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Thread: Sonora Pass

  1. #1
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    Sonora Pass

    why not? it ain't exactly Eastside and it ain't Tahoe, so it might as well have it's own thread

    108 opened from the west today - folks have been into LL Rd from the Eastside for a few days

    saw a few buddies with their sleds headed up thataway a couple hours ago

    Throwin' Owen and I and Holy Mazurkiewicz and his baby boy and I are headed up for some father/son touring tomorrow. Hopefully we'll run into the slednecks and get our BWAAP BWAAP on for a couple of laps.

    We always have space for Maggots in Twain Harte. 1.5 hours to top of the Pass.











    edited thread title
    Last edited by ~mikey b; 05-06-2013 at 09:38 PM.
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  2. #2
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    Thanks for starting this thread. I hope to use this information well in the coming weeks.

  3. #3
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    from last season's thread

    Quote Originally Posted by telemike View Post
    some 108 (and 120) tips

    Hula's in Escalon has good food.

    AM/PM in Oakdale is cheapest gas you'll pass. AM/PM in Sonora is cheapest in town. Zak's in Sugar Pine is 25 cents cheaper than up the hill. If you haven't fueled up by the time you get to Zak's, you should.

    Alicia's Sugar Shack in Sugar Pine has great coffee, breakfast burritos, muffins, scones, sandwiches. B&G on Sunday. Open at 0700. Tell her Mike from Dodge Ridge sent you.

    Andy's Grill in Mi Wuk has EXCELLENT burgers - cheap. Great sandwiches, ribs, beer, ice cream, milk shakes. Mi Wuk store is open at 0700.

    Cold Springs Market opens at 0600. They has groceries, doughnuts, breakfast burritos, gas, beer, bait, ammo - you name it. If you didn't buy gas at Zak's do it now, because the Dardanelle's will rape you.

    Dardanelle's has a decent store and cafe and really expensive gas.

    Pizza options on 108: Mia's in Cold Springs and Pie In The Sky in Sierra Village are both popular. Most folks like one or the other. I like Mia's, but I've never been to Pie In The Sky.

    Twain Harte has a few places to eat. Pizza, burgers, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, etc. Sportsman Cafe has good homemade breakfast sausages. Open at 0700.

    SFTC - did I miss anything?
    Quote Originally Posted by sftc View Post
    Damn, I think you got it. I'll just add that the cheapest/almost easiest place for grocery stuff is the Safeway in Sonora. Further up the hill the Twain Harte Market is a wanna-be Whole Foods / regular store hybrid with not as much of a selection of healthy stuff but all of the same prices.

    I think the Dodge Ridge ski shop is closed for the summer but in Pinecrest, right below Dodge, the general store will be open with basic stuff, next door Mike has decent camping/fishing stuff, next to that is the Serene Bean for coffee and the legendary Steam Donkey with cold beers and a good deck. This weekend they'll probably have the pay showers open and across the parking lot Brett will probably have his bike place up and running.

    I can't think of anything else right now....
    Quote Originally Posted by telemike View Post
    take yer pick of NWS forecasts

    depending on where you click yer mouse you get:

    something from the Sacramento forecast office

    or

    something from the Reno forecast office

    I usually use Sac, Reno and Hanford when looking at my mtn wx forecasts - SF/Monterey for coastal forecasts

    not much difference in the 2, really, but interesting to me

    it's weather - it is what it is
    Last edited by ~mikey b; 05-04-2012 at 06:44 PM.
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  4. #4
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    Thanks for the info TM!

    I hope to get to the pass soon.

    Do you have a link to the dates and info/map regarding snowmos?

    Thanks!
    so many mountains...so little time

    www.splitboard.com

  5. #5
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    Two different National Forests. Stanislaus on the west side of the pass and Humboldt- Toiyabe on the east. Last season's snowmo restrictions were on the H-T.

    Here's the link to Bridgeport Winter Rec Area.

    Check this link, too.

    a good map

    another good map

    Sled's will be active on the west side of the pass. Most folks park at the meadows just west of the pass ride what they can see from there.
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  6. #6
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    Can't wait to hear how it looked up there. Stuck with the plan today, but i almost headed for 108 to poke around. Doubt I'll get up there this year, but still hope for a decent spring

  7. #7
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    quick report - updated with photos later tonight

    coverage was good for a low snow year - much is not covered, but more than enough to have fun

    dads and lads day for us - the boys did great

    snow bridge at Blue Lake Canyon is gone but creek crossing looks to be no worries

    Leavitt looked good from the road - Y is fat enough - the bowl looks good - you can ski to the road

    No Name was crawling with folks

    BWRA is signed as "closed for the season, but sleds were dropping over into the drainage where they ain't supposed to be - annoying



    I'll be back Sunday. Avoiding the usual areas.

    x-post

    Quote Originally Posted by claymond View Post
    With word that 108 was opening from the west on the 4th, we made plans for a kamikaze mission up the pass on Saturday. Left at 3a.m., got to the top of the pass before 7, and started bootpacking towards Leavitt Peak. It was windy on the ridges. Got to the top at 11:30, snow was still firm, watched some skiers hit the Y coulior, and I decided to board it after an hour or so hoping things would soften up. They hadn't. It was dust on crust, with mostly crust. Girlfriend skied the bowl instead and said it too was firm. Below maybe 10,500 feet, things had turned to sweet corn and we enjoyed this til we got to the road and hitched back to the truck at 1:15. All in all worth getting up at 2:15 for.



