Eastern Sierra, CA Backcountry Report: Mt. Dana’s Solstice Couloir + Powerhouse Chutes | Tioga Pass

Miles Clark | Post Tag for BackcountryBackcountry | Post Tag for Conditions ReportConditions Report
Connery dropping in strong into Solstice Couloir. image: snowbrains

Report from June 11th, 2019

Brought to you by Scott Sports

Skis Used:  Scott Scrapper 115

We went on our 4th Tioga Pass, CA mission of the month of June today.

Connery Lundin, Andy Hays, and I set our sights on Solstice Couloir off 13,000′ Mt. Dana.

The plan was Solstice to Dana Plateau to Powerhouse Chutes to a car stashed at the Poole Power Plant.

Miles, steep, Powerhouse Chute. image: Connery Lundin

We started skinning from Tioga Pass at 8:45am and everything went according to plan.

The Solstice Couloir skied great with perfect corn.

The Dana Plateau was covered in tiny little flowers.

The Powerhouse Chutes were steep, scary, and held great snow.

The lower Powerhouse Chutes Gully skied excellently and was super spicy down low.

That tongue of snow that dumps you out at the Poole Power Plant is melting out fast…

Connery, Dana Lake, Mt. Dana. image: snowbrains

We are gonna head back up there and ski Unknown Chute on Thursday to the Powerhouse Chutes and that will be our last Powerhouse Chutes of the year!

Today was spectacular, sunny, hot June day in the mountains.

Connery on nature’s waterslide. image: snowbrains

RECENT EASTERN SIERRA REPORTS:

June 6th:  Eastern Sierra, CA Backcountry Report: Mt. Dana → Dana Couloir → Power House Chutes | Tioga Pass

June 5th: Eastern Sierra, CA Backcountry Report: Power House Chutes | Tioga Pass, CA

June 4th: Eastern Sierra, CA Backcountry Report: 12,500′ North Couloir of Mt. Emerson

June 2nd: Eastern Sierra, CA Backcountry Report: The Third Pillar Chute | Tioga Pass, CA

June 1st: Eastern Sierra, CA Backcountry Report: 1″ of Snow in 20-Minutes at 12,300′ in Zebra Chute

PHOTOS:

Connery, powerhouse chute. image: snowbrains
Andy dropping into Solstice Couloir
These large spiders prowl the high elevation snow and eat bugs who have gotten caught in the wind and deposited on the snowfields. image: snowbrains
Miles and Mono Lake. image: Connery Lundin
Connery and Mono Lake. image: snowbrains
Miles at the top of Solstice Couloir on Mt. Dana. image: Connery Lundin
Andy and a Dana Lake. image: snowbrains
Miles and Andy on the way up Dana. image: Connery Lundin
Connery bushwhack. image: snowbrains
Tiny flowers everywhere on the Dana Plateau. image: snowbrains
Andy and a Dana Lake. image: snowbrains
So many tiny little flowers today. image: snowbrains
Connery and Solstice Couloir. image: snowbrains
Miles and Andy on the way up Dana. image: Connery Lundin
The three chutes of the week left to right: Dana Couloir (we hit last week), Solstice (today), Unknown (will hit on Wednesday). image: snowbrains
Connery and Andy just about to hit the car.
Connery in the talus. image: snowbrains
Connery, burrito, torta, Salsa’s, Mammoth Lakes, Apres Ski. image: snowbrains
Connery bushwhack. image: snowbrains
Tiny flowers everywhere on the Dana Plateau. image: snowbrains
Connery spraying the spray down low. image: snowbrains
Miles and Andy on the way up Dana. image: Connery Lundin
Andy and Connery and Solstice Couloir. image: snowbrains

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