Eastern Sierras 2010-11: The Eternal Stoke

[213]

Holy crap, are those the Hippie Chutes? So filled in I don't even recognize them ... extra credit chute on the far right didn't go from the top last year ...

Red Mountain. Really fun 3k storm day run if you stay in the lookers right trees and obviously also a classic avy path run in pow or corn! An excellent late start option or hit those trees if its blowin/stormin!
woohoo eastsydaz! comin out to play!

Edit to add Top of Page Stoke!

Throwback Shot! Taken by Jeremy (JRF; pretty sure those are your boots!) during Eastside McGee Gauging Station Super Spring Camp 2005 of 213 in his skiing days dropping along the hanging arete of The Window Couloir, Mt. Humphreys. Always bring your corn farmer hat!

[rod9301]

Anybody knows if Aspendell is typically free of snow in mid May?

[NoKnees]

Hey Schralp, I need to call ya back! Been lagging...

In the meantime, a quick set of 4 shots or your beloved Hippie Chutes from Sunday, as we saw them at the Kali Splitfest....






And yes, coverage is pretty nice there... Afternoon warming was an issue on some of the southerly aspects, but the protected pockets held some sweet, deep blower... Good times...

Bunch of photos from Saturday's trip up McGee Creek to Wine Glass couloir... Just around the corner from where Brooks was playing: http://s206.photobucket.com/albums/b...i%20Splitfest/

[Franz Klammer]

I need some suggestions for what Eastern Sierra peaks to ski on the weekend of April 23-24. One person in my group is pushing hard for Mt. Whitney, but I am wondering whether there are more worthwhile targets out there for that time of the year.

Anyway, good weekend in the Eastern Sierra for sure!

[jrf]

Throwback Shot! Taken by Jeremy (JRF; pretty sure those are your boots!) during Eastside McGee Gauging Station Super Spring Camp 2005 of 213 in his skiing days dropping along the hanging arete of The Window Couloir, Mt. Humphreys. Always bring your corn farmer hat!

Nice one 213. Here's how it looked the day before that pic was taken from the top of the Wahoo - a nice objective for anyone looking to post up at that spot this spring.

[Jbaysurfer]

Shralph,

That's not hippy chutes. Punta B I think. Hippy Chutes, while I didn't ride them this weekend. Looked to be low tide on the very top (mainly because 5 days before the party the top was completely dry) and great pow in the chutes themselves. Check the stoke thread to see what you missed...nobody has posted the Creme Brulee pics yet, but yeah..what kind of CLR party would it be without the creme brulee?

http://splitboard.com/talk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11022

You were missed Shralph..don't ever miss this party again eh? Also, without you...our photo count is about 1/3 less then usual. Many of us were powder crazy and left the cameras (or in my case the memory card) behind.

Hippy chutes 2 weekends ago (warming trend):

Last weekend (pow!):

[OKHANGOUT]

Hey everybody, I am looking to link up with at least one buddy to attempt Mt. Tom, sometime between Tuesday and Thursday, next week or the week after.

I have all proper equipment, and have been considering a partial ascent one afternoon, and then going for the summit the next morning, though I am open to other suggestions. I have been eyeing Elderberry Canyon for some time now.

I think a partial ascent the first day will allow for getting to the summit, and still timing it right for great snow conditions. I imagine that trying to do it all at once could result in a time crunch and a chattery and miserable descent, and well and not making the summit.

I have proper equipment and am in good shape. 29 y.o.

Please PM or email me if you'd like to talk further. Thanks!!

thomasponeill *at* hotmail *dot* com

T.O.

[Franz Klammer]

That's neither the Hippie Chutes nor Punta Bardini.

[Jbaysurfer]

How very kryptic of you. My next guess is Dempsey's.

[UPGRAYEDD_2505]

Red Mt. See 213's post. Super-secret stash #2184958.

[Jbaysurfer]

Red Mt. See 213's post. Super-secret stash #2184958.

Tks..I got caught up in the guessing game..I just mostly wanted to tell Shralph it wasn't his beloved Hippys. Cheers.

[Dark Star]

213 how did you come up with the name for the Humphrey's shot? Still never got any beta from anyone about that. So stoked to see those pics in here! What a sick mission. I say we rally back to that TH sometime this late April or May for a few days-I'm sure JRF will be down if he can find the time.

On the other pics, yeah, even though I forgot my camera we got some sweet shots with JRF's camera from our blower Parachute mission. Because that line has turned out to be such a story for me, coupled with what JRF and I got into with his car prior to and after the mission, I'm working on a little story I hope to put up on Unofficial soon for that one.

Otherwise there's some nice shots of me and Gimpy skiing Gibbs in last weeks unoffical post, and some nice shots from Esha and a sub peak out of Convict Lake (don't have a name for it) up right now.

Love the stoke in here people! Keep getting it! Tis the season...

[213]

213 how did you come up with the name for the Humphrey's shot? Still never got any beta from anyone about that. So stoked to see those pics in here! What a sick mission. I say we rally back to that TH sometime this late April or May for a few days-I'm sure JRF will be down if he can find the time.
...
Tis the season...

