Sierra Snowshoe

“Anyone up for an overnighter out to Gibbs Lake from the Eastern Sierra?

The real goal is Kidney Lake which is in a cirque on a bench underneath towering Mt Gibbs and Mt Dana. It's crosscountry to Kidney Lake and somewhat of a short ascent.

Arrive evening of 4/5 and stay 4/6-4/7 for a snowshoe of about 3-6 miles with about 1900'of elevation gain. Actual distance and destination depends upon conditions and road access.”

“Sounds great Tekapo but I don't think my schedule will permit it. Post again on future trips! I know I'll be able to make it one of these times...”

“Just go back from Sequoia Nationl Forest (The Needles) on a snowshoe trip. Lots of new snow. Not cold and real nice scenery. Did't get to the Needles area though, caught a cold the night of the trip that wiped me out for a long haul.”

“Just maybe, if the stars all align & all that #&%!$, I may actually be free this weekend! I would LOVE to go, would probably bring my son (he has his own snowshoes, dammit, they're beter than mine), keep this post alive & I'll pay attention & let you know.

Sounds like a GREAT trip!”

“I'm thinking about doing a trip real soon. It depends on the condition on the slopes, and how my body is feeling. My hips/cheeks/feet were feeling pain this weekend. I'll know after this weekend.”

“Hey wanderer, mebbe you too tek and SN, can ya foreshadow the snowpack around Tahoe for May?? Izit still lookin like a heavy snow year? Should I bank on having snowshoes still? I missed REI's big sale, sold out before I made it, but I'm still a'lookin!”

“Snow Nymph, which cheeks?...inquiring minds want to know. Too many face plants or butt plants while sno-boarding?”

“Kiss a booboo.... ?.....”

“heeheehee! The butt cheeks!

I got on a bike (my bike is on one of those setups so I can ride in the garage) last Weds for 45 min and my hips & butt have been sore and achey. Its been a few years since I've done that. I think snowboarding for 13.5 hrs this weekend didn't help. Couldn't quit with fresh powder! I'm paying for it now.”

“I've been beat the last two nights, I fell asleep early last night after only a couple of posts on TT. I think I over did it this weekend.”

“Is that fresh poder a heavy wet Sierre powder or a northern Rockies deep light powder?”

“This weekend the pow was coming down all day Sat, so it was nice, and the board stayed on top. Sunday they opened the top, and it was the heavy wet Sierra powder. I was catching edges in the foot deep ruts. I waited 40 minutes for the Gondola to open, and the top was tracked up by the time I got there.”

“I got pummeled by corn this weekend up at Northstar.”

“hey tekapo!

A couple of us were planning on going snow showing that same weekend at Woods Lake near Kirkwood. We don't have a lot of people for that trip and it might dwindle down to only two of us. We were planning on going up that Saturday morning. Maybe you could join us if you don't get any takers here or we could change our plans and join you?

What do you think?

hey naked ape! I just ordered a pair of snowshoes over the phone from Sierra Nevada Adventure Co. in Arnold. They are having a huge sale on their rental snow gear. You might want to check them out. He said that they only have 5 pairs left & that's why he suggested that I order over the phone. I'm going to pick them up this Saturday. They are Denali 22" reg. $129 on sale for $79. He said if I don't like them, I don't have to buy but he's never had a complaint yet. Is anyone familiar with these shoes? Tekapo, do you have any suggestions? A few weeks ago I wore what I think was the original Sherpas and I liked them.”

“Be sure to buy with the added weight of your pack. SnowDude and I had the same snowshoes, but with his 40 lb pack he was postholing.”

“nekkid, you can see live picture of spooner summit (east side of Tahoe) at www.theflumetrail.com select the web cam option, it is the first on the page. Also, I am doing part of the Tahoe rim Trail on May 18,19. It is the spooner to Tahoe meadows segment.”

