Eastern Sierra BC 2022-23

[wordbird]

Anybody wants to lap some fresh snow on Friday? What area would have the best access for north facing with simple no -brainer laps. Virginia Lakes and Aspendell?

[weavin]

I think Virginia Lakes is still gated low. Lundy may be a decent bet. Easy access at Aspendell and Glacier, but don't overlook the Mammoth Lakes Basin - usually gets the most snow out of these small systems.

[mr. hankey]

Very Nice What'supdoc! great TR/pictures as always

Great that you got out Jorion. I quit skiing for 6 years after my kids were born
Holy crap, that slide on Mono jim is eye-opening.https://www.esavalanche.org/public-o...ttle-morrison/ I guess not shocking with poor freezing /overnight temps.

We skied that same route on 4/21, and a group of ~10 people were booting up that route right where it slid. Although it was much more stable (good freeze that day) out of caution we stopped for a good 10 minutes to let them climb though the choke so we wouldn't send anything down on them as we skied.

Some pics from my trip from 4/19-22. I don't have the patience to upload too many on TGR anymore, but here are some. It was great meeting up with abcdethan and his friend E. Good people and fast

Approach to Birch, Tinnemaha in the background. Snowline was ~7k that day and i'd bet by now it's at 8k or patchy:



View from Birch looking to palisades.


Approach to S side of Tom:




Skinning up Buck (slide) mtn in palisades, looking at kid, and the jagged crest of the thumb:


I've spent so much time up the N fork, but never the South fork. definitely want to explore back there:


Sill, Unotch, N pal, etc:


Middle Pal, Norm clyde, clyde couloir:


abcdethan shredding the corn:



E:


Pinner was crap when i skied it on 4/19, but i hear it got better. Horrible rockfall, even on a winter like day:


Looking at Red Slate, guys from Mammoth said the moat/glide crack is really huge if you get up close, so they bailed:

[wordbird]

I think Virginia Lakes is still gated low. Lundy may be a decent bet. Easy access at Aspendell and Glacier, but don't overlook the Mammoth Lakes Basin - usually gets the most snow out of these small systems.

Old Mammoth/Mary lake open but not Virginia???

[weavin]

Mammoth Lakes Basin still gated at Twin Lakes, so a bit of an approach to the crest but not too long. Sherwins are another option.

[wordbird]

Mammoth Lakes Basin still gated at Twin Lakes, so a bit of an approach to the crest but not too long. Sherwins are another option.

Yeah I guess it will be between Sherwins/Aspendell and the other Twin Lakes(near Lee Vining), seems like those are the best options to just lap. Do you guys think any other access will open up by 14th(my last day in the area)?

[Spliit]

Does anyone know why rock creek road is closed at the highway instead of the usual winter closure?

[shitskier]

Does anyone know why rock creek road is closed at the highway instead of the usual winter closure?

snow

[enginerd]

Wow, killing it whatsupdoc!

Optimistically, went in to check out middle pal on Saturday. Should have known I’d be wallowing to my hips in wet loose in the unsupported approach chute. Got scared off that so went around to Norman Clyde to save the day.

Glacier lodge road is closed at the winter closure with a big snow bank and tractor discouraging motorized access. The road is otherwise plowed to glacier lodge.












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[~mikey b]

enginerd for the win

[jorion]

FWIW on Saturday afternoon we drove up to glacier lodge road and ran into a guy just coming out at 4:15pm or so who said he had just skied one of the Kid N chutes and it was 4K’ of perfect corn. He didn’t give off the vibe of exaggerating.

[wordbird]

FWIW on Saturday afternoon we drove up to glacier lodge road and ran into a guy just coming out at 4:15pm or so who said he had just skied one of the Kid N chutes and it was 4K’ of perfect corn. He didn’t give off the vibe of exaggerating.

Rode there today. Almost 4k' run as well, top is all rock. First 1k' was pretty rippy new snow, between dust on crust and pow. Then another 500-1000' of dust on crust and corn after that. Bottom is getting pretty bad though, snow is getting brown. Think I'm going to head down south for more consistent snow.



