[steeleman]

TR added below.

[Dave (aka Banker)]

'Atta boy! We'll be waiting for more.
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Whatever was just posted should be taken with a grain of salt, perhaps with a shot of tequila and a lime, and basically ignored in most regard.

[JPL]

Excellent photos, way to get after it Steeleman.

Thanks for sharing.

[Eric O]

Do it to it!

Heh, when you wrote that the day's objective was visible above your pack, I was thinking "by George, he's off to ski the northeast ridge of BCS!". Thank you for doing something more survivable!
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Eight miles high, and when you touch down
You'll find that it's stranger than known

[scott s]

Nice. It would be tought not to set up shop at Gabb and hit each one those gullies. That's a nice looking ski peak.

[Eric O]

In the "can or can't see there from here" department: Gabb and Hilgard were visible / semi-prominent from Goddard if I remember correctly, but Bear Creek Spire was obscured by something. But then we saw BCS from either Fiske or Black Giant a day or two later. Humphreys, on the other hand, pretty much poked up in every view at one time or another. Hugely.

[robrox]

Somebody tell my wife she can keep taking courses out west...I need to move!
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"Moderate is not the new Low" - Chris Joosen, USFS Lead Snow Ranger (Tuckerman Ravine, White Mountains National Forest)

[steeleman]

heh, ski the NE ridge I did look down the East Face and fantasize about a sweet 500-600' steep run to the cliff band, followed by a BASE launch The NW face was skiable from just beneath the squeeze chimney, but the snow was poor so I left the skis at the col. The headwall and summit boulder was fun. And no, I didn't do it in ski boots.

From the summit, I also spied a lone snowboard track down one of the chutes off the ridge to Julius Caesar, heading down towards Pine Creek. A very sweet line indeed.

I recall seeing Goddard pretty clearly from BCS and Gabb. BCS is tough to see probably because it has another big summit twin that probably makes it looks like a blob of peaks from that far away. Looking the other way, Goddard is obviously unmistakable.

[joesnow]

Sierra Springtime Madness!!!

Good job getting way back there, Rich. You will at least follow up with more pictures of your tracks, right? Do you have a fettish with returning to these spicey summits solo as part of a ski trip? (Conness last year, BCS this year). I can think of worse addictions.


It looks like (one of) Eric's dream chute(s) never really fills in:

[steeleman]

Rock Creek/Bear Lakes Basin -- May 8-10 2006

Day One:

Early morning skiing up the incomparable Rock Creek Canyon. Creeks are opening up quickly. I'm aiming for the high col to the right of Bear Creek Spire (the big peak in the middle), then up to the summit from the backside.



Tempting to ski across the outlet of Mack Lake this early in the morning.



But I didn't do it, and this is what it looked like 48 hours later



Loving the Leki Lawisond "monopod" pole handle camera attachment



Bear Creek Spire. East Ridge (5.8 ) on the left skyline, North Arete (5.8 ) dead center. NE Ridge (Class 4 to 5.4, depending on who you talk to) in between the two, and the "tourist route" (class 4) behind the right skyline.




The painful slog up Cox Col in the blistering California sun.



Cox Col is a pretty broad saddle, comprising basically the only feasible crossing along this entire section of the crest. Problem is, which door to go through? I aimed for the gates of heaven, and it turned out I was exactly right.



Close up of "Ulrich's Route" on the right (snowfield leading to headwall), and the finish of the North Arete along the left skyline. Eric O, Joesnow and I climbed the NE Ridge in October. It joins the North Arete around the bottom of this picture. This is an awesome peak in any season.



At Cox Col. Loving my dorky shade hat, but I still got fried.



Mt. Gabb is the highpoint of the Mono Divide, a prominent offshoot of the Sierra Crest. It is actually the highest peak in the area, although it is hidden by some of the more visible peaks along the crest. I saw Mt. Gabb from the pass and immediately resolved to ski it on the way out.



Mount Hilgard, another sweet looking ski peak along the Mono Divide.



Ulrich's Route. I booted up the snow patches, then traded ski boots for rock shoes at the headwall.



The "don't tell my wife" traverse.



Joesnow doing it last October.



Booting up the snowfield, I couldn't help but be drawn to Seven Gables and the Bear Lakes Basin. I didn't really have a concrete plan for this trip, and although it looked pretty far away with many ups and downs, I figured I'd try to hit it tomorrow.



The headwall. Wouldn't want to do this in ski boots...



The East Face. Eric O would probably call this "the easy bail out option". Actually, it looks like it goes without a parachute in a big snow year like this one



The famous summit boulder (note Mt. Goddard in the distance). Grab the top, tip toe with your left foot, smear your right foot in that pocket, and friction your way up.



Eric O demonstrates last year.



Summit shot. My car is way the F down there at the snowline...



Click below for a SW to NE annotated panorama from the summit.

BIG 'OL FILE

Looking forward to some CORN finally after all that darned climbing.



Cool pinnacles on the backside of Dade/Pipsqueak Spire. Some serious backcountry climbing here.



My destination was far down below, a camp on the edge of Lake Italy, just below Jumble Lake. For perspective, tomorrow's goal is way back behind several ridges, miles away.



Corn tracks through a small little chute.



An unnamed subpeak of Bear Creek Spire. Most other places, this would be the coolest peak around. Here, it's just another random huge wall of granite.



The view from camp of Mt. Abbot, Mt. Dade and the Rock Creek crest. Somehow it is possible to ski over this, although from this vantage point it is hard to conceive.



Days Two and Three to come...

[Tri-Ungulate]

Loooving the spring Sierra TR's - so sorry I can't get out there this year, but the pics & prose at least keeping me vicariously happy.




(edited to add tripreport search term to thread)
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[Berko]

Nice. Nice. Nice.


I am so going out there next spring.
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Something's got a hold on me, and I don't know what .

[bcrider]

"Now a real TR" indeed.


Sweet stuff bro. So many mtns.......so little time. Way to chip away at it.

I take it kellie didnt join you?


Thanks for the great pics!
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more cowbell!

[robrox]

Beauteous!

Man, I gotta move!
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"Moderate is not the new Low" - Chris Joosen, USFS Lead Snow Ranger (Tuckerman Ravine, White Mountains National Forest)

[televisionary]

Very nice! Thanks - that fed the stoke machine.
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私はスキー好む