Windy

 Yesterday I drove up Highway 168 right out of Bishop to have a look. The South Lake Road is still closed although passable. I skipped that and drove to Aspendell. Incredibly windy there with large drifts across the road, so I skipped that too.

Driving back down the hill I noticed a nice little run up the moraine to the west, so I gave it a try.

Trees were a little thick at the bottom, but the drainage opened up nicely higher.

Topping out on the moraine brought some nice views. Looking down canyon towards town.

Peaklet poking out among the clouds and blowing snow.

Table Mountain getting raked by the gusts.

Bishop Bowl and Mt Locke made a brief appearance.

I skied the open glade in the back here. Good fun. Glad I rallied for a short tour. It felt good!

Today I decided to check out the "dream line" I noted in my last post. I was able to drive a good ways up the 4x4 approach road, then skinned up towards my goal, the big bowl center.

After meandering up through the Pinon forest I found the entry to the gully surprisingly straightforward.

I was able to get up through the throat with the aid of ski crampons. Loved the rugged terrain here.

Above the throat the drainage opens up into this incredible valley. It looked like a powder paradise.

However it was not a powder paradise. A couple of inches of new snow covered a quite variable surface with plenty of breakable crust. I kept hoping I'd find better snow higher, but it was not to be.

The view down from just below my turnaround point.

Valley views from below the throat.

The variable snow and the jumbled, avalanche wracked terrain made for tedious skiing, so I exited the gully ASAP.

I found fun, low angle skiing right away.

Skiing through the forest was a little lumpy, but good. Delightful squiggles on the road were cool too.

 Amazing place. Can't wait to come back when the upper slopes are in better shape!