Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Chicken Wing

I woke up feeling pretty flummoxed. Snow totals on Mammoth Mountain were upwards of 36" with a ton of wind and widespread avalanches, but June Mountain only reported 2". Without any sort of plan I packed my touring gear and my resort skis and headed up 395. 

There appeared to be no new snow along 395 anywhere! I got to Deadman summit and figured I could stretch the legs, maybe head back to White Wing and generally check out the scene.

Glad I did! After skinning in for fifteen minutes or so the coverage improved markedly and the snow was still pretty cold and light in most places. I followed a well thought skin track right on up to the summit! 

When it's clear the summit provides some sweet views. North toward Mono Lake.

Northwest and the hulk of Mt Wood.

East with Obsidian Dome and Long Valley.

The glades skied real well. I enjoyed two solid runs before heading back to Bishop for work.

What a pleasant surprise.
It pays to go!

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