Sagehen Ski Weekend #10

Packing onto the 'cat.

The destination: Never-Never-Land!

We figured out that this year is the 10th anniversary of Sagehen Ski Weekend!

Everything went pretty well, with only minor tantrums from the limp, I mean Imp, snowcat. Mike must be growing ashamed of his fussy child's behavior in public.

Nearing the top.

Originally conceived by Greg Greenwood (science advisor to Mary Nichols, "the most influential environmental regulator in history") as an opportunity to spend quality time with NGO, business, science and agency wonks, SSW has gradually self-selected into...NGO, business, science and agency wonks who can actually ski! Fortunately, these people are also our friends, even the ones we met for the first time this weekend!

This year, the weather gods were cruel to Tahoe. It's been weeks since our last snow, and the skiing conditions are dismal. But as usual, Carpenter Peak and environs delivered up the best skiing available in the region, yielding sweet pockets of shallow soft fluff on protected, very shady slopes.

So, after gleefully tracking up some of that on Saturday, we decided that Sunday was high time to sally forth and finally tag that long, south-facing couloir across Independence Lake that we've been eyeballing and talking tough about for around a decade: Never-Never-Land.

Not knowing whether the day would prove brutal or possibly even fruitless (read: Stupid), the group split in two with the sensible half that can actually call themselves skiers going off for more of the sure thing: protected, shady snow.

The rest of us forged ahead, dropping a truly miserable shot of breakable crust to reach the frozen lake shore. But as often happens, the ski over and up to the top of the couloir turned out to be not as horrendously steep and painful as it looks. We did have to boot the last headwall bit, but the snow was just soft enough to get a sufficient toe into it. And we were rewarded with perfect corn skiing on the way down!

Reward for staying late and cleaning up!

Monday dawned cloudy again, killing the corn crop and the general level of enthusiasm, so those of us left standing skied in the shady trees again, then retired to the station for afternoon hot cheese.

Thanks for a great weekend, everyone!

Who?: Jeff, Faerthen, Beth, Dr. Jim, Mike, Kim, Sue, Jim, Vance, Jay, Jodie, Steve, Dave, Susie, Mark, Jennifur, Rob, Debi, Joe, ...

FF's Photos.

Future tours.

We've been making good progress on the old list, so it feels like time to update our potential adventures. J & F's weekends are gone until mid-April, but if the snowpack on north faces holds, the longer days might make the following strategems a good plan for late season stupidity.

Anybody have any other new ideas to add?

Squaw to Sugarbowl.

Luther-Tahoe

Job's Peak-Great Basin

• Squaw-to-Sugarbowl: for years, Jeff & I have been thinking about an overnight tour from Squaw, down into the Cedars, then out Sugarbowl. The logistics require getting a North Fork cabin owner involved, which complicates things. But Jeff, Rob and I scoped the crest yesterday while sussing out the new Squaw-Alpine backcountry link-up. It looks like we can actually do this trans-crest traverse as a day tour. A short-ish descent, a long downward-trending slog, a good long skin, followed by...a ski out a groomer. Sounds stupid to me. We could reverse it, if we want to buy ski passes at Sugarbowl, which would be really stupid. But that would allow for a public transit tour on the employee shuttle and TART.
• Luther Pass-Tahoe: This was originally proposed as a Carson Pass-Tahoe tour by the late Mike Colpo, but the man was insane, bless his little heart. This chunk is burly, but might be doable without damaging us too badly. Start just over Luther Pass, climb up to Freel Peak, descend and traverse to Trimmer Peak, then down, down, down, down, down...all the way to Pioneer Trail in South Lake. Whee!
• Job's Peak-Gardnerville: the big daddy tour, with more vertical drop and more heinous shuttling than anything else out there. Plus, we get to cross state lines! From Luther Pass, up Job's Peak, then down into the Great Basin. Maybe we can hit it in spring conditions on the north face descent, though that will probably mean a whole lot of dirt walking to the summit. I think there are some private property issues at the bottom--anybody know?
• Mt. Rose-Glenshire: STILL trying to sort this one out. Is there really no one we know with the gate combo?

Silver Peak to Deep Creek

Dave and the Pink Sunglasses dose up
and dress to impress.

February 10, 2013: Dave's pink sunglasses have been pestering him that it is high time for a Stupid Ski Tour, and we all agreed heartily. Especially since those sunglasses have been on more stupid tours than many of us.

After a tortured e-mail thread that entrained half the population of Tahoe and bumped around the colorful beachball of a brutal Bay-to-Bay tour (Meeks' to Emerald), we settled for the merely inauspicious: a repeat of Silver Peak-to-Deep Creek.

As expected, the conditions on the way up were, um, thin.

And the cold new snow on top of firm crust led to slick and desperate skinning conditions, a situation undoubtedly the result of several SST-ers failing to bring ski crampons; the gods know these things and invariably punish transgressors severely.

Most of us gave up and boot-packed, which wasn't a massive improvement. Tim, already enjoying sufficient suffering from Bali-Belly, gave up the thrash at the first summit and slunk home. Then we all watched out nervously for more plague signs of the Apocalypse when Susie stated that she didn't want to ski anything steep today.

Shortly after this picture was taken, Sue was
heard to say, "Well, I definitely would
have done that differently."

Perhaps because we haven't skied together much yet this season, the noise level was generally high and progress slow as we chatted and laughed incessantly, despite the hateful skinning conditions.

But then something strange and virtually unprecedented on a Stupid Ski Tour happened: the snow on the shady north gullies actually turned out to be tolerable. Heck, I'll say it: it was downright delightful! We couldn't help but "Sierra-Club" through the trees, after Sue explained what that is (skiing along with your arms in the air for no particular reason, hollering joyfully).

We skied down to the Bradley Hut where friends were encountered and a birthday card was created and deposited for a group arriving the next day.

Then a quick skin, some lunch and a reminder from Karen about the benefits of carrying a thermos (yum!). Off for more fast, swoopy meadow hopping that Sue dubbed "moped" skiing: low-power, but great fun as long as your friends don't see you doing it!

Starker hogs the fluff.

Who?: Jeff, FF, Sue, Beth, Rob, Dave, Susie, Nicole, Karen, Tim.

More photos: FF's | Dave's

Beth's gear recommendation:

Ice axes.

Birthday card for Superheroes.

The opportunity to chronicle people like this is why Dave carries
50# of camera gear and a 75-l pack on every tour.