A little Sonora Pass Trip. May 5, 2012

[claymond]

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

[Skiwald]

What are you talking about? it was BLOWER POW from the summit all the way to the car! Check out the last turn of the day right up to the car on Sonora pass:

[Skiwald]

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.

[claymond]

Skiwald, were you in the group of three we passed headed up the bowl as we came down at like 12:30? If so, was a boarder in a black jacket with a girl skier

[Skiwald]

Yes that was us. we are planning on something off Tioga next weekend. You been up there yet?

[claymond]

Right on. I haven't been up Tioga but we were considering making a trip up there too, just not sure of conditions and amount of snow. Probly base our decision off of any trip reports we see this week.

[splat]

Got any entry shots on that from the cornice?
Nice tracks.

[claymond]

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

[splat]

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.

[dhklauer]

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

[claymond]

^^^Thats a link worth following for sure.

[dhklauer]

^^^Thats a link worth following for sure.

^^^^There are some pretty entertaining pics from the day........not to mention the cheesy one's I was forced to take at the top. But, I'm not going to complain when he dragged the SLR to the top.