Eastern Sierra 2011-12: The 1000" Winter

[ACH]

RIP Boris.

So sorry to read this today.
Condolences to family, loved ones and friends.

[snapt]

rip boris, vibes to his friend and family. tough watching situations like these unfold online.

[Jbaysurfer]

RIP Boris. +++vibes to friends and family.

[powfiend]

RIP Boris good to know that he went out doing what he loved

[Dark Star]

JBN, just sent you an email, so very sorry to hear about the loss of Boris. I wish you and his other friends and family healing. Be safe and remember to smile out there bc community.

[gimpy]

++++ vibes to his tribes.

best advice i can give on the laurel lakes drive is, get someone else to drive

[hutash]

Just read about Boris on ESAC, vibes to family and friends.

[Franz Klammer]

RIP Boris!

Chilling to hear the story from S&R ... and even more chilling to now piece the details of that stray pole together.

[Franz Klammer]

Also, in other news, thanks to jimw, my friend Andrew and I sent Unknown on Saturday.

[rod9301]

Does anyone know the conditions in bloody couloir?

[rod9301]

Franz, great job on unknown.pretty intimidating entrance.

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

Vibes to Borris - sorry to hear about the outcome. jbn - keep your head up man.

[bluesbrother49]

Does anyone know the conditions in bloody couloir?

Just nailed Bloody on Friday, May 4th. We were able to drive a stock early 00's 4runner all the way to the last switchback before we put on tennis shoes and walked the 45 min to the base of the couloir. Basically we parked the rig at the last "turnaround spot" at the corner of the switchback. Road is rough as usual but you should be able to get up in a truck or high clearance suv. We got out at one point and did some rock arranging to make sure we made it past without ripping out a muffler.

Ski was sweet, top was choppy chalk, middle was refrozen corn, bottom was perfect corn. Wind was wipping pretty good that day so we wern't in any hurry. I actually stayed in my tennis shoes until I hit the very base of bloody. It was still frozen solid at 12pm. Started ski down at around 2.

Also hit Red Mtn back in Virginia Lakes on Wed. Not much snow but did some short glam laps off the top. North chute off the back looked pretty good, never have done it before but it looked like it went through all the way to the small lake at the bottom.

Thursday we went up Rock Creek and got the Hourglass Chute off of Mt. Dade. We hiked from mosquito flat about 2 miles in tennis shoes along the summer trail before we switched to boots and skins (then to boots only, then back to skins, then back to boots) Needless to say, it was the adventure touring that is the eastside. Hourglass never softned up due to winds but it was a fun, long day to say the least. Fell in a creek on the way back and finally got to wash my stinky boot liners.

I'll post some pics of the trips asap. Heading back down this week, wed-sun to try and do some stuff out of tioga. Saddlebag lake area looked pretty good from the top of Red Mtn. North peak, white, conness, etc.

[Franz Klammer]

If you want to go to the Eastside this season, do it now rather than later. The lines might still be there, but the access is melting out mightily quickly making the schlepp back out rather unenjoyable!

[jimw]

Nice work Franz! How was it? Looks like my track was still in there, so it must have stayed pretty frozen all week. I figured it might not soften up over the weekend.

Also, in case anyone happened to score some free crampons up at Tioga a week ago... I left a set of red Stubai Ultralight strap crampons in Glacier Canyon on the way out from Dana on Sat 4/28. I believe I left them near the spot where the route splits on the approach and you would go left to go up to the plateau, or straight to continue into Glacier Canyon. Julian was up there on Sun 4/29 and saw them there on the approach as they went up to the plateau to hit Kidney, but then they were gone when they passed the same spot in the afternoon after hitting Dana.

Here's a map showing the approximate location.

Here's what they look like:



Please drop me a PM if you happened to pick these up!

[rod9301]

bluesbro, do you think it would have been possible to drive further than you did?

[bluesbrother49]

You might be able to go another 300 yds or so, but turning your rig around would be really difficult. After that, it still had a lot of snow covering the road. Might be less after this week.


Sent from my iPad using TGR Forums app

[Franz Klammer]

JimW: I also saw some crampons on Sunday 4/29 on my skin up from Tioga Lake to the plateau, but I saw them pretty much directly next to the little creek. I did not touch them, but I'll ask around among the people who I saw up there that day.

[powfiend]

franz, if they are c.a.m.p.s, they might be mine. I cant find em anywhere although im not sure if i had em in my pack that day or if left em in the truck. Either way if you talk to your crew and they happen to be red camps, they are probably mine and proper amounts of gratefulness beers and 420 will be given

[Sinecure]

I'm thinking of heading to Mammoth for the weekend to get a little use out of my MVP pass before the season ends. Anyone else going to be around? Anyone have a free/cheap place I can crash? Thanks and see you there.

[rod9301]

Skied Bloody couloir yesterday. Man, the road is getting worse. I haven't been there in a few years, and the difference is noticeable.

The couloir skied very well, though I had to wait till about 1:30 for it to soften.

This is my first ski on the Eastside since I tumbled on Emerson for about 600 ft last year, almost to the day. And yes, I found ice under 6" of fresh, on my first turn, my tails washed out and went head first, backwards, tomahawking down the hill.
And it was ego that made me decide to open it up from the beginning. A ruptured Achiles, lots of weight lifting, and I am strong now, skied 100 some days this year, but my head is not ready yet.

Bloody was ok, but I need to gradually ski steeper stuff. Skiing steeps is like climbing solo, it's ok until it isn't. Of course, like in climbing, staying under your skill limit helps too.

Hopefully, my confidence will come back, sooner rather than later.

[Franz Klammer]

Rod, glad you got (parts of) the monkey off your back!

[Sinecure]

OK. Turx, Cinders, their friend Christine and I are all coming tomorrow (Friday) night. Look for the GNAR mobile with roof box on top at the Mill on Saturday.

[Skiwald]

Small crew heading to Lee Vining Campground today and going to be poking around Tioga pass area all weekend. Hit us up at the campsite for a beer or to talk shop.

[Sinecure]

Is that the campground just off 120 a little ways uphill of the Mobile station? We'll be going by there sometime this evening, probably around 9pm. Should we stop in and harass you?