eAsTSiDe cALiForNiA 2010!

**LegoSkier** · 04-22-2010, 11:33 PM

This thread makes me vibrate with excitement. Especially since there is only one more work day to get through before we are there for a week.
3 nights starting Saturday on the snow way up Rock Creek should be prime.
Can't
Fucking
Wait

**meter-man** · 04-23-2010, 10:35 AM

2 Spots open at Pear Lake Hut this weekend - Saturday and Sunday nights. http://www.sequoiahistory.org/pearlake/pearlake.htm

First 2 to PM are in - provided you pass some sort of troglodyte test.

**LightRanger** · 04-23-2010, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by meter-man

2 Spots open at Pear Lake Hut this weekend - Saturday and Sunday nights. http://www.sequoiahistory.org/pearlake/pearlake.htm

First 2 to PM are in - provided you pass some sort of troglodyte test.

D,

I love how you require a troglodyte test, yet your gorilla costume avatar photo makes you look like a cave-dweller yourself.

meter-man is a friend of mine, and a strong touring partner. If anybody is thinking about taking him up on his last-minute offer, have faith that he's responsible and reliable.

**jimw** · 04-23-2010, 03:04 PM

PSA:

... give me a moment to compose myself, this is a very emotional time for me ...

... ahem ...

THE MO-MART IS OPEN!!!

**splitter** · 04-23-2010, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by jimw

PSA:

... give me a moment to compose myself, this is a very emotional time for me ...

... ahem ...

THE MO-MART IS OPEN!!!

I hope what I think that means is true...

**gimpy** · 04-23-2010, 06:29 PM

no, the pass is not open yet. they always seem to open a week or 2 before it pops. i spose it could open manana but i think these storms have pushed back the opening.

**splitter** · 04-23-2010, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by gimpy

no, the pass is not open yet. they always seem to open a week or 2 before it pops. i spose it could open manana but i think these storms have pushed back the opening.

dang it,

I was hopeful. I emailed the whoa nellie this morning before jimw's post to check this very thing.

oh well, there's lots of other things to go ski...

**SchralphMacchio** · 04-23-2010, 09:38 PM

^ yes C lots of other things to ski ... and closer to you on the drive down as well. Ginny Lakes road has been plowed to the end for over a week now and has more snow than my eyes could viddy.

I can't party in the big easy this weekend but next weekend, if you're game, lets get some splitting going down!

**gimpy** · 04-24-2010, 06:14 PM

does anyone know if green creek road is open????

**powdork** · 04-24-2010, 06:20 PM

it opens on wednesday at 11.

not really, that's just the next time i can get there.

**jimw** · 04-24-2010, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by gimpy

does anyone know if green creek road is open????

Dude I was wondering the same thing as I drove by it today. Maybe I'll stop by there tomorrow on the way back and check it out. It looked pretty dry at the beginning of the road...

**gimpy** · 04-25-2010, 05:50 PM

what'd u ski today jimw or were u just going down there for a meal???

**Dark Star** · 04-25-2010, 09:30 PM

After the previous discussion in this thread, had to go back and get Third Pillar in pow...well, mostly pow. The top was somewhat firm due to the winds, but the riders left side was mostly soft, the rock choke was fun to jump off, and the rest was super smooth fresh.

We also started up the couloir that dead ends in the middle between ripper and gutter.

Fabulous day out there, and it may be my last for this year as myself and 4 others head to Denali this Friday with hopes to ski from the summit, as well as tag anything else that's in and skiable. It would be sweet to get one more eastsider in this year, but if I don't, I look forward to checking in on how you all slayed it as the conditions up high like prime from some good times down there this May. Go get some

**SchralphMacchio** · 04-25-2010, 10:45 PM

freakin rad, dark star, have a killer time up in Alaska!

**jimw** · 04-26-2010, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by gimpy

what'd u ski today jimw or were u just going down there for a meal???

Well that chocolate cake and mango margarita I had just before posting that was probably worth a trip by itself... but I figured since I was there I should ride something too.

On Sat I hit up Roundtop, and it was surprisingly good. What did you hit up on the eastside? Some pics from Roundtop:
http://www.thebackcountry.net/bb/vie...hp?p=4995#4995

Originally Posted by Dark Star

After the previous discussion in this thread, had to go back and get Third Pillar in pow...well, mostly pow. The top was somewhat firm due to the winds, but the riders left side was mostly soft, the rock choke was fun to jump off, and the rest was super smooth fresh.

We also started up the couloir that dead ends in the middle between ripper and gutter.

Fabulous day out there, and it may be my last for this year as myself and 4 others head to Denali this Friday with hopes to ski from the summit, as well as tag anything else that's in and skiable. It would be sweet to get one more eastsider in this year, but if I don't, I look forward to checking in on how you all slayed it as the conditions up high like prime from some good times down there this May. Go get some

Nice! Good luck in AK. We headed out to the plateau yesterday, and used your skin track and booter up 3rd Pillar (well, at least the parts that weren't filled in from the sluff!

