Eastern Sierras 2010-11: The Eternal Stoke

**Zeppelinskier** · 01-25-2011, 08:01 PM

let hope for calm winds this weekend. Wicked c2c on Whitney Dark Star!

**BGnight** · 01-25-2011, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by ms ann thrope

http://s904.photobucket.com/albums/ac244/inthepines/

I love that line! I was thinking that one would be good. Rode it 2 years ago where it terminates at the ridge. We started on the horton cr campground road (bumpy as hell) and could get pretty close that year. Had a stellar day on that thing.

**JHoback** · 01-26-2011, 12:32 AM

Thanks for the post ups! Keep'em coming.

**gimpy** · 01-30-2011, 12:43 AM

tried to make the most of this last day of the junuary corn cycle by gunning for a big vert line outside of tahoe. we ended up skiing victoria peak out of the twin lakes campground in bridgeport via robinson creek trail. although high winds were forecast for today, we really only encounterred them up high so needless to say, the top 5-700' never softened. the bottom 3.5-4k was good corn albeit grade a-/b quality due to feathering on the surface. there had been some other folks hitting it in days past but fortunately the trax were recycled back into clean corn. so the skiing was pretty good but the aesthetic beauty of that area never ceases to impress me and i now have some other lines added to the ticklist. seeems thats how it always is down there: 1 peak ticked off and 4 more added. the main object i was salivating over today was the little splitter couloir thats hidden of the back of mt walt. the hulk couloirs look to be pretty burnt out around the apron as is often the case but there seems to be ample coverage in little slide canyon.

btw, nice pics ucl

**Franz Klammer** · 01-31-2011, 02:19 AM

Glad to see that some people are getting after it. I am itching to go, but the easy biking and rock climbing opportunities in SoCal (gotta love climbing without a shirt in January) have kept me away.

At least the weather is good:

**Franz Klammer** · 02-07-2011, 08:55 PM

Not the Eastern Sierra, but close enough:

**Franz Klammer** · 02-14-2011, 05:11 PM

Close to Eastern Sierra:

**Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer** · 02-14-2011, 05:27 PM

gimpy - I just saw your post above re: Victoria (obviously from several weeks ago). I was tentatively planning to go down there this past weekend given the high temps, but never made it. In any event, was just curious - how protected is that main avy chute on Victoria from the wind? There were strong SW winds forecast, but isn't the avy path protected somewhat by the climbers left rock wall? Not sure if that really blocks southernly winds, though.

I couldn't make it down, but was worried that moderate SW winds would keep it from corning up.

[All immaterial at this point given the weather change, but was just curious]

**Franz Klammer** · 02-15-2011, 10:18 PM

Is anything happening in this thread?

**LightRanger** · 02-16-2011, 04:26 AM

Hey Klammer! I can't believe you're a pro, and former Olympian! I'm sooooo much better than you?

Originally Posted by Franz Klammer

Is anything happening in this thread?

Yep. Pro callouts. :-P

**Franz Klammer** · 02-16-2011, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by LightRanger

Hey Klammer! I can't believe you're a pro, and former Olympian! I'm sooooo much better than you?

GTFO, I am the best skier on this mountain.

**45hill** · 02-22-2011, 01:10 AM

McGee Mountain, 3200 feet of vertical, via snowmobiles.

Started out this morning with temps in the single digits. That may not be cold for most of the folks on here but it is damn cold for California.

25 minutes later

Five minutes after that

It was a long way down back to the cars parked on the road.

Next up

Highway 395 and the small community, Crowley Lake, thousands of feet below.

The snow was a little variable at the top but got pretty good the further you went down.

Lap #2. Dr. Pete, do you recognize that sled? My hood is open to let the clutch cool and to get access to the hotdogger that held a nice hot apple strudel.

This run was really good with a foot fresh snow top to bottom.

A little perspective.

Then my camera took a dump, beeping like mad, flashing lens error. It worked fine when we got back to the car so I think it had something to do with the cold. Either way I am using that as an excuse to get a new one.

The third and final lap my buddy and I did a top to bottom run without stopping in about three minutes. What a run.

Dr. Pete, when are you going to post a trip report from yesterday? Mendenhall and The Pinner in one day, you guys are animals.

**highanxiety** · 02-22-2011, 08:03 AM

Nice McGee stoke, makes me wish I had a snowmobile. What kind of camera were you using?.. I've been wanting to ride Pinner for a while, but been lacking people to do it with, looking forward to a TR on that, hoping they post one..

**45hill** · 02-22-2011, 10:05 AM

Canon S3-IS. It's old and time for a new one anyway. As much as I would like to make the jump to an SLR I want a smaller camera that will fit in my pocket. I've heard good things about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 but really haven't looked in a while. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

**Franz Klammer** · 02-25-2011, 12:47 AM

Canon G12. I love it.

**Gerome** · 02-25-2011, 12:10 PM

Canon powershot s95, if you don't want to carry the very awesome G12 brick.

**213** · 02-25-2011, 01:24 PM

Best conditions I've ever had on Dana Plateau with BGnight on Wednesday. Coke Chute was windblown and some sastrugi to amazing pow in the lower half.

Started from just below top given high winds and thin coverage. We chilled in a perfect still eddy and watched things blow around.

Coke Chute is certainly a big chute!

The scale of this thing is awesome. Brooks is in lower left. Snow was about to get ridiculous!

V-Bowl was blower. So good, we hardly stopped to get a picture. Just dropped that shit!
Near the bottom, we decided it was so good, another lap was in order. We dedicated our run to Craig Kelly and made fat frontside turns with the double arm surf turn style he so epitomized. Then we watched vertically propagating hydrostatic mountain waves form in the warm stable layer as the upper level baroclinic front approached and the low Richardson number in the wave duct extracted energy from the mean flow. yesterday's post on powdiction further discusses this in case you are interested.

Then, it was time to shot pics of the surreal landscape and stellar sunset.
The stark contrasts were so shocking that we abruptly halted in the middle of 120. Luckily it was closed so no jacked up caravans took us out as we gaped at the colors and shapes of the birthplace of halomonadaceae

And checked out an ill sunset over the crest and Mono Basin

**213** · 02-25-2011, 01:26 PM

And I further support the motion for a Canon G-whatever (I have a G11, see above pics; love that camera!)

**Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer** · 02-25-2011, 03:47 PM

213 - nice stuff guys! Those last two scenics are great. Looking accross Mono is particular cool.

And I have a Panasonic LX-3 - love that (comparable to the Cannon G series). Agreed with Gerome that they are bricks, though.

Back to regular programming....

**BGnight** · 02-25-2011, 05:01 PM

Good times shreddin' Fresca coowahr with ya granjero!
Z gully was exceptional pow!!!

Muir point, growler chute, etc....

Leaving the lower powder slopes to a world of wind and granite:

granjeronimo!:

**DrPete** · 02-25-2011, 10:25 PM

Mendenhall and Pinner in a day. In good pow. Where do the link up limits lie? 2 Tom summits drops in a day? Mendenhall-Pinner-Bloody? Tom-Basin? 2 routes on Split? The slate is blank...