Sierra Trip Reports

TR: Desolation Wilderness

Dates: Saturday, February 6 & Sunday, February 7, 2016

Locations: Desolation Wilderness, South Lake Tahoe (Ralston Peak, Dick’s Peak, Janine’s Peak and Maggie’s Peaks)

Skiers: Saturday: Jon, Andrew, Alex and Nick, and Sunday: Jon, Mike and Nick

Photos: As noted

Synopsis: After a period of heavy wet snow the weekend prior, last week a very strong high pressure moved in over California (and much of the Mountain West), leading to above average temperatures and a quickly solidifying Sierra snowpack. After 4 days of melt/freeze cycles and shifting winds, we settled on heading into Desolation Wilderness for a couple of bigger days alpine terrain. With above average forecasted temps, we new going in that working the compass dial and time of day would dictate quality of snow conditions, and in retrospect I think we nailed it both days.

The benefit of Desolation Wilderness is the abundance of high-quality, large terrain that offers quality descents from basically any aspect on the compass dial – so flexibility to move freely to quality and stable snow is awesome.

SATURDAY – RALSTON PEAK

On Saturday, Jon, Andrew, Alex and I headed up from Pinehurst up the South side of Ralston Peak to poke around on all aspects. Although we were moving very early, it was clearly going to be a warm day. We hoped that non-solar aspects could also still hold cold, winter snow. Photo: Jon

One of the benefits of Ralston is that you get awesome views West into Desolation. We had plans to head back to Dick’s Peak the next day, so it was great to scout out the East Face way out in the distance (the highest peak to the right of the photo). Jack’s, Pyramid and the Crystal Range are all visible. Coverage is excellent right now. Photo: Nick

After poking around the primary Ralston bowl, we settled on the more Easterly facing micro-aspects. The upper entrance was wind scoured from Northeast winds earlier in the week, but about 5 feet below it looked like perfect transitioning snow. No crusts, not yet gloppy and skiing fast. Photo: Nick

Having only just gotten the sun on it about 30 minutes prior, the descent was awesome and a great way to start the day. Andrew gets first tracks, heading way down the face. Photo: Jon

There was plenty of room for each of us to never cross tracks top to bottom. Jon, working down. Photo: Nick

It was great fun moving to other aspects around Ralston all day, as we could look back on the East face at our tracks all day! Photo Jon

We skinned around the saddle between Ralston and Talking Mountain, and the bootpacked the ridge up to the more North facing terrain off Ralston. More views of our tracks! Photos: Nick, Andrew

On the way up, it was clear that the North aspects still held cold, unconsolidated winter snow that did not have any sun given the low, mid-winter sun angles. The temps were not yet too hot, it was early in the day and the slope angle was low enough that a quick run down the South aspect towards Sierra-At-Tahoe made sense. While not yet true corn, it was skiing great! Photos: Nick, Jon

We quickly skinned up back to the North facing terrain to head into some colder, winter snow. At the ridge line, we scouted out the East Face of Dick’s Peak – which was a potential objective for Sunday. Photo: Jon

There is nothing like a good day out in the mountains with calm weather, stable snow and good friends. Photo: Nice Englishman/Adventure Racer Snow Shoeing

We then headed over to the true North facing terrain and were treated to cold, unconsolidated powder that had escaped any wind effect. Andrew drops in. Photo: Jon

Nick working further down. Amazing to go from wet, transitioning snow to powder merely by virtue of the opposite side of a ridge. Photo: Jon

We headed back up, and Jon and I took another lap. Gearing up for lap four and heading off. Photos: Jon

Jon further down, enjoying the remnants of Winter. Photo: Nick

On the way back to the car, we skinned by Cup Lake, which is an awesome amphitheater and tiny frozen lake right on the summit ridgeline of Ralston. Photo: Nick

