Lady-friend and I are heading to the Eastside in a few days for a week of skiing and climbing. I've been mining guidebooks for a few weeks and can't seem to settle on a plan, mostly because the place is stacked and I want to ski/climb EVERYTHING but also because I don't have a good feel for the snow conditions (even though I follow the Eastside thread religiously).
Can knowledgeable mags provide beta/suggestions/feedback on the plan? It's my first venture out there and I don't want to botch it, my worry is to try to hit too many spots and end up driving 50% of the time...
This may not be the best forum btw but I don't want to pollute the Sierra Eastside thread with walls of text...
The tentative plan is to set-up shop around June Lake or Mammoth for the first half then go down to Bishop for the second half. I'd like to alternate ski days and climbing days (or do both if we need to be up at 2AM to time things well for the corn harvest) and ideally not have to drive more than 1 hour away from camp to get after it.
It seems like from June Lake we can quickly access anything between Bridgeport and Bloody Mtn (again I want to ski all the things but Bloody Couloir seems like a mandatory tick) and for climbing easily access stuff between the Tioga road (however much is opened), all of the Mammoth areas, and the eastern hills if it's cold.
Once we move down to Bishop we can still roam north to mammoth and go down as far as Big Pine and climb/ski everything that looks appealing.
Camping recommendations around June Lake (or Mammoth if it makes more sense) and Bishop? Found tons of options online but again, nothing beats the feedback of people who've been there. We don't need an established campground but I won't throw a fit if there's a bathroom and running water. Bonus points for being close to hot springs or a lake. Extra bonus points for free, awesome scenery, on-site brewery, etc...
Skiing recommendations? I got the latest guidebook and again, everything looks great. I think I need to limit ascents to under 4K since lady-friend got worked by the elevation on a recent tour in the Uintas and I don't want her to tell me to fuck off when I ask her to marry me after a death march. Bloody looks great but again, I' psyched standing on top of any peak, harvesting any amount of corn, or skiing any chutes. GF crushes the steeps and has big balls so chuting is also an option,
Climbing recommendations? Not the best forum for this although I know some of you are getting after it on the choss. I started making a list but gave up after realizing I wanted to do half the routes in the guidebook. I'm climbing like a turd these days but mellow long trad is the main goal (up to mid/hard 10). Cardinal Pinnacle is the one thing on the must-do list and I'd also like to climb tuft (at least a day at the ORG, Clark). Pine Creek, Horseshoe Lake, Rock Creek all looks great.
Misc stuff? Must-do eateries and watering holes? Awesome hot springs? Number of King Cobras I absolutely MUST drink?
Thanks for any advice, I'll supply a good TR when I get back!
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