Sierra Nevada Winter Traverses

Day 1 of the 5-day Sierra Crest backcountry ski expedition started at noon after shuttling cars from Lee Vining to the end of our tour at Mammoth Lakes. We changed the start to climb up Bloody Canyon to Mono Pass into Yosemite National Park as the originally planned Tioga Pass Road was covered in hazardous… meer lezen

After climbing the extremely steep Bloody Canyon to Mono Pass, a fun ski-descent follows down the Parker Pass Creek to the north-west, where it meets the Tioga Pass road, which is closed and buried under several meters of snow in winter. It continues downhill to Tuolumne Meadows, where the campground… meer lezen

After a late self-made 5-course dinner and wine the previous night 🍷 we had a relaxed start for a gradual ski up Lyell Canyon, a 10-12 mile long valley shaped by Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River. The John Muir Trail (overcrowded 'reservations-only' in summer) starts at Tuolumne Meadows and follows the… meer lezen

The fourth day of this backcountry ski expedition roughly parallels John Muir Trail as it crosses two high passes (Donohue and Island passes) of the Sierra Crest, starting from a camp in Upper Lyell Canyon and ending for the last night at the spectacular East end of Thousand Island Lake. Both camps are… meer lezen

Final segment of the 5-day Sierra Crest backcountry ski expedition, from famous Thousand Island Lake (all islands were hidden under ice and snow ;-) downstream the San Joaquin River, and up a final climb to Mammoth Mountain ski resort where we had parked the other cars.

While the rest of California begins to swelter under the first heat waves, the High Sierra Nevada is still covered under a massive layer of snow from this record winter. The snow cover is the best way to cross the Sierra Nevada from East to West in the most direct line, across the highest passes, where… meer lezen

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We broke the first segment into two days, doing the first couple of miles up to the snow line in the evening after driving all day from San Francisco, to sleep as high as possible for acclimating. That made day 2 pretty short, giving us some time for snow-play and skiing… meer lezen

A little fun ski run above camp in the sunny afternoon & to help the body acclimate, coming from sea level to 10,000 ft (3,300 m) elevation.

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After reaching the top of Shepherd Pass the Sierra High Route continues to the West in elevations between 10,000 and 13,000 ft (3,300 to 4,000 m). The confluence of Milestone creek with Kern river is a good place to camp in winter as it is one of only a couple places with running river water access… meer lezen

One of the three most difficult sections along the Sierra High Route is the ascent (from either side) to Milestone Pass, an extremely steep ridge. Depending on snow conditions it is possible to skin up on ski to the rocky spine about half-way up. It ends up taking the same time as simply using crampons… meer lezen

Crossing three major and a couple smaller High Sierra passes, the section between Milestone Bowl and Lonely Lake is the most impressively alpine landscape. Stark, almost tree-less, with sweeping views in all directions. From Triple Divide Pass a chain of peaks swings due West along the Kings-Kaweah range… meer lezen

The Western Trailhead of the Sierra High Route is at Wolverton, a large parking area for several popular hiking trails in Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks.

This last section of the 50-mile winter Ski route East-to-West across the uninhabited Sierra Nevada highcountry climbs out of Lonely Lake bowl… meer lezen