Trip Report
Some Tahoe Backcountry Skiing
Tuesday March 20, 2018 11:16am
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Credit: Ney Grant
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Finally! After gouging the bottoms of my skis trying to get out on mere inches of snow, it finally came – a nice, cold, fluffy six feet and many days of powder skiing. Betsy, Charlie Downs and Ron Vardanega, among a few others, skinned up the ridge between Mt. Ralston and Talking Mountain off highway 50. A few of us dropped the back side (not the massive open bowls unfortunately – too risky) for some truly bottomless powder.

It’ll be spring soon, but boy was the last few days a lot of fun!

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Credit: Ney Grant
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Ten degrees outside, 68 degrees inside.  Sweet!
Ten degrees outside, 68 degrees inside. Sweet!
Credit: Ney Grant
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Tempting, but no, not a good idea.
Tempting, but no, not a good idea.
Credit: Ney Grant
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Betsy and Ande with Lake Tahoe in the background
Betsy and Ande with Lake Tahoe in the background
Credit: Ney Grant
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Great skiing, beautiful mountains.
Great skiing, beautiful mountains.
Credit: Ney Grant
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Skin track back up
Skin track back up
Credit: Ney Grant
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  Trip Report Views: 2,092
Ney Grant
About the Author
Ney is a trad climber from Pollock Pines.

Comments
Nick Danger

Ice climber
Arvada, CO
  Mar 20, 2018 - 01:01pm PT
Now that's just righteous! Powder skiing is our reward for being born human and living in mountains that get seasonal snow. Most inspiring photos, thanks for sharing this with us.
splitclimber

climber
Sonoma County
  Mar 20, 2018 - 01:29pm PT
Awesome Ney!! Thanks for the share.

Missed Tahoe turns this last weekend, but got light powder at Lassen and Crater Lake.
limpingcrab

Gym climber
Minkler, CA
  Mar 20, 2018 - 01:54pm PT
Holy guacamole that's beautiful!

What's that mountain with the "tempting, but not a good idea" line down its face?
Ney Grant

Trad climber
Pollock Pines
Author's Reply  Mar 20, 2018 - 05:07pm PT
Interestingly, that peak isn't named, or its named something like "Peak 9230" on topos. It isn't often skied probably because it has had some big avalanches on it. The peak to the right is Mt. Ralston and that one is skied fairly often down the back (the face you see). The skiing is great but you have to work for it since you have to ski up, then down the back into Desolation Wilderness. Then you have to get back out.
shylock

Social climber
mb
  Mar 20, 2018 - 06:26pm PT
I'm hoping we can get out skiing at least once this winter with you guys, would be awesome. Cool BV night photo. From what I hear, that could have been taken in your driveway.
clarkolator

climber
Flatlands of Yolo
  Mar 20, 2018 - 06:56pm PT

These two must have been behind you
seano

Mountain climber
none
  Mar 20, 2018 - 10:54pm PT
TFPU! Glad the Sierra finally got some snow this winter, and that you got to enjoy it.
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
  Mar 21, 2018 - 05:30am PT
Great tr. you guys really got a lot of snow last week.
Ney Grant

Trad climber
Pollock Pines
Author's Reply  Mar 21, 2018 - 06:25am PT
Clarkolator - Yes, I'm impressed those guys did that. They nailed that. Did you take that photo (and where you one of the guys we saw at the saddle that came up behind us?). The avy forecast for Sunday was only moderate, but if anything slid it would be "historic".
clarkolator

climber
Flatlands of Yolo
  Mar 21, 2018 - 11:52am PT
Hi Ney,

Thanks for the tracks! I was thinking grateful thoughts about you guys as I followed the track with the pawprints in it. It was so deep!

That was my photo, wasn't sure if I was taking a cool picture of skiers, or documenting their demise.

I was behind Larz and Denny, we headed back down but then I decided to take a second lap. The skiers in the picture were a Czech couple, really nice and really really good at breathing thin air. Definitely mixed feelings watching them ski that line...I would have never been able to do anything if it went. Reminds me of previous encounters with a certain euro risk ethic...
Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
  Mar 21, 2018 - 12:00pm PT
Beautiful!
Charlie D.

Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
  Mar 21, 2018 - 01:54pm PT
Clark - glad to see you got up there on Sunday. Last week was truly as good as it gets in the Tahoe Sierra. I think the Czech couple made a good decision on having some fun based on what I observed the day before, the advisory on Sunday which I think was moderate, the fact the storm came in warm/wet and left cold. The slope I’ve seen avalanche is over the nose into the next bowl, their descent isn’t as steep as it looks. Larz and I skied further east on Thursday the NE aspect of Talking Mountain. Despite the High advisory we found good bonding between the new and old snow. We did avoid open terrain, roll overs and hang fire.

Yea that skin track was a bitch busting in on Saturday, thankfully we had a full posse to help with the work including a couple 20 somethings with big lungs, strong hearts and legs not to mention Betsy who busted the last 25% up to the ridge.

This current system is raining now over the summit, it will be interesting to see what happens with all this new wet slop on top of the colder and older storm snow of last week + its windy. It’s suppose to cool off as the weekend approaches, one can only hope. The corn factory is just weeks away if not sooner. What a week this last one was....
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Mar 21, 2018 - 04:28pm PT
Stoked !
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
  Mar 22, 2018 - 10:30pm PT
delicious snow!
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