Here is the inspiration for that name (which Secor has listed as the SE chute, class 4 to the summit):


When topping out I popped up onto the ridge and got the above view through "The Window" to another world (The Humphreys Basin, Goethe Cirque (can't see it here since its to the south, this is looking WNWish, and so on) and the wind, which was totally calm on the ascent, was ripping through 'the window'. Cool experience. Just another fun name (more fun than SE Couloir) for a random five star line! Its really fun since you get to ski an airy spine (with mega air on the right) then you transition into the couloir proper. But, as you can see below, if spines next to a 500+ foot cliff are not your thing, just hug the left side chute and have a blast!



Tis the season indeed! I'd love to go back for that one again, especially linking it with some Demon or over the top of Humphreys to the North Couloir. wheee!

[AKbruin]

Any word on whether the Mo Mart has opened yet or will by this weekend?

[hutash]

I have not heard, but it usually opens on opening day of fishing, which should be soon.

[jimw]

Any word on whether the Mo Mart has opened yet or will by this weekend?

April 29. You heard it here.

[splat]

White Mountains are looking awfully white.
Any 213 stoke from there?
Just curious....how does the east side of the Whites compare to the west side?

[AKbruin]

Thanks JimW.

Played around Little Slide Canyon and Mt. Walt yesterday. Found decent wintery snow above 10k, great corn on West-facing aspects between 9k and 10k, and grabby crap snow on most other aspects below 10k.

[Franz Klammer]

Let me ask my question again: "Is it worthwhile to ski Whitney this coming Saturday or are there more worthwhile targets now?" I need some argument power to convince my BC friend NOT to ski Whitney.

[Christopher3000]

I've not skied Mt. Whitney, but I get the impression that its rarely the place to find good skiing. The Mountaineers' Route is high elevation, steep, north facing, and generally riddled with boot tracks and beater "mountaineers." Aside from that route there aren't really "lines" off the summit unless you're psyched to ski sastrugi down to Trail Crest and then rip the lower angle down past the thousands of first-time REI customers breaking in their new softshells at base camp. I COULD BE WRONG ABOUT ALL OF THIS.

I have skied many other lines in the Sierra during late april/early may over the last several years and the range is chock full of more aesthetic lines with more reliable snow and nobody else around. I get the impression you know this. Maybe choose something else big, on a big peak, in a 'deeper' portion of the range--perhaps in the vicinity of Big Pine, like V-Notch/U-notch, or the N couloir of Split--that would provide as serious an alpine experience without all the factors, that, in my impression, keep whitney from being on many people's must-ski list...

[213]

Let me ask my question again: "Is it worthwhile to ski Whitney this coming Saturday or are there more worthwhile targets now?

Noooo!!!! Anything but Whitney!!!! Unless you know you are going to get it in fantastic untracked pow (highly unlikely). Christopher3000 is dead on. You will be immersed amongst kooks who will bootpack the ENTIRE run in all x,y coordinates. The Faktor and I went back there a few years ago. Pretty entertaining event, but we were both like, "well that was a cool tour and all, but skiing that route was lame." Here's the TR and a few silly teaser shots:
Tour De Lone Pine Creeks

FAntastic ridge traversing...



Training for Chamonix...



Skis off time late in the afternoon!


THE BOTTOM LINE: Franz, There are infinitely better runs to hit, especially with the incoming wet snow. If you are dead set on that area, hit something like Mallory or McAdie. But I would far and away recommend other ski descents (since I know you want the quality not the name). Whitney is beautiful but a junk show this time of year and sadly, that junkshow spills down the entirety of the ski run.
FYI The road is clear up Onion Valley...

[bodywhomper]

Let me ask my question again: "Is it worthwhile to ski Whitney this coming Saturday or are there more worthwhile targets now?" I need some argument power to convince my BC friend NOT to ski Whitney.

maybe cuz it's the first peak in the moynier book, but mainly because whitney is a general turn off to me, but when i think of a big peak to ski in that area, langley is top on my list. if your friends are up for a longer drive, that onion valley information from 213 is golden.

[SchralphMacchio]

Schralph, the book calls that line the north face of morrison south...

full tr: http://blog.tuckercunningham.com/201...s-here-mt.html

By the way, a tardy thanks for that. Cool trip report NBM, looks like an awesome day! I can't get to Eastside until May this year but I can't wait to be back!

[Franz Klammer]

Thanks, those are the responses I needed.

[Dark Star]

On Whitney, what 213 said. Although we skied it this January in mostly pow...almost the whole way. It can happen. However, the couloir was more junky/grabby windboard than powder, and there were a few short melt-freeze spots, but for 8k (the road was far from plowed to the normal TH) 6+ of that was smooth creamy pow. Probably not happening this time of year, although you never know till you go.

And Ben, you gotta pm me the link to that old TR. In that second pic you posted I still have that old blue shell in my gear bin-although it's been long desginated to retired status. And the given name (if you can make it stick) fits perfect. As soon as I read your description I remembered getting up there and looking through the "window". Totally forgot about that ?!? If I recall all 4 of us were just blooooown away with brillance.

On another note here's a (long) story with some fun shots of my recent and past dealings with the Parachute:

http://unofficialnetworks.com/2011/0...eaks-parachute

I'll have some more stoke to share later this week as I go through some pics of an all-time mission skiing Split's infamous East Couloir a few days ago. Man, that line is not for most bc skiers, even many who may frequent the Eastside...although for some of you-those that like to ice climb, downclimb with exposure, etc.-it just may be the one.