Chicken Wing & Mount Downs

Just because it's low tide doesn't mean you can't swim!

I was hoping the meager snowpack near Deadman Pass was holding up well enough to warrant a visit, so I toured up Mount Downs (near the south June Lake junction).  I was pleasantly surprised to find good snow, just enough coverage, and a cool series of connected glades almost all the way to the top.

Nice views of June Lake (bottom) and Mt Wood on the lower slopes.

The slopes above June Lake are bombed to control avalanches down onto the highway.

These new skis made the long stretches of Forest Service road a pleasure.

Weather sculpted pine on an exposed ridge.

Summit sentinels

Summit views. June Mountain ski area (left), The Negatives (center), Ritter & Banner (far right).

Bald Mountain, open flats and the White Mountains (skyline).

Chicken Wing is the horn just left of center.

With my skin track set on Mt Downs I cooked up a bigger tour for the next day, trekking south to summit Chicken Wing and returning north to summit Mount Downs.

Things did not go smoothly to start. The "road" I chose to head south has been converted to a moto trail with steep ups and downs - not so good with the scale skis. There were no tracks so I was breaking trail and there were several melted out spots.

Once I reached Hartley Springs Campground traveling conditions improved. I broke trail for a short distance then connected with a well trodden skin track to the summit of Chicken Wing. Love the views up there.

There were an amazing number of tracks off the summit. The upper glades looked just like a ski area! I found fewer tracks, tight trees, but good skiing by adhering to the north ridge, soon landing on the Forest Service road heading north. 

Fine XC style skiing in the forest here.

I was super grateful this snowmobile track otherwise I would have had to break trail for nearly two miles. It saved me a lot of time and effort.

Eventually I left the snowmo track and traversed over to the previous day's skin track up to Mount Downs.  

Another summit shot south to Chicken Wing.

No tracks on the descent besides my own! Skiing in the shady north facing forest is staying good. Coverage could be better but most hazards are visible and avoidable. Starting to get slightly grabby here and there by mid day.

Great two day project! The Voile patterned skis made it all possible. No way would I want to skin those many miles of Forest Service road.