There has been all sorts of weather since my last tour. First there was a big warmup Saturday into Sunday, then fierce winds and a massive temperature drop Monday and Tuesday. I elected to take a tour up in the Mammoth Lakes Basin to see how the snowpack fared.
Near the trailhead there were lots of pine cones, needles and small branches on the snow, but no tree fall or large branches.
I toured up to Emerald Lake and then towards Skelton Lake. The travel was relatively easy on mostly soft, faceted snow in the forest.
The snow in the more open areas were definitely wind affected. Clouds hung low while the wind came and went, although I could hear it howling over the high ridges.
I really enjoyed the moody mountain scenery in this area.
This is the view from my high point of the day looking northwest.
The skiing on the upper open slopes was poor, but down in the forest above Emerald Lake it was fair to good even.
A fun fast exit brought me back to the trailhead. The skiing wasn't much to get excited about but it was a great tour nonetheless. I was happy to check out a new route and the scenery was great.
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