Edit: this is actually crater crest, completely different area but they look the same on a topo map

[wordbird]

Driving back south, I think Warren/Warren Fin had the best looking fresh snow. Something to keep in mind for Sunday if the random front tomorrow drops decent snow. (Lundy would be your best bet? I don't think you can see Gilcrest from 395 driving south, maybe hankey can help me out with conditions spotting here).

Going to be up at Red Mountain tomorrow trying to get the east facing corn lap around 11/noon. Look for a splitboarder with orange atomica backlands(hardboot) if you want to find me.

[wordbird]

Red is no good(from Rock Creek)

[chill winston]

Glacier lodge is open to the end. Could ski from south fork all the way down to the bridge at the day lot as of yesterday on continuous snow (well, maybe one little gingerly step across some dirt). Damn there is so much snow back in Kings Canyon NP this year. It looks like Greenland -- just granite spires sticking out of the snow and ice as far as the eye can see.

Virginia lakes gate was open and looked plowed when I drove by yesterday.

[enlosandes]

For those of you in the area this week, Dave Nettle will be giving a presentation on backcountry skiing then and now at my bar in June Lake on Wednesday at 7:30pm. Dave is a total bad ass, a funny storyteller and has been ski touring since most of us have been in diapers.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dave-ne...s-629659136427

[thefrush]

Our final day was this past Wednesday. We chose to ski one of the east gullies of East Peak above Lee Vining. It was getting warmer throughout our trip, so we once again started early (about 5 AM), which worked out well. We climb at a rather leisurely pace, and the the ascent was uneventful. We crossed some impressive avy debris below the Fruit Chutes that ran quite a long ways. We climbed and skied the gully that is just to the north of The End. We descended at about 9:45 AM, once again enjoying really nice corn skiing most of way back to the car. It was nice to finish early and get back to Tahoe by mid-afternoon.

Heh, I saw you on this day. I was in the party of 4 that went around the corner and climbed The End. We topped out just in time to watch you make your final turns down the gully. We all admired your tracks when we came back around the corner and climbed the gully you skied, to then ski another one of the gullies further North along the ridgeline.

[whatsupdoc]

Heh, I saw you on this day. I was in the party of 4 that went around the corner and climbed The End. We topped out just in time to watch you make your final turns down the gully. We all admired your tracks when we came back around the corner and climbed the gully you skied, to then ski another one of the gullies further North along the ridgeline.

Nice! Sounds like a great day. Better than our 1 and done day.


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[ShakeMeUp]

Skinned to the top of Excelsior on Sunday from the end of the plowing in Lundy. About a mile of pavement walking each way. Found winter snow in the NE shot off the top, and corn thinly overlaid with pow on the E shot downstream of Burro Lake. The area near the waterfall where you climb north out of Lundy didn’t have many days of coverage left, and Lundy will get progressively more melted out, but a great day nonetheless.

[wordbird]

Skinned to the top of Excelsior on Sunday from the end of the plowing in Lundy. About a mile of pavement walking each way. Found winter snow in the NE shot off the top, and corn thinly overlaid with pow on the E shot downstream of Burro Lake. The area near the waterfall where you climb north out of Lundy didn’t have many days of coverage left, and Lundy will get progressively more melted out, but a great day nonetheless.

I think I saw your party that morning, I rode Gilcrest(top 1000' was good pow, then it was dust on crust/avvy debris that didn't soften on north facing). I was expecting a bit bettter conditions after scoring good pow to corn north facing transition on Friday in Twin Lakes :/

[enginerd]

Saturday got blown off Dana plateau. Skinning from the power plant.

Sunday enjoyed corn on basin e couloir. Buttermilk Road is in the same condition. Can park and camp at the bathrooms (we did) or do the unsanctioned drive around the mud bog to get another mile up the road (we didn’t).

Monday went to check out Gibbs but didn’t want to get blown off yet another peak. The road goes basically to the aspen grove. Instead we settled for perfect corn on McGee - skinning from the road.


















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[PB]

Love the moon set shot!

[rod9301]

Did the East facing couloirs on Dana plateau looked in good shape?

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[enginerd]

Did the East facing couloirs on Dana plateau looked in good shape?

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Well I assume they are fatter than they have ever been. I couldn’t see them until we were back on 120 and took this shot:




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[thefrush]

Whitney Portal Rd is open FYI

https://www.inyocounty.us/sites/defa...%205.10.23.pdf