Skiing the Tushars & Mt Grafton

Behind but not forgotten!

Back in March I drove to the Tushar Range, about three hours east of here in Ely. It had been a lean snow season there too, but the forecast looked good with between 18" and 24" predicted.

A smaller front passed through the night before the bigger storm was due leaving a few inches. I went for an assessment tour near the Eagle Point ski area. Windy and cold, with the new snow deposited in lee zones. Holly Peak back left and Lake Peak right.

Zoom shot of Holly.

I made it up to the east shoulder of Lake Peak with views of City Peak low. With strong winds and low temps I didn't linger!

Found surprisingly good skiing here. There was a firm, but smooth base below the new snow fortunately.

Two days before the forecasted storm the snow predictions began to weaken. The day before they bottomed out altogether! The story of the season. Here's the scene at the condo that morning.

I was really hoping for a swell powder day or two at the ski resort, but no. Rode the lifts anyhow. Fairly fun for a couple of hours but disappointing for sure.

 

Mt Grafton is a distinct peak visible from Ely in the southern end of the Schell Creek Range. Out riding I was glancing down there and thinking "dang, that looks skiable!" Had to give it a go. 

I drove to the trailhead at the wilderness boundary and quickly got this view. The actual summit is behind the subpeak dead center. I followed the drainage far right then hooked around to the north side of the peak itself.

For a good while the hiking was pleasant, first on an old road, then on a decent trail.

After a little bushwhacking and log hopping I finally arrived at continuous snow. Funky isothermal mush.I could generally stay on top with skis on but hiking was post hole hell.

I was able to get into the large bowl north of the peak. Lots of avalanche destruction! The skiing here was better than it looks with large swaths of good, supportable corn. I eventually ended up in the left avalanche chute.

Up in the avalanche path the snow was wet and thick. The possibility of a wet slide was significant, so I turned around a little above here.

Looking up from my turn around point. Sweet terrain. Dangerous snow!

Had a good run through the avalanche destruction zone and down here in this burn area.

Skis off here. I was able to piece together snow free patches with only a little annoying post holing.

Sweet meadows and a gurgling creek made for a pleasing exit. During a better year with more snow coverage this slope would provide better access to the bowl and fun skiing. Not this year!

 Long day. Lots of hiking. Still quite satisfying! I'll be back.

More Ely Skiing

 At last we got a good, solid winter storm in the Ely area. Well over a foot fell in the high mountains. About 4" in town.  

I seized the opportunity to ski an area I have had my eyes on for a while now. Low angle was essential as avalanche danger was significant. These slopes fit the bill!

My first run was good fun. A bit wind affected but by reading the texture of the snow I was able to avoid most of the crust. Textured = soft. Smooth = crust. 

An interesting aspect of this zone is that one approaches from the south/back and it is difficult to see the lay of the land from the top. On the way up after my first run I spied these two very attractive glade runs.

Took my second run in here. Wonderful snow!

So good I went up the following day for more. These snow bike tracks were of great help making trail breaking a breeze instead of a chore.

Views over to Mt Wheeler in Great Basin National Park.

Views of town too. Right center.

The glade skiing here was sublime! This is the bottom third of the run.

Big fun!

What a run!

We then got another storm.Wouldn't call it a regular winter storm though. High elevation rain and warm temperatures melted a great deal of snow. Went up Timber Creek in the Schell Creek range and was shocked at the lack of snow.

Worse yet, the areas with reasonable coverage featured a nasty rain crust. Oh well. A short window of good skiing beats no window!
 

Skiing in Ely

 The long dry spell continued well into mid February, but I was still hopeful I could find decent skiing near Ely.

 On previous tours I had noticed enticing open slopes and glades far up Berry Creek. I hoped for good coverage and nice facet skiing there, but it would require quite the long slog to get there.

 Why not? Better than not skiing!! Fortunately this Forest Service road provided easy travel.

This is the first line I ever skied in the Ely area back in 2022. Not today!

Alas my destination came into view.

I was a bit disappointed, but not surprised that the wide open slopes had a thin melt freeze crust. Interesting texture!

The snow in these glades, though, was terrific.

Obstacles were not much of a concern, so I could open up the throttle. Great fun. Took 2!

 Sure was nice to scratch that itch!!

 

I rested a few days then headed over to the east side of the Schell Creek Range. Some serious (for me!) 4wd got me to about 7600'. Where I found a semi-suitable spot to camp. 

The trail above camp was, mildly put, unpleasant. The downed trees were certainly a hassle, but worse were the teasing stretches of snow. I don't know how many times I thought "ah ok, now I'm on continuous snow" only to find another bare patch. Skis on, skis off. Repeat.
 

At around 8500' the trail disappeared at a stream crossing. I'm sure it was there. Somewhere! I elected to follow a bear track up and out of the drainage. It proved to be a good move. The snow cover was continuous. The terrain manageable.

Soon I arrived at this jewel. Was really tempted, but my goal was to get up into the alpine so I let it pass. 

About 15 minutes later I was richly rewarded!

The clouds rolled in.

Then rolled back out. I skied from the lowest rocks center. Higher was predominately breakable wind crust. The run wasn't fantastic. Best lower, but the setting was unreal. Dreamy!

A memorable day for sure!!

A Trip to the Eastern Sierra

 Catching up. Again!

Early February I took a trip back to Bishop. Skiing! 

 First up was a tour in the South Fork of Bishop Creek. Most popular zones had been skied pretty heavily, but I seldom see tracks up in this place.

 After some slow, difficult skinning down low in thin, hollow facets, the trailbreaking improved here.

The views opened up as I got higher.

Someone else's tracks! Still lots of room for me though

These glades skied especially well

Love this zone!

 Next up was a tour with my buddy Chris. Also up the South Fork, but this time on the west side of the canyon. This area was more wind and sun affected, but travel was relatively easy.

Looking over to the Green Lake/Brown Lake region. Cloudripper Peak on the right.

 Good skiing in protected areas.

Some quality bushwhacking too!

We had a lot of laughs! 

The weather warmed while I was there, so by the end of the trip I decided to look for corn on south aspects. The backside of Mammoth Mountain was my choice. 

A good choice too! I found fun skiing here. Old tracks here and there, but largely avoidable.

 

I also skied lifts. Two days at June and one at Mammoth (here). 

 

Nice to see a healthy snowpack here. Skiing!!