Eastern Sierras 2010-11: The Eternal Stoke

What's with all this talk about NEXT season?? There's still snow out there! :)

So we went out to Saddlebag this past weekend. Coverage is still surprisingly good, though the suncups were pretty bad. But it is August after all, so can't complain too much! The best snow I saw was in the protected entrance of the narrow camp chute above Greenstone... makes me think that the North Peak chutes might still be decent. The Conness chutes and S chute etc were pretty textured. I ended up riding the snow finger and Greenstone camp chute. Snow didn't actually soften up that much, so might have been more fun if it were actually warmer.

Here are a few pics.

It was a multi-sport weekend, so we started of Sat at Northstar for some lift-served downhill mountain biking, powered by Vienna Sausage! :)

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_4095.jpg

Driving up to Saddlebag on Sun. Ellery looking pretty dry!

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_4097.jpg

In my haste to catch the boat, I manage to leave my camera in the car. So the rest of these are crappy cell phone pics.

Flinty's and snow finger

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0256.jpg

S chute

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0263.jpg

Looking up towards Conness

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0254.jpg

We hiked up to Y chute, but found that it doesn't go all the way, and is pretty suncupped.

Got suncups?

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0273.jpg

Base of Y chute

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0279.jpg

Conness glacier is showing

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0275.jpg

Huge schrunds on the Conness chutes

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0278.jpg

Backside of North Peak. Wonder how the chutes are holding up... might be decent since they are more protected.

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0286.jpg

Best snow of the day. Entrance to Greenstone camp chute:

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0288.jpg

View of the rollover from the top

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0291.jpg

Looking back up from Greenstone

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0295.jpg

Wavy Dave, waiting for the boat taxi

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0299.jpg

Taking the boat taxi back, Dana in the background. It sure is nice not to have to hike the road and around the lake! :)

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...g/IMG_0301.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hutash

^^^No, usually the eastside especially around Mammoth has a good snow pack by late December. Some years it sucks well into January, but that is unusual. We usually get some big storms in late December, measured in feet, not inches, which makes for some serious conditions, but like most of the Sierra snow pack, it settles very quickly, and is pretty stable in a day of two.

In a word, Yes! it is worth considering touring that week.

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Cool, that's what I thought. I was just worried that after experiencing two full mega-awesome ski touring seasons in the Eastern Sierra my luck was bound to run out ...

Hmm, maybe I should have bought an MVP like in the last 2 seasons, especially if I am around at Christmas ... but the offerings of the backcountry have been so much more worthwhile that I ended up only using mine for 4 days during the 2010/11 season. I just tried to woo one of the girls on the Mammoth phone line into offering one to me, but alas she was impervious to my charms.

Anyone have any suggestions?

My two favorite shots from this Eastern Sierra season:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/...029e0a4b_b.jpg
Franz Klammer & Hansi Hinterseer -- Powder Dan (he of Tioga Pass to Mammoth in less than 24 hours fame) taking the leftovers on the right

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/...7ef9c7d3_b.jpg

It was windejo like a mofo up on the "Hidden Glacier" under Dunderberg on Sunday 10/2. The snow there was variable, but it was much more bueno down on Jack's Glacier. There's still plenty of this season's snow lurking up there in various large patches, some of it with at least 10 feet of base.

Bumping this thread to the top because those spring months in March, April and May of 2011 were probably some of the happiest of my life. What a season that was!

Yes!

Itching for this Saturday and hoping the winds don't fuck things up down there.

Damn, I needed that throwback! May 2011 was something I don't know if I'll ever get to experience again. It's crazy to go back in this thread and see how much snow was up at Tioga in frickin' JULY! I mean Saddlebag road didn't open till then. Puts these last 4 "seasons" in perspective. Things seem to be shaping up for an epic eastside spring this year though...

They way things are looking, we could be skiing things like that in August. We are way ahead of normal, and they say El Ninio hasn't even fully kicked in yet:eek: Hopefully lift served turns on July fourth, and earned turns on July fifth and beyond.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 213

Wheeeeeeee!!!!

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i.../flossin-1.jpg

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This photo though . . . .

My son was born in May 2011. I never saw the eastside that season and had to avoid looking at this thread. Now I can eye it with anticipation.

Yeah so spring skiing with young Owen is in the planning stages. We do a lot of Saddlebaggery.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jimw

Damn, I needed that throwback! May 2011 was something I don't know if I'll ever get to experience again. It's crazy to go back in this thread and see how much snow was up at Tioga in frickin' JULY! I mean Saddlebag road didn't open till then. Puts these last 4 "seasons" in perspective. Things seem to be shaping up for an epic eastside spring this year though...

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Yeah, it was special. If 3rd Pillar is in play I'll fly across the continent to ski it!

And 213's photo of Gutter Chute/Magic Carpet is still amazing.

Looks "all time" to me. ;-)

Heh, funny when FB crosses over directly to this forum.

How steep is that chute? Jesus.

I've barely touched the Eastern Sierra, hoping that will change this spring. Good motivational thread for sure... putting aside that extra "s" in the title.

Third Pillar would be sick. I watched some dudes trying to scramble down it this summer thinking it was the way to the base. Even that seemed puckering with the steep loose scree.