger snow years). It was obvious the entire North Face was frozen solid, so we just planned on following the Pacific Crest Trail by skinning around the North and West sides. Photo: LightRanger
Royal Gorge to the West of the Sierra Crest. Photo: UCL
Getting up to the North Face of Anderson – definitely still frozen. I would like to come back in stable powder conditions and get some good turns on that. It can also easily be skied in a short day trip from Sugar Bowl (or you could stay at the Hut to take advantage of its location). Photo: LightRanger
A panorama I stitched together from the South Face of Anderson looking further South towards Tinker’s Knob and beyond. Photo: UCL
After going around Anderson and to its South-side, we headed back up to the Crest above the cliff band and off to the Eastern side of Tinkers Knob. We just skinned up to the top of Tinkers Knob for great views and grabbing a bite to eat. Photo: LightRanger
Checking out some of the NE aspects along the way that normally would ski good in soft conditions. Here it was pretty much dust over avy debris and rain crust. No dice. Photo: LightRanger
A quarter plus century of 100+ mph winds along the Crest during storms will give you this. Photo: LightRanger
Great views up at the top of Tinker’s Knob. We got there in about 2 hours from Sugar Bowl (with no side-trip ski descents). Photo: UCL
Another panorama I stitched that shows the crest towards Squaw and Alpine and beyond. You can make out Granite Chief Peak, the Palisades, Ward Peak, Twin Peaks and even Tallac way off in the distance. Photo: UCL
Looking across the Lake at Heavenly Resort, the avy paths on Trimmer Peak and Freel, Job’s and Job’s Sister above. Photo: LightRanger
Nice place for lunch! Photo: LightRanger
From the top of Tinker’s, we decided to drop off the Southeast side and work our way off the Crest way down to the lake bed, and then skin up another sub ridge line to re-gain the Crest right next to Granite Chief. So we basically skied down to the trees on the right side of this photo, and then skinned through them back up to the prominent ridge in the distance. Photo: LightRanger
Skiing from the summit of Tinkers. Photo: LightRanger
LightRanger following the upper pitch – it was great corn snow. Photo: UCL
We shifted aspects to the South and continued down to a bench by the trees, only to cut back East and work further down. Photo: LightRanger
LightRanger working further down the peak. It felt good to finally be getting some sustained downhill. Photo: UCL
Even further down it was not too sticky yet due to the South winds. Photo: LightRanger
Although we got way off the Crest and were about to get slowed down a bit with creek crossings and thin coverage, I for one thought it was totally worth it pulling back into the lake to re-skin! Photo: LightRanger
This avalanche path must go very big in storm cycles. It is not visible from Squaw as that is the West Face of Granite Chief Peak on the looker’s left. Photo: LightRanger
On low snow years like this, you pay the price descending too far. Wouldn’t be a traverse-type ski tour without an open creek crossing in my opinion! Having said that, this was around 6,000 ft. so in a normal year this would be buried deeply. Photo: UCL
We slowed down a bit with things like this and other boulder-hopping nonsense, but finally got back to the sub-ridge we wanted to use to re-gain the Crest. LightRanger following along with Tinker’s Knob off in the far distance. Photo: UCL
One exit is out of Shirley Canyon, which in this year is bone dry. So we avoided that entirely and headed up by Granite Chief Peak. Looking down into Squaw at Shirley Lakes. Photo: UCL
Shirley Lakes chair looks miniature from this vantage. Photo: LightRanger
We headed down to SV, grabbed a beer and Mrs. UCL picked us up to drive back to Donner Pass to grab LightRanger’s car. Super easy and a great, mellow day out!
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03-12-2014, 09:15 PM #2
much enjoyed thanks !!!!!!!!!!!
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03-12-2014, 09:20 PM #3
nice, although really they should just put in a gondi from SB to Squaw.
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03-12-2014, 09:59 PM #4
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03-12-2014, 10:18 PM #5
looks like a great day in the mtns ...
we can't control the snow, but we can still enjoy wot little there is ...We, the RATBAGGERS, formally axcept our duty is to trigger avalaches on all skiers ...
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03-13-2014, 02:37 AM #6
Sick stoke. Even when its thin that dense snow you get serves you well!
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03-13-2014, 08:53 AM #7
Great TR! You guys made lemonade out of lemons with our snowpack this season.
Thankyou for posting your journey.
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03-13-2014, 09:40 AM #8
Nice, but it sure doesn't look like March.
I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...iscariot
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03-13-2014, 11:20 AM #9
Nice job stretching the legs. Any day on top of the Sierra Crest is a good day!
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03-13-2014, 12:46 PM #10
That was the general idea. With a junky snowpack, we knew conditions weren't going to be that great for making lots of turns, but we were hoping they'd hold up for this. The breeze kept it from getting too sticky up high in the afternoon, so it worked out perfectly. Kind of surprised at how quickly we did it because we weren't planning on going out and crushing it or anything.
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03-13-2014, 01:10 PM #11
Nice, I have done that tour. It is gorgeous and something to do in the spring. Glad you poached into Squaw, that is the run way to end it........I was wondering if that was going to be the ending.
Edit: May 20th, 2006.
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...-20?highlight=
---About the same snowpack (maybe more actually)
---Back when Squaw stayed open through Memorial Day.Donjoy to the World!
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03-13-2014, 01:18 PM #12
We don't know what you're talking about. By "headed down to SV," he meant via the totally burnt out Shirley Canyon. Lots of walking and terrible bushwhacking.
Actually, I was saying at the end of the tour, and to gone2alpine separately, that if KSL wants to build up more local goodwill, they'd open the boundaries. The KT BC gate is a nice start, but the terrain off the W-NW side of Granite Chief Peak is rad. They already treat Alpine and Squaw as one resort, and Alpine's had open boundaries since...? A long time ago. I don't really understand why they haven't opened Squaw's yet. Sure, patrol would probably be involved in more rescues, but in terms of actually putting a gate or three up, it doesn't seem like it would dramatically affect their operations.
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03-13-2014, 05:41 PM #13
Sweet, you have been too long gone from TGR.
Hell you guys got tons of snow. Count yo blessings.
Sent from my Huawei-U8665 using TGR ForumsLast edited by scottyb; 03-13-2014 at 06:11 PM.
watch out for snakes
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03-14-2014, 12:00 PM #14Ginger
- Join Date
- Nov 2009
- Posts
- 238
Nice TR. Looks like a good time.
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03-14-2014, 12:18 PM #15
Great hike in the summer too...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using TGR ForumsBest Skier on the Mountain
Self-Certified
1992 - 2012
Squaw Valley, USA
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03-14-2014, 12:19 PM #16
Aside from the longer downhills, was that done mostly using skins or skating, or lots of transitions between the two? In other words, would it be worth it on a splitboard?
“I really lack the words to compliment myself today.” - Alberto Tomba
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03-14-2014, 12:38 PM #17
You could do it on a split, although it would definitely take longer. We skied skinless probably half to two-thirds of the way to Anderson--partially locked-heel and partially free with some skating, as I recall. Skinned from a little ways before Anderson to Tinkers. (We would have booted the north face of Anderson and skied down the other side if conditions were better.) Skied (locked) from the summit of Tinkers down to a flat meadow area and then skinned/skied a bit/bushwhacked at the bottom/but mostly skinned up to the ridge above Shirley. We hit Anderson in ~2 hours, Tinkers at about ~3 hours, and the total down to Shirley in 5:23. We started later than anticipated too and didn't leave the summit of Lincoln until 10:10.
Note that it would have been a much straighter shot with more descending traverses if the coverage was better. But you could still do it with some "distance yo-yoing" like we did.
tl;dr: A split isn't ideal, but plenty doable.
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03-19-2014, 08:12 PM #18Registered User
- Join Date
- Apr 2011
- Location
- Berkeley, California
- Posts
- 79
Good job guys - smooth corn, bright skies, long ridges and a schwacky exit over creeks - seems you ticked all the boxes on this one
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03-20-2014, 05:33 AM #19
Next time they should ski by the cat house.
Sent from my Huawei-U8665 using TGR Forumswatch out for snakes
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