Eastern Sierras 2010-11: The Eternal Stoke

[dookeyXXX]

Man you guys are still milking it. Put the summer wax on and get a damn mountain bike, it's late July ferchrissakes!

TAY muddafukka, TAY!

[SnowHot]

Yup, we skied this yesterday. Epic conditions for JULY...damn. July.

Damn sweeeeeet is what it is!

[45hill]

did your friend ski it?

No. I don't know anyone who lives here that is still into skiing. It's over. Summer, summer, summer!

[~mikey b]

fuck summer - let's go skiing

I have a "new" mtn bike on the way, yo

[TWINS]

Lots of summer turns left in Tioga Pass.Saddlebag gate is still locked as 45hill mentioned.We ended up at Gaylor for a easy hike/ski.
Big Tim in Gaylor Chutes on 7-16...

[skier666]

Anybody know if Solstice still has an entrance from the top? On Friday morning, I would like to park my car on the pass, take a nice walk listening to sinister music, ski down Solstice, eat an energy bar, then mountaineer up Dana Coolie, ski down, and then jump suncups down the patches of Ellery. Any info would be much appreciative.

[TWINS]

This is all I have of the area.
Taken on 7-16

[BGnight]

ffs...IT'S OVER ALREADY


or go to shasta! it's the same drive and....wait for it..........there's SNOW!!!!

[munkyman]

Skier666, here's dana out the window last thursday. lots of cloud cover, barely got it in, but there's some snow cover on the couloirs. ellery looked sloppy, but then again it always does late season... this is my first post, let's see if the image got in...

[munkyman]

hey 666- i posted a pic here from the plane of mt. dana but the post is my first on tgr and is awaiting screening or something, never showed up... from the plane window solstice and dana couloir looked good, both seem to go from the top. this was 7 days ago... nail it!

[QITNL]

Hey guys -

I was just checking my web stats, noticed madturtle had linked to a page of some shots I took of Temple Crag a couple weeks ago, very cool. Heck, I haven't finished sorting through my camera roll for that trip. If I knew anyone was interested I would have got on that quicker!

I gather most of you ski - mostly I just wander around, try not to fall down, and take pictures of things. I snapped up a cheap pair of skinny skis at the end of last season, I'm a weenie but hopefully I can get out to a few more places next snow season.

Anyway I figured I might as well login and say hi. I'll try to send some more shots that might interest you when I can get them.

And if anyone fancies wandering up the North Fork of Big Pine, I got a ticket for one person, three nights next Thursday. I got some partners I can always count on - they always bail!

Thanks,

-Joe
quietisthenewloud or qitnl.comqitnl.com

[45hill]

a lot changes in seven days.

[skier666]

I skied Solstice yesterday. Hiked up from the valley, then booted up to about 3.2 feet from reaching the top because it added a sketch factor I wasn't really feeling. You can roll right in from the top. Coverage is pretty nice down to the lake but gets suncupped after it opens up after skiing Solstice. Dana Couloir looked super creamy and smooth, but I had to roll due to the long trek to Ellery on God's earth. You can ski Ellery almost all the way to the dam but you have to traverse hard left in the middle. The normal entrance is getting thin so it probably won't be skiable soon. Lots of rock fall runnels.

[powdork]

i had to high tail it out of there to get back to work, but the 3.2 feet he's talking about is the thickness of the cornice he was standing under (well after this was taken). i was gone by then though.

[skier666]

Some shots from July 22, 2011...

[Vets]

^
That snow looks fairly interesting.

[Franz Klammer]

Is it just me or did this wonderful season only get going in late January? I am asking because after seeing all those pictures and videos of my last Eastern Sierra backcountry season my parents are coming to visit me at Christmas and I was hoping to do a few backcountry tours with them around that time. But maybe Christmas is way too early?

Also, for next year's thread: It's "Eastern Sierra", no plural needed.

[skier666]

I guess this should go here to accompany the pics...

[Franz Klammer]

I guess this should go here to accompany the pics...

Nice ... we skied Dana on Memorial Day weekend. The winds were insane!

[altabrig]

Is it just me or did this wonderful season only get going in late January? I am asking because after seeing all those pictures and videos of my last Eastern Sierra backcountry season my parents are coming to visit me at Christmas and I was hoping to do a few backcountry tours with them around that time. But maybe Christmas is way too early?

Also, for next year's thread: It's "Eastern Sierra", no plural needed.

Mammoth and its surronds got destroyed with heavy wet snow the week before x-mas. The East Side mountains from Lone Pine to Bridgeport were severe danger.

There was tour/hike terrain to be had at thanksgiving this year. Could be a La Nina bitch that doesn't favor Tahoe on South, or it could be generous as she was this year.

[hopelesslyadolescent]

Fantastic video, Franz. You captured the feel of summer skiing better than anything I've seen. Great stuff, thanks.

[jimw]

That video was from skier666... and yeah, that was rad! Love the dirty sister and the pond skim. How are your ski bases doing? You should take those skis over to the big pumice hill next time you're in Lee Vining!

[Franz Klammer]

Mammoth and its surronds got destroyed with heavy wet snow the week before x-mas. The East Side mountains from Lone Pine to Bridgeport were severe danger.

There was tour/hike terrain to be had at thanksgiving this year. Could be a La Nina bitch that doesn't favor Tahoe on South, or it could be generous as she was this year.

So, in short, it's rather uncertain? Is it worth it at all to even consider touring between Christmas and New Year?

[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.

[altabrig]

So, in short, it's rather uncertain? Is it worth it at all to even consider touring between Christmas and New Year?

With proper respect for AVI conditions (which could be nasty), I would plan on there being enough snow around Christmas/New Year for decent lower angle tours and descents.

You probably have this:

http://esavalanche.org/