Conditions Report
Trip Report
Report from June 1, 2024
I was exhausted the past week after skiing 461 of the past 541 days.
Yesterday was no exception.
I searched for an easy one.
One that wouldn’t end me…
Black Mountain in Virginia Lakes appeared just right.
11,770′ Black Mountain
“North Face Chutes”
Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA
- Summit (actually a ridgeline): 11,700 feet
- Car: 9,800 feet
- Vertical From Car: 1,900 feet
- Vertical skied: 1,400 feet
- Max Pitch: 40º
- Average Pitch: 35º
- Aspect: Northeast
- Distance: 4.9-miles round trip
- Time From Car to Summit: 2 hours & 34 minutes
- Car to Car Time: 4 hours & 42 minutes
- Recommended Equipment: crampons, ice axe x2, skins
The plan was to meet up with a big crew at Mono Market in Lee Vining for “Monoritos” at 8:30 a.m.
Eight Homo Sapiens & 2 Canis Lupus Familiaris showed up for it.
Tall Carl, JZ, Natalie, Greggy, Martin, Trevor, and myself in the Homo skinsuits.
Sarah & Nova representing the Canines.
We poured onto the trail towards the north face of Black Mountain from the Virginia Lakes parking lot at 10:30 a.m.
The tour was a gentle one.
About an hour on a great trail dropped us right at the bottom of the North Chutes.
We chose the most obvious and snowy chute and started up.
We did skin a bit but you could have just booted the whole thing.
Everyone beat me to the top.
I was dragging…
On top, we had a vicious hang.
We were likely up there for about 40 minutes on the summit just BSing and taking in the views.
Warm weather, no wind, lovely.
It was a great way to spend the last summit of the spring.
We did eventually drop in and the skiing was good, soft, and pretty bumpy.
The sun cups are definitely starting to form.
We skied down to Cooney Lake and transitioned back to shoes.
The walk back to the cars on the trail was easy breezy lemon squeezy.
We loaded up and headed to Mono Cone in Lee Vining for burgers, fries, shakes, and ice cream.
It was my first and only Mono Cone of the spring and it didn’t disappoint.
Thanks, California!
May 2024
Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA
Trip Reports
- May 30, 2024 – Trip Report: Peak 12,691′ Paiute Pass Ridge Chutes – “Ice Fall Chute” | Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA
- May 28, 2024 – Trip Report: “Kindergarten Chute” on Peak 13,121′ | Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA
- May 22, 2024 – Trip Report: 1 Annoyingly Long 2,700-Vertical-Foot Chute | 11,575′ Gilcrest Peak “Northeast Chutes” East Variant | Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA
- May 20, 2024 – Trip Report: 12,100′ East Peak “East Face Chutes” | Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA
- May 17, 2024 – Trip Report: 13,417′ Mt. Lamarck “North Couloir” | Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
- May 15, 2024 – Trip Report: 11,161′ Mt. Scowden’s “Dog Leg Chute” | Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA
- May 13, 2024 – Trip Report: 2,300-Vertical-Foot Gilcrest Peak, CA, North Chutes in Corn Snow
- May 11, 2024 – Trip Report: 13,996′ Mt. Humphreys “East Couloirs” | Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA
- May 9 , 2024 – Trip Report: 12,600′ “Preschool Couloir” + “Wahoo Gullies” | Eastern Sierra Mountains, CA
- May 7, 2024 – Trip Report: 12,779′ Mt. Gibbs “North Face” | Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA
- May 3, 2024 – Trip Report: The “Valdezean Amor Couloir” in the Lamarck Creek Basin | Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA
Photos In Chronological Order
