Thor Peak

Now that the road to Whitney Portal is open I figured I'd head up and try a ski up the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek. I kinda hoped I could ski more or less from the Portal, but I was way wrong. After nearly two hours of hiking I finally arrived here, just above Lower Boy Scout Lake.

I headed up this slope towards Thor Peak.
These were the views down valley from the same spot.
The other disappointment for the day was the lack of new snow. Most places received a dusting at best, with up to 4" in the most drifted in spots. The clouds moved in and out all day, but no appreciable snow fell.

The view north towards Pinnacle Ridge (I think).
As I headed up the lower slopes there was a near constant sound of rock and/or ice fall that was a bit disconcerting. I believe the icicles and ice curtains that had formed during the cold night were melting and crashing off the cliffs.

I gained the moderate eastern slopes of Thor Peak and enjoyed these views of Mt. Carrilon (left) and environs.
The summit of Thor Peak provided these views of Mt. Whitney as the clouds darkened.
The skiing was alright on the lower slope. I almost always hit the old, firm crust, but the new 2" to 4" made turning pretty easy.

Looking back at the slope I skied.

I side-slipped, bushwhacked, and survival skied down this section to the creek crossing where I was more than happy to take the skis off and hike on a mostly dry trail.
Not the greatest skiing, but a nice tour nonetheless.