    The Y coulior on Leavitt Peak
    Last edited by ~mikey b; 05-06-2012 at 12:17 AM.
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  8. #8
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    excellent day out LL Rd today

    met lurker Heidi and her beggar golden retriever Oso - surprised we have not run into each other before

    followed some splitters up - looked like someone was figuring out his gear and how to climb - I'm just glad he didn't fall down on me

    skiings were good

    sun and wind were fighting for control of the snow up high - wind was winning when I dropped in from 10.5 at 1pm - it weren't corn

    Krystal Kartwright and I will be skiing SP Monday.
    Last edited by ~mikey b; 05-06-2012 at 10:03 PM.
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  9. #9
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    Day tripped it out to Sonora Pass on Sat... same as Claymond. There were 6 of us that left early to tag Leavitt Peak... the snow was firm when we came down, but I'm sure it got better later in the day. We saw at least 6 more folks on our way down, and two folks booting up the Y (as you might be able to see in the vid) when we came down. The best snow by far were the first few turns on the Y. Skier's left side...

    So used to the slopes warming up early this season... I wasn't expecting to wait for the snow to soften. It was pretty damn cold actually... I was hiking in my down jacket for most of the day. I'm sure it'll be good out there for at least a few more weeks if the melt freeze cycle keeps going.

    for MCA...

  10. #10
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    ^^^^

    That snow looked way better in the video than by your description

  11. #11
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    666, the top of the Y was great snow. Then it turned to brain rattling hard pack... but at least it was smooth, w/little to no chunder.

    I'm guessing that this week... and probably into the weekend, the conditions will be primo up there... especially when it softens up in the afternoon... there was some good evidence of melt freeze cycles.

    That lower section was really fun, skiing down to the switchback... great corn, like skiing through a video game down there.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by telek View Post
    We saw ... two folks booting up the Y (as you might be able to see in the vid) when we came down.
    That was us. My first time in Sonora Pass area -- great skiing, even if it never did soften up that day. Nice work on the tele boards!

  13. #13
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    Krystal Kartwright is back! Her first time out bc skiing today since her back injury last year. Just a quick shot up No Name for some skittery turns. Winds were howling. Snow was firm off the top, better lower down, downright mushy coming in to the road.
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  14. #14
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    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  15. #15
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    Is there a way to move a thread into this one? Specifically, the thread I started.(In my extremely tired state I simply slammed out a quick post before going to bed and didnt see this thread). That way all the info and stoke is in one convenient location. A one stop shop for all your Sonora Pass needs!

  16. #16
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    sure! copy and paste

    Quote Originally Posted by Skiwald View Post
    JK.

    I agree it was windy as F the whole way up but for some reason no wind on the summit! weird. Snow was a mixed bag. In the couloir: Chalky and pretty damn nice snow right off the top, then hard wind and sun affected then soft spring snow skiers left right next to the rocks. Once you are out of the bowl it's soft spring snow the rest of the way down. Snow still goes all the way to 108. Yes all in all a great day on Leavitt especially given the weather we've had all season.
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    Quote Originally Posted by splat View Post
    Got any entry shots on that from the cornice?
    Nice tracks.

    Quote Originally Posted by claymond View Post
    Someone else might have dropped off the cornice later, but only one I saw was a female skier who proceeded to rip it. I cheered. Myself, and the other dudes that I saw ski it, snuck around the cornice on the skiers right, outside that pic
    Quote Originally Posted by splat View Post
    I was kinda eyeballing what appear to be some pretty good airs to the left. But when I saw how wide and skiddy the other tracks were center pic, I figured that must look awesome on the take-off scope-out.
    I'm wondering if a certain bunch of KW locals who have a habit of hitting that area didn't get there asap.
    Quote Originally Posted by dhklauer View Post
    Having issues uploading photo's that a friend took up top........but the link has plenty of them.


    https://plus.google.com/photos/11680...68371314054514
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  17. #17
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    I think that gets the meat of your thread into this one, eh? Thanks a lot for the stoke and the beta everyone! Planning to head back to LL Rd again this weekend.
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by telemike View Post
    I think that gets the meat of your thread into this one, eh?
    Ya thats good. Makes things easier to find

  19. #19
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    Was fun seeing a couple of you up there last weekend. I was the JONG in the red jacket. Was really stoked to finally ski something off of Sonora after a number of summer trips into the Emigrant wilderness.
    Can't ski this weekend, but hope things hold out for at least one more trip this year...

  20. #20
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    Owen and his buddies at SP last Saturday













    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  21. #21
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    Krystal Kartwright reported good conditions out LL rd. Sounds like she would have liked a partner. Steep skinning and skiing on Ski Pk. Guess where we're headed in Monday?

    Also...

    Summer Solstice party at our house June 23.
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  22. #22
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    thanks for this thread telemike. might be heading out there wed-thurs. any good car camping options? i seem to recall LL road being pretty burly for a subaru.
    powdork.com - new and improved, with 20% more dork.

  23. #23
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    Lots of good car camping nearby. LL Road is still shut.

    There is a great dispersed spot just above LL rd at the gate at the Mono / Tuolumne Co line on the right side. Near the road, but quiet enough once the sun goes down. We spent a few days here the last few summers. You can walk down to the LL rd from camp.

    A few others along the road between LL rd and the pass or just to the west of the pass.

    Closest proper campgrounds are Leavitt Meadows on the east side and Kennedy Meadows on the west.
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  24. #24
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    One question: Is the Confidence Inn still open in Twain Harte?
    -You can't get hurt if you are in the air.

    Caleb Wray Photography

  25. #25
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    Yes......
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

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