Backcountry
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What a year in these parts! After one of the driest years on record and in midst of a drought…would my June turns even come to fruition?
It has almost become a yearly ritual in my household…come mid-June, to climb and ski around the Carson Pass area off of Round Top Peak at 10,381 ft and then continue up and the down the chutes of all the Sisters Peaks (10,153 ft) down to Round Top Lake.
The funny thing is that we actually found all the chutes not only to be skiable and holding glorious corn the entire day.
Woods Lake (8,232 ft) is my usual starting point because its a quick 45 mins up to the snow line at Winnemucca Lake. However, this year THAT snow line was a couple hundred feet higher. The temperatures were fairly warm and probably in the 50’s but due to a sustained 30-40mph wind, the snow stayed completely the same for the duration of the day.
After a few days of boating and soaking up the sun on the shores of Lake Tahoe, we headed to the legendary Patch off HWY 88 to not only test the SUV but also to get some Father’s Day fun in the snow. The kids made snowballs, my 5 year old took a few June laps, and dad got his carve on which ended up being a blast of a morning.
Bottom line…Tahoe delivers in even the worst of years and for that I am stoked.
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June 12th’s game plan: Round Top and the Sisters…
The author pointing out objective numero uno…
Stairway to the sunny side of Moon Crescent…
Time for a shadow selfie! The snow was in perfect hiking and skiing condition since it did not freeze the night before. Gusty winds kept the snow consistent throughout the day.
Deadwood Peak holding onto winter…
Nice place to eat a healthy snack…
Sierra to the South – Leavitt Peak and the Y Couloir (Sonora Pass) in the far distance…we had some fun over there around Easter.
Let’s ski down shall we? Perfect corn and minor suncups provided an awesome ski…
Stev laying down some turns below Round Top…
Onward to The Sisters (three of them)…each with their own respective line.
Always perfect corn down here…always!
Let them run and then traverse out to the left for Sisters #2…
Traversing over a bowl…in California…in June…during a drought.
The author ascends the steeps of Sisters #2…snow was getting a bit rotten up there and bit sketchy when finding hollow snow near the rocks.
Other than being a tough spot to put on skis, this is going to be good…
Time to wash off that exposure…
With suncupping to a minimum, you could actually ski for real…
Time to head up the last one of the day…
Even with less snow than last year, the chute actually had much better coverage…
California drought carving…
Sisters zone how I love thee so…
The next two days yielded boating to early lunches around the West Shore of Lake Tahoe…
Throw in some late afternoon golf with the Mrs…
And some amazing sunsets…
June 15th, 2014 – Father’s Day morning, the whole family took a ride to check out The Patch.
To give perspective, Winnemucca Lake is on the other side of that ridge…
I knew that snowball maker would come in handy…
The author getting June faceshots…
The 5 year old gets in his California June turns…
After a few laps with the kid, Dad runs up to the Summit for a final run…
Father’s Day drought skiing for the win!
Aspen trees? In California? Yep.
After a patch session do not forget to visit the Hope Valley Cafe for a piece of pie and a draft beer. Trust me you will not be disappointed.
Is your 5 year old in a 1 piece in June? Rad!
He steps in wearing shorts, one zipper…too damn easy. It was also in the 40s with the windchill that morning…so it wasn’t that nuts, ha.
Awesome photos and story, thanks for sharing. Great to see your little guy getting after it too.
Props man this is awesome, thought I was the only one still hunting snow.