Ely Skiing II

Having found good snow and plenty of coverage in the Schell Creek Range two days before, I decided to head back. This time I split off of my previous route and followed this snowmobile track up the North Fork of Berry Creek.

I followed the track to the trailhead and wilderness boundary then enjoyed serene skinning through gorgeous forest.

Eventually I arrived at this peaceful meadow near the base of an avalanche chute.

Near the bottom the path forms a narrow half pipe like feature. Animal track.

Higher the terrain opens up. My track.

The snow along the side here was terrific.

A good push got me to the top where I was greeted by terrific views. Across canyon to wide open glades. I skied the one on the right two days ago.

South Schell Peak

Southeast along the crest of the Schell Range

Looking down the line. Anticipation!

Superb skiing all the way down.  Money.

Next day I decided to drive out to Great Basin National Park to have a look at conditions there.

The road is plowed to Upper Lehman Campground where numerous lines fall from the high ridge.

Up the summer trail through the Mahogany forest.

The snow pack was decidedly thinner and more wind affected in this area.

Not a sight a skier wants to see.

Much better situation in the trees although still pretty shallow.

I was able to reach the broad ridge and enjoy the views out to the east.

The tree skiing was alright. Dense with lots of obstacles, but good snow. Openings lower skied pretty well.

Not so fun here. Had to take the skis off and even had to crawl at one point!

Worst bushwhack of the year. Worst ski of the trip. Still a nice outing.

Last tour of the trip. I was torn on where to go. It was really tempting to head back to the zone in the Schell Creek Range where the skiing was great, but I wanted to see some new scenery and the coverage in Baker Creek at GBNP looked pretty good, so that's where I went.

I got going early. Elk and a weird regional haze likely from dust storms.

Early morning light on the peaks.

I was most pleasantly surprised to find the Baker Creek Road plowed clear to the end at 8,000'. Also stoked to find a deeper snowpack and wide open slopes at the trailhead.

 About three miles up this attractive run came into view. Time to climb.

This strip next to the trees skied well on the descent.

Higher up the wind affect became more significant. As the slopes steepened and the snow pack thinned I turned around. 

Views across canyon. Wheeler Peak, the high point in GBNP and the second highest in Nevada, is back right.

By sticking to the sculpted snow I picked my way down the upper slopes then enjoyed real fun skiing lower. Zipping out the summer trail was a hoot too with some playful turns on the open slopes above the trailhead.

And so it ended. Six days of skiing, three mountain ranges, two minor summits and a ton of smiles. Solid gold.