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Month: November 2020

Video Peak Circumnavigation

Video Peak Circumnavigation

Posted on November 29, 2020December 3, 2020 by kyle

Searching for good snow and building a backcountry kicker on Video Peak in the Baker Backcountry.

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Jim Hill Ski Schwack

Jim Hill Ski Schwack

Posted on November 28, 2020December 2, 2020 by kyle

An early season foray to ski Jim Hill, complete with alder and death luging.

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Sheep Lake Couloir

Sheep Lake Couloir

Posted on November 27, 2020December 1, 2020 by kyle

An easy day in the Crystal Backcountry skiing the classic Sheep Lake Couloir.

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The Crystal Lite Tour

The Crystal Lite Tour

Posted on November 21, 2020November 23, 2020 by kyle

Skiing powder and steep couloirs on an incredible bluebird day in November in the Crystal Backcountry.

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When seasons collide.

Mt Tom is a beacon of the Eastern Sierra. It looms nearly 10,000 ft above bishop. There are no fewer than four classic ski lines on the south and east sides. But with a hot forecast, we figured why not go for the mysterious west side to buy us some time? We found an incredible 4,000 ft of wandering gullies and couloirs, a hidden classic of its own. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

During our time in the Sierra, we skied a 5 mile long descent from Bolton Brown down through the headwaters of the Kings river. From above it looked improbable - improbably flat! Most of it was just barely steep enough to sustain gliding and a few wiggles. It wasn't thrilling in the typical sense downhill skiing is, but it was certainly beautiful and mesmerizing in the scale of the terrain we were covering.

On our way back from the Sierra, @heinelogan and I took a day to sample the southern cascades, skiing Shasta and sight seeing at crater lake. Shasta exceeded expectations: great access, quality lines on each aspect, and surprisingly good nearby mountains. Crater lake felt a lot like the grand canyon: you've seen pictures of it your whole life but it still takes your breath away. Coupled with the appropriate chapters of #fireandice : geology of the cascade volcanoes, and it felt like the perfect blend of geologic ski tourism!

It's been a fun 10 days down here in the Eastern Sierra with @heinelogan @johnkimthehuman and @shiroiwa_yagi . It felt like we saw a little bit of each part of the range, skied a variety of different features (although technically I didn't ski a single couloir in a range stacked with them), and also got to meet up with a bunch of other friends. We got after it but also never pushed it too hard. This place certainly serves up some awesome scenery, adventure, and skiing. The "range of corn" finally lived up to its name this time 🌽. What a special range!

It's been a fun first few days in the Sierra! While conditions are by no means splitter, I've already skied more corn on this trip than in 8 days here last spring! We've been taking it easier, easing into the altitude, and gawking at the historic snowpack. It looks like we have a few days to go big before the ⛈️ ❄️ arrives. It's easy to have crazy high expectations with such excitement around a big snow year, but I am trying to enjoy the ups and downs and take what we get.

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