Snow conditions run the gamut in the Eastern Sierra right now. Most high north facing lines are still holding winter chalk. www.sethlightcap.com
Most Cali shredders have already called the coroner on Ol’ Man Winter, pissed on the smoldering embers of the ski season and put away the boards for the bikes. If that’s you, might not want to see these photos from last week in the Sierra.
The Tioga Pass Road opening last weekend was under the radar. Relatively few people were out touring on the pass. Zeb Blais got the memo and proceeded to rip the sh!t out of the Solstice couloir on Mt. Dana.
Like a phoenix rising from the thin, dry ashes of a dismal season, winter roared back to life with a rogue storm that dumped a foot plus in select spots around Lake Tahoe on April 16-17. The storm was followed by two cool, bluebird pow days. And just when the sun started to do it’s thing to our precious pow, the Caltrans crew did it’s thing – on April 19 the gates accessing the classic Eastern Sierra playgrounds of Tioga Pass and Virginia Lakes opened!
What could you have possibly missed after that piddly little storm dropped two inches at lake level in Lake Tahoe last week? Ask Brennan Lagasse about this turn.
Winter ain’t dead in California yet. You may be over it, but that would be a personal problem. For those still stoked on snow, here’s some shots from the past week in Carson Pass, Tioga Pass and Virginia Lakes to keep the fire burning…
– Seth Lightcap
You best wear your comfy boots if you head into the high country this spring. Expect to do a lot of walking on barren, rocky ground to get to the goods.The pow window lasted about 60 hours including the storm day. Toby Schwindt milked the fresh sesh start to finish.
Posse up! Great time to head to the hills with all the friends and furry ones.
All other aspects are at the mercy of the sun. Allison Lightcap found shallow hot pow in the apron of the Powerhouse chute but no doubt there’s fully ripened corn out there. Get after it before it’s gone!Not every High Sierra cirque looks this good right now.
Yep, twas a full reset in select spots around Tahoe. Toby Schwindt knew where to go.
Might want to steer clear of the North Face of Dunderberg Peak for a week or two. Thirty plus skiers gang banged that face during the annual Green Creek Chute Out last weekend. The informal backcountry gathering, hosted by Tahoe skier Glen Poulsen, has brought together friends to ski that line every spring for over 25 years.The Mt. Dana cirque and the couloirs dropping off the Dana Plateau are thin this year but there is still plenty of snow to shred these legendary steep lines.
Backcountry
BC better here than Loveland Pass area in Colorado where there
has been a deep slab (almost to ground) avi danger all year.
5 deaths recently in CO.
Killer article and photos, Seth. We’re stoked to have you onboard. I’m very jealous right now.
Great stuff Seth. Stoked to see u getting after it.
nice, I had no idea it was still that good up there. Sonora is open now too. Road trip