“Snow Nymph, yep those "spin" classes are really tough...I've 2 friends that's into that (not too seriously though). I myself haven't tried that yet...unless it's with a group and an instructor, I know I'll not like it...similar to running on a threadmill.”

“I've been going to spinning classes at the local YMCA. Even with the loud music and the peppy instructor, it gets boring and I start watching the clock halfway through the hour. It is a pretty good workout though.”

“Tekapo,
What kind of gear is required for this? I only have snowshoes and crampons. I'm looking for a ice axe, but REI didn't have them here. Mammoth has a good Mountaineer store that just opened, so I'll check there. What kind of ice axe do you have? Would you recommend it?”

“I've put on a few lbs, and thought I should add something during the week. I tried 20 min the week before, and my butt got pretty sore from the seat. When I was in my 30s, I could ride 50-100 miles with no soreness. Last week I got a book and rode 45 min. Guess I should start off slower.”

“Hey Tekapo, I'll second SN's question re special gear requirements... let us know what you recommend, please!

Also, sounds on the surface like a pretty reasonable trek, (haven't tried to plot it out yet), how would you rate it in difficulty, say on a scale of 1 - 10? Inquiring minds want to know!

Thanks!”

“It's still a heavy snow year... they just closed I80 & Rte 50 last weekend!. Tahoe, you SURE you want to do the TRT in mid-May??”

“hello? Tekapo?”

“Okay, had to make a run for Starbucks. And mom called.

Need to get caught up... BRB.”

“nekkid- That REI sale for the MSR shoes was a smashing success. They went fast. MSR may have had REI blow them out. Something new is coming, I suspect. Tahoe in May? Hmm...my little ones are due the 31st. What'dya have in mind?”

“Tahoe (Carl) has a trip planned for weekend of May 18-19-20 on a portion of the Tahoe Rim Trail. I'm trying to find his post, will bring it up whenever I locate...”

“hikerchic- Atlas shoes have been my preference because of their feel and they're easy to get on and off fast. Durable and great with steeper slopes. The MSR shoes have side rails on them for better traction, but they're kind of stiff. I've got a pair of those too. Tubbs are mostly for trekking I hear although haven't tried those. Hikin' Mike's Northern Lite's Backcountry shoes look interesting because they're pretty light. For overall versatility though, Atlas would be a good choice.

This outing is sort of a beta trip for a backpack coming up in July (you're free to join us on that too, BTW). The trip is a peak to peak crosscountry outing from Mt. Dana, to Mt. Gibbs, to Mt. Lewis in the span of a few days. Check out these links:

This one is of the summits.
From Mt Lewis to Mt Dana and Gibbs

This one is of the Eastern slope. Gibbs lake is beneath this.
Eastern Slope Above

Let me know what you want to do. I've got directions. Hikin' Mike is going on this one too.”

“Snow Nymph- This is my ax:
Grivel. Air Tech Racing Traded my Black Diamond in for it. Fits well and it's light. A work of art. When you pick one up and hold one, the craftsmanship is obvious.

I'd suggest a small snow shovel for safety reasons. The ax might be a good idea to bring if there's an opportunity to glissade or practice arrests. You'll have to have your waterproof rain gear and gaitors for that. Nothing above or near the angle of repose will be attempted.

Of course that which is needed to keep the cold and wet out is what's most important. Good chance there will be some strong winds. Your tent guylines you'll need. You probably already have everything.”

“Northern Lites, Northern Lites, Northern Lites...
Just had to say that :)

Check out my account of Mt. Dana.

Can't wait until next weekend! Now if I can just figure an easy way to get there...”

“wanderer- The outing is rated as "difficult" in 'Snowshoe Trails of Yosemite. It's only about a 3 mile trip from Lower Horse Meadow TH. Thing is, if access is closed there's a few miles of shoeing up a road to get there.

Slogging through deep powder isn't alot of work until there's some consistent steep. The floatation of your shoes should support you otherwise.

