Itinerary:
After shuttling to the road head in Onion Valley we head up and over Kearsarge Pass the first of a dozen or more passes we will cross over the next nine days. We drop down into Bubbs Creek and follow East Creek up to Ouzel Creek. From here we climb towards spectacular Mount Brewer via Brewer Col. If conditions, and energy allow, a descent via the broad south slopes of Mt. Brewer is possible before we head south, linking high technical pass crossings along the western side of the Great Western Divide. Thunder Mountain, Milestone Mountain, Midway, Table Mountain and other peaks here will be familiar to those who have done the High Route but this time we are on the opposite side of the divide. We intersect the High Route ( at it’s most difficult pass crossing, but one of our easiest!), cross Triple Divide Pass and traverse into Cloud Canyon.
Now we enter Sequoia National Park via Lion Lake Pass and travel south paralleling the Kaweah Range with spectacular views to its jagged peaks. We enter Big Arroyo which must be one of the most wonderful gentle skis the Sierra has to offer. Miles of gentle downhill where you can relax and simply watch the scenery slip by. Beyond this we enter complex terrain and cross three passes in quick succession before finally descending below Sawtooth Peak and the final run down Monarch Creek to Mineral King. Just where the road head is will depend upon snowfall, but we will anticipate skiing out to the settlement of Silver City but hope to be pleasantly surprised by finding the road is plowed to Mineral King itself.
Either way we will meet the shuttle below Silver City and head to Visalia airport, where a charter flight will take us back over our tracks to Bishop in a scant 45 minutes.
Notes
This is a long tour and pack weight needs to be kept as low as possible. We will be carefully selecting equipment to reduce weight and we will work with you to ensure that packs do not weigh more then about 45 pound plus the weight of your skis when we start out. For those coming from the Bay area, or nearby, we will try to arrange a flight prior to the trip. If there are enough people to warrant this you will drive to and meet the plane the evening before the trip starts.
We highly recommend that you spend at least one night at moderate altitude (higher than 8,000') just prior to the trip. Spending a night or two in Mammoth or camped at the trailhead campground would do the trick. Please refer to our Planning for Success info sheet for more info.
SMC does not rent ski equipment, but we work with Mammoth Mountaineering (760 934 4191)to get you set up on the correct equipment. MMS has a very wide range of rental equipment that is probably the best you will find anywhere in California. All gear is current state of the art, well tuned and rental fees are deductible if you buy a set up from them. (We highly recommend renting before you buy so as to find what suits you best, since a full setup is pretty pricy)We can coordinate the rental and suggest that if you can you arrive Mammoth the night before and get fully set up since boot fitting can take some time.
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