Report from May 20, 2022

On Friday, we went back to White Mountain to ski the chutes we didn’t ski on Wednesday.

We went straight to the far ridge and booted right up to 12,000′.

We dipped into Yosemite National Park and didn’t even pay the entrance fee…

12,054′ White Mountain, CA – North Chutes Details:

• Summit:  12,054′
• Vertical from car:  we each climbed & skied 3 chutes this day for 3,000-vertical-feet
• Vertical skied:  2,700′ 
• Pitch at steepest point:  45º+
• Aspect:  North
• Distance:  8-miles round trip
• Time from car to summit:  3 hrs to top of 1st Chute (One Wall)
• Car to car time:  6 hrs 45 mins
• Recommended Equipment:  crampons, ice axe, skins
• Additional Notes:  This zone is composed of a myriad of short, steep chutes/runs from about 400-vertical-feet up to 1,000-vertical feet – pick what you want to ski then boot up and ski down

We skied One Wall Chute first and it was crispy, corny, and fun.

We then ripped right back up the ridge.

I went down and had a look at the very scary Shift Chute that we skied and had some mayhem in last year.

It was more filled in than last year making it one chute instead two as it was last year.

But it was firm, scary, extremely no fall zone and I was alone…

I quickly balked and walked back to UFC, friends, and safety.

skied down User Friendly Chute (UFC) which has a fun techy choke near the bottom right now.

After UFC, we loped across the dry southern edge of the valley back to the near ridge for a quick ski down and out.

Normal Chute on the near ridge skied excellently.

We high-fived, hugged, and a snack and started the 1 hour boot-scoot-boogie home.

The last thing we had to do before the car was run across the creek…

Back when I spent 4 seasons in a row in Japan (2012-2015) we used to cross creeks all the time.

The technique is to buckle your boots all the way, run, throw high knees, stomp straight down, and keep moving.

This technique worked great for me.  

I got almost no water in my boots.

Garret put on a show and lost a binding piece in the river and Andy sacrificed his boots and saved it.

Everyone else delivered high-quality entertainment and we were all rolling.

We all got a little wet, but we were only about 5-minutes from the car at this point.

Most of us hit Mobile Mart for apres ski fish tacos and they were exquisite – as per usual. 

Good times with great friends in the stunning white granite of the High Sierra.

Thanks, California!

Photos in Chronological Order