Heading home with the sun dropping to into the “Zen Hour.” Photo: Jon

SUNDAY – DICK’S PEAK, JANINE’S PEAK AND MAGGIE’S PEAKS

On Sunday, Jon, Mike and I got an early start for a big day – lots of terrain to cover. After skinning up and over Maggie’s Peaks, we got our first look at Janine’s Peak and the ridgeline. Later in the day, we would ski from the left summit (basically the middle of this photo) into amazing, cold snow. Photo: Nick

On the way out to Dick’s Lake, we noticed this nice ice flow. Wonder if this has been climbed? Photo: Jon

Unlike Saturday, the winds on Sunday were significantly stronger (and far exceeding forecast expecations). On the upper peaks around Desolation, there was a North-Northeast Wind that was really blowing a lot of snow. Rather than loading the leeward aspects, it was mostly moving snow vertically up North faces and straight up in the air off the summits. It was pretty crazy to see. The benefit was it kept the perceived temps throughout the day lower than the day prior. Mike and Nick heading over Dick’s Lake. Photo: Jon

The telltale sign that upper starting zones on North aspects might be a touch wind-scoured! In reality, later in the day we realized that Janine’s North aspects only were scoured for the first 5 or so feet, and then it was great soft snow. But as we worked up to Dick’s, all we saw was views of the North aspects being stripped. Lower on North aspects, it was causing a great wind-buffed surface. Photo: Jon

We climbed up to Dick’s Pass, and started contemplating options. Mike in deep thoughts. Photo: Nick

Based on the winds and temps, we decided that a good course of action would be to ski down and over towards the big East Face of Dick’s that we had been staring at the day prior. There was some clear wet slide activity from the day prior, focused near some rocks up on the face. However, it was much cooler than Saturday on account of the winds. Given the time of day, we figured we could ski over to more North-facing micro aspects of the face to skin up, on a nice natural rib of high ground. Jon dropping over, with Jack’s Peak in the distance. Photo: Nick

When we started the transition to skinning, we could tell even despite the winds the temps and sun were warming things up – so we started to motor up the face. As we got a bit higher, the surface was still frozen so stability was holding up well up high. Jon and Mike after we switched to booting near the summit, as skins were getting a little slippery. Photo: Nick

One we got near the ridge, we headed up to the summit (which was SCREAMING windy!). Photo: Jon

Huge pano from the summit. Have I mentioned that Tahoe is awesome? Click for the full-sized version. Photo: Nick

After a quick transition, we headed down for the near 2K descent to Half Moon Lake. As expected the temps were rising, but the winds held things together nicely on the upper face. Photo: Nick

As we worked down further, the snow as more unconsolidated and getting warmer. Turns were good and still no wet point releases. Mike heading down following my tracks. Photo: Jon

Great to see the work from the upper face. Photo: Jon

Jon headed down first towards the Lake. Photo: Nick

As we headed down near Half Moon Lake, we finally got some minor wet point releases to go near some choke points in rocks. The snow was warm down there and was easy to get moving. Manageable from a skiing perspective, however. Mike finishing up. Photo: Nick

We quickly headed up lower angle terrain to get off the sun-exposed aspects and back to the North side. Photo: Nick

On the way back to Dick’s Pass, we got a great view of the upper half the East Face of Dick’s. In the background, you can still see all of the snow blowing off the North aspects of Jack’s Peak, more or less sublimating in the sky. Photo: Nick

We headed over to the true summit of Janine’s Peak, to try and determine what the North winds had done over there. Photo: Nick” alt=”” />

Fortunately, it was clear that the North winds had not been impacting much other than the very upper couple of feet, and we found a semi protected spot around the corner to drop in. Jon dropping down into the nice wind-buff. Photo: Nick

As we worked down from the summit, the true North facing snow got deeper and better. Nice soft, wintery snow. Frankly, it was an awesome way to end a couple of days. Just unreal skiing at its finest. Photos: Jon

And then the road home – an awesome conclusion to an amazing couple of days. Desolation Wilderness at its Finest.