) so thanks for that. Saw your tracks coming out from that dead-end chute by Ripper too, and was wondering WTF was up with that. How was that line? Seems like the eastside was getting hit hard this weekend, ran into several folks I know out there.

I'm guessing the snow in 3rd Pillar was a lot better when you rode it on Sat than when we climbed it yesterday. All the tracks had refrozen nicely.

A couple buddies rode it later that afternoon though and said it was OK after it had softened a bit... but by that time the stuff down below was pretty manky. What time did you guys drop in? Interestingly, another buddy rode Powerhouse on Sat and said it was bulletproof. Amazing what a difference there is dropping a few hundred feet further down the plateau.

So we did Liberty yesterday. It was my buddy Dave's first time on the plateau so naturally we decided on Liberty...

I can't say that I would recommend this to anyone... the cornice is freakin' HUGE!! Took a while to find the rap station simply because last year it was quite a ways from the cornice, and now it's right next to it. Dunno how long that thing is going to last, might get even bigger with these next storms. We also only had a 30m rope, just long enough to get to the base of the "cornice cave", then we had to downclimb over solid funky snow formations till it got wide enough to strap on the boards... then some survival falling leaf "turns" to near the bottom of the upper arm where the snow finally got soft, then great turns to the bottom. But probably don't need to do that one again soon...

Some pics:

**gimpy** · 04-26-2010, 07:07 PM

back to the top w/ this thang before it drops to pg 2.

nicely done jw. spending time underneath that cornice on a hot spring day musta been super mellow and relaxing. did u guys chill out and eat lunch there???

any road updates from anyone??? green creek??? south lake????

**hardboiled** · 04-26-2010, 10:44 PM

south lake is open to parchers. the road didn't look like it was very close to opening to the lake as of saturday. the snow sucked too...

(there's a dog in there too)

**kidwoo** · 04-26-2010, 10:51 PM

Hey jim.

I'll give you a hundred bucks to ski something in the sierraS that isn't accessed from tioga pass road.

**Dromond** · 04-27-2010, 08:24 AM

Thanks for everyone posting all the great photos. I'm inspired to visit. Looking for advice / accommodations: [ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=191740"]CA Eastside/Mammoth area maggots - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame]

**Sierra Souljah** · 04-27-2010, 01:43 PM

Spent three days in the Sierra this past weekend, on the first we checked out Red Slate. We toured all the way out in fresh snow to the base of the couloir. A combination of wind and shedding meant no pow in chute but the skiing was still fun on a mix of hard edgeable snow and slabby wind skin.

Glad we didn’t opt for the married mans entrance or the traverse because both had previous parties tracks etched into the snow by a combination of the sun and wind; the fun factor would have certainly been low.

Great snow was still found on the lowers.

With fishing season opener we headed to South Lake and found the road open to Parchers. Skied Johnson and found the similar punchy wind affected snow conditions to Red Slate.

Toured out the drainage and wrapped around to Hurd. On Hurd the snow was unbelievable good, low density pow that sloughed the entire slope while skiing.

Based on the conditions we had on Hurd, we figured that mountains set off the crest and at slightly lower elevations were still holding great snow. Toured out to Esha the following day, while we were certainly not the first group to do so there was still an untracked line left. A great short day with a Sierra combo of pow and corn on the same tour. A refresh of snow this week to boot!

**Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer** · 04-27-2010, 03:25 PM

^^^ Nice stuff.

**madturtle** · 04-27-2010, 04:13 PM

you burned some calories SS...nice work. Did you meet a gaggle of girls at the esha trailhead? Mrs. MT told me some poor soul was inquring if there was anything left worth skiing up there. Looks like you made the mostest of the last bit of untracked though.

**powdork** · 04-27-2010, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by kidwoo

Hey jim.

I'll give you a hundred bucks to ski something in the sierraS that isn't accessed from tioga pass road.

i see what you did there.

**jimw** · 04-28-2010, 04:27 PM

gimpy, yeah we hung out and chilled in the cornice cave for a while. Dug out some seats and a table and stuff.

Nah seriously, definitely a big objective hazard right now. Top was a lot cooler and mostly shaded when we dropped, but still obviously a big concern. We discussed and decided to drop in and move as quick as we could... which was still slower than we wanted with having to downclimb further, but actually worked out as a slightly easier place to put on the boards, and maybe a little more out of the direct firing zone. Oh and I didn't end up checking out Green Creek road... again the turnoff from 395 looked dry but who knows.

hardboiled, good running into you and Mark there. Nice work on 3rd Pillar. I wouldn't have wanted to ride it that day!

Mark's dog Lulu needs to meet gimpy's dog Buddy. They are the only 2 dogs I know who have done 3rd Pillar.

SS nice work out there in South Lake! Sounds like epic conditions. Been dying to get back out there since our trip last year.

kidwoo you're just jealous.