Trip Report
Some Tahoe Backcountry Skiing
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Tuesday March 20, 2018 11:16am
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Finally! After gouging the bottoms of my skis trying to get out on mere inches of snow, it finally came – a nice, cold, fluffy six feet and many days of powder skiing. Betsy, Charlie Downs and Ron Vardanega, among a few others, skinned up the ridge between Mt. Ralston and Talking Mountain off highway 50. A few of us dropped the back side (not the massive open bowls unfortunately – too risky) for some truly bottomless powder.
It’ll be spring soon, but boy was the last few days a lot of fun!
Ney Grant
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About the Author
Ney is a trad climber from Pollock Pines. |
Comments
Nick Danger
Ice climber
Arvada, CO
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Mar 20, 2018 - 01:01pm PT
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Now that's just righteous! Powder skiing is our reward for being born human and living in mountains that get seasonal snow. Most inspiring photos, thanks for sharing this with us.
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splitclimber
climber
Sonoma County
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Mar 20, 2018 - 01:29pm PT
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Awesome Ney!! Thanks for the share.
Missed Tahoe turns this last weekend, but got light powder at Lassen and Crater Lake.
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limpingcrab
Gym climber
Minkler, CA
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Mar 20, 2018 - 01:54pm PT
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Holy guacamole that's beautiful!
What's that mountain with the "tempting, but not a good idea" line down its face?
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Ney Grant
Trad climber
Pollock Pines
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Author's Reply
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Mar 20, 2018 - 05:07pm PT
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Interestingly, that peak isn't named, or its named something like "Peak 9230" on topos. It isn't often skied probably because it has had some big avalanches on it. The peak to the right is Mt. Ralston and that one is skied fairly often down the back (the face you see). The skiing is great but you have to work for it since you have to ski up, then down the back into Desolation Wilderness. Then you have to get back out.
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shylock
Social climber
mb
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Mar 20, 2018 - 06:26pm PT
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I'm hoping we can get out skiing at least once this winter with you guys, would be awesome. Cool BV night photo. From what I hear, that could have been taken in your driveway.
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clarkolator
climber
Flatlands of Yolo
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Mar 20, 2018 - 06:56pm PT
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These two must have been behind you
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seano
Mountain climber
none
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Mar 20, 2018 - 10:54pm PT
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TFPU! Glad the Sierra finally got some snow this winter, and that you got to enjoy it.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Mar 21, 2018 - 05:30am PT
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Great tr. you guys really got a lot of snow last week.
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Ney Grant
Trad climber
Pollock Pines
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Author's Reply
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Mar 21, 2018 - 06:25am PT
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Clarkolator - Yes, I'm impressed those guys did that. They nailed that. Did you take that photo (and where you one of the guys we saw at the saddle that came up behind us?). The avy forecast for Sunday was only moderate, but if anything slid it would be "historic".
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clarkolator
climber
Flatlands of Yolo
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Mar 21, 2018 - 11:52am PT
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Hi Ney,
Thanks for the tracks! I was thinking grateful thoughts about you guys as I followed the track with the pawprints in it. It was so deep!
That was my photo, wasn't sure if I was taking a cool picture of skiers, or documenting their demise.
I was behind Larz and Denny, we headed back down but then I decided to take a second lap. The skiers in the picture were a Czech couple, really nice and really really good at breathing thin air. Definitely mixed feelings watching them ski that line...I would have never been able to do anything if it went. Reminds me of previous encounters with a certain euro risk ethic...
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Mar 21, 2018 - 12:00pm PT
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Beautiful!
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Mar 21, 2018 - 01:54pm PT
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Clark - glad to see you got up there on Sunday. Last week was truly as good as it gets in the Tahoe Sierra. I think the Czech couple made a good decision on having some fun based on what I observed the day before, the advisory on Sunday which I think was moderate, the fact the storm came in warm/wet and left cold. The slope I’ve seen avalanche is over the nose into the next bowl, their descent isn’t as steep as it looks. Larz and I skied further east on Thursday the NE aspect of Talking Mountain. Despite the High advisory we found good bonding between the new and old snow. We did avoid open terrain, roll overs and hang fire.
Yea that skin track was a bitch busting in on Saturday, thankfully we had a full posse to help with the work including a couple 20 somethings with big lungs, strong hearts and legs not to mention Betsy who busted the last 25% up to the ridge.
This current system is raining now over the summit, it will be interesting to see what happens with all this new wet slop on top of the colder and older storm snow of last week + its windy. It’s suppose to cool off as the weekend approaches, one can only hope. The corn factory is just weeks away if not sooner. What a week this last one was....
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Ezra Ellis
Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
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Mar 21, 2018 - 04:28pm PT
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Stoked !
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Mar 22, 2018 - 10:30pm PT
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delicious snow!
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