Deep Canyon

 Having found little skiable snow in the Toiyabes, I headed west to the Bridgeport area, where I figured lack of snow would not be an issue.

 I tend to seek out lines off the beaten path and lines I have not skied before - sometimes to my detriment! For good skiing with easy access, Virginia Lakes would have been the choice, but I've skied there a lot over the years, so I tried my hand on this line. Deep Canyon above Lower Summer Meadow.

 I scouted access the day before after driving from the Toiyabes, checked the topos, and elected to traverse from the Summers Meadow Road from just above a stream crossing - otherwise waders would have been required to get across the creek.

Judging from the distance and terrain I figured it would take me 45 minutes, maybe an hour tops, to get to snow, but the brush proved to be a lot more formidable than I counted on. An hour and twenty minutes later I was at last on snow. Heavily sun cupped, but easy traveling.

A bit above I found these interesting bear tracks. Looks like the bear was doing a little glissading on the way down!

Soon I was above treeline on open snow slopes.

North to Bridgeport Valley and the Sweetwater Range. The suncups were deep in spots, but there were also large patches of somewhat smooth snow too.

Mono Lake and the broad, glacier carved Green Creek valley in the foreground.

From the summit, Dunderpeak left and Excelsior Mountain distant right.

Monument Ridge with Twin Peaks just poking up behind left and the Sawtooth Ridge distant right.

I very much enjoyed the high elevation scenery, but while I was at the summit the winds picked up and the clouds rolled in, so I did not linger.

For the most part I enjoyed good skiing up high and down through the mid section by looking for the smooth panels. The light was pretty too.

The pink "watermelon" snow down low skied fairly well too, then the final snow tongue was cupped but soft.

3,000' of low angle fun was followed by 800' of brush through these slopes. Much easier going down than up since gravity helped and I could see the alleys through the brush better.

 

Long day. Great day!

Thunderstorms got more organized later that afternoon and evening and when I awoke the next morning all the peaks were shrouded in clouds with scattered rain and, perhaps, snow falling. Time to head home! Wonderful road trip.

Bunker Hill

I've been hankering for another trip to Nevada and after checking the snow depth maps it looked like there was enough snow to warrant a trip to the Toiyabe Range. 

Bunker Hill is the second highest peak in the range (Arc Dome is the highest) and is by far the most prominent mountain in the northern part of the Toiyabes.

Unfortunately there was a lot less snow than I had hoped, but I pressed on anyhow.

 The only real skiable line was on the northwest side of the mountain above Basin Canyon.

 There is decent stock trail that led almost all the way to the bottom of the snow tongue then I had easy booting up the snow field.

Above the snowfield I found a decent use trail leading to the peak. Looking north along the spine of the range.

The first of three false summits.

Looking down Mahogany Gulch. The Shoshone Range lies across the Reese River Valley left and the Desatoya Range is distant right.

On the summit looking to the lower south summit. Snow!

On the descent I poked around on the east side and found this nice line. Skied well and with a hard traverse left I found myself very near the top of the lower snow field.

The skiing was pretty good here too although the snow tongue was pretty cupped.

Looking back on my descent line with the stock trail.

Pretty dry down low. Nice scenery though.

Felt lucky to have found any skiing at all!

 

McGee

 McGee Mountain is a huge massif with dozens of lines. I've eyed these shots all winter and figured it was time. The road into Tobacco Flat is free of snow, so I could drive right to the base. Ascended the left patch in the shade and descended the left most chute of the trident on the right.

Easy booting with crampons quickly got me to the top. Looking down my run.

Minutiae.

The middle fork of the trident looked good too, but had huge glide cracks wall to wall part way down.

McGee Mountain plateau. The summit is the dry, rounded hump left.

Swell views to the Mt Morrison area.

The snow here was only slightly cupped. With nice soft snow I didn't even notice them.

Milked it all the way out to the end of snow.

Cool quickie. As Patrick put it, "novelty skiing."  I'll take it!