Skip to content

Search for:

Climber Kyle

The Only Way is Up

Home
Trip Reports
Stories
Meta
- Thoughts
- Guides
Photography
About

Month: June 2022

Little Tahoma + Big Tahoma

Little Tahoma + Big Tahoma

Posted on June 25, 2022April 5, 2023 by kyle

A challenging, exhausting day skiing Little Tahoma and Big Tahoma (Rainier) in a single day, pushing me and Anthony to our limits.

Read More

Manastash and Tronsen Ridge

Manastash and Tronsen Ridge

Posted on June 22, 2022June 23, 2022 by kyle

An eastside escape to hike and run through sunshine and wildflowers on the east slopes of the Cascades.

Read More

Subscribe to Emails

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address

Instagram

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.

Most Popular

Planning for Spring Skiing in the PNW
Washington High Routes and Traverses
WA Pass Birthday Tour
Mt. Baker, Squak Glacier
Washington Adventure Runs

Archives

Categories

Guides
Stories
Thoughts
Trip Reports
Uncategorized

Tags

alaska alpine lakes wilderness alpine rock alps backcountry hut backcountry skiing backpacking canada cascades chelan-sawtooth wilderness colorado day hiking europe fall colors fifty classics glacier peak wildnerness henry m jackson wilderness high route high sierra ice climbing Idaho meta mountaineering Mt Baker north cascades olympic mountains oregon pasayten wilderness reflections rock climbing scrambling ski mountaineering ski touring snoqualmie backcountry spring skiing steven's pass switzerland thru-hiking trail running traverse ultramarathon volcano wa pass weather wyoming

Home
Trip Reports
Stories
Meta
- Thoughts
- Guides
Photography
About

Theme Designed by InkHive.com. © 2023 Climber Kyle. All Rights Reserved.