The final part of the trip up to Kidney Lake is a moderate crosscountry route. Have look at a topo and do a profile. How steep will the snow be in that approach? Unknown. Nonetheless, Gibbs lake is quite beautiful.

Rangers might tell us to stay away from Kidney too. Not sure about avalanche conditions. Doubtful though.”

“wanderer- 1 to 10? It's relative, really. It wont' be a walk in the park, but I suspect it'll either be a blizzard and challenging, or incredibly incredibly beautiful.

Hard to say.”

“wanderer, yeah, I've been looking at that snow and it isn't going anwhere very quicly, and lately it is getting deeper. Usually the east side of the basin gets dry by May, but it might be a snowy kind of trip, but what is a little snow and mud among friends. I'll look for the thread about the trip I plan and pull it on up.”

“We also like the Atlas, I have the 1022s, SnowDude has 1025s. Heard good things about MSRs too.

I have the 4-season tent, shovel, rain gear & gaitors. Always prepared for snow. I'll check out the Grivel this weekend. If Mammoth doesn't have it, maybe Wilson's in Bishop might. I actually prefer the steep climbs on snowshoes. Tried a short glissade once on the way down from Langley with trekking poles, but didn't need them. A few weeks ago I used my snowboard to self arrest. Didn't mean to, but did what I had to to stop sliding down the icy slope. Pretty exciting!”

“Snow Nymph, u r lucky the slope wasn't steeper. Get yourself an ice ax if you plan to walk on slanted ice.”

“But...the slope was on Mammoth Mtn! My board didn't make it across one of the runs (trying to get to a tree run). The guy ahead of me took his off & walked (6'+, size 11 boot). I took mine off to walk it, but started sliding. Using the board was a reaction. Lesson learned: don't take the board off, scoot on your butt.

I'm looking for a ice axe this weekend, then I'll learn how to use it before attempting a real glissade.”

“I had a similar experience like that...only I was skiing at Mt. Tremblant (Quebec).

My friend and I wanted to try out a steep closed run (covered in ice)...it didn't look so bad, so we went about 20 feet in...when we got to the lip, the run was all ice. We decided to climb back up...as I was taking my skis off, one of them slipped away.

Now I had no choice but to go get it...I took 2 steps and my foot flew out from under me...I slided down the run taken my ran-away ski with me (the other ski was still on top), completely out of control. Luckily, I held on to my telescopic poles...finally I stopped when I hit some snow.

After a bit of contemplating I decide to tranverse across the run to the trees....that was fun...hard plastic boots on slanted ice. When I made it to the trees...I had to walk up in 4 feet of powder...that's where those long poles came in handy, plus I was hugging and dragging on trees to get myself up.

My friend was really worried because he couldn't see me over the lip. And I couldn't hear him over the wind. It's only later when I was higher up that he saw me and threw/slid my other ski to me. That espisode blew more than half an hour.”

“Hey Stanlee, that sounds like a scene from a movie!

I'm glad you made it ok.”

“Thanks. It wasn't that dangerous, just inconvenience...there was no more lips after that first one. If I wasn't stopped by the snowdrift I would've slid all the way down. Just my pride was hurt.”

“Y'all askin about the May hike hafta e' me. Tahoe I really want you to e me, I'd like to call you this weekend or sometime soon and coincide plans. That'd be cool. I need some general info on the TNT too, you could hep me some. Yeppers wanderer, it's my only shot, after May it's too close to the birth of my boy. If it's a snowshoe trip, wellsies I'll just hafta buy me some snowshoes, hehe.

Speakin of snowshoes, SnowNymph you said that Sdude had the 1033's, because with a pack he postholed some in the 1025's. Which do I need to be on the prowl for gal?????

Tekapooo, e me plz, I wanna call you too for some info. Give ya det's of my trip. Tek do I need to hook up with a dang ice-ax too?!!!”

“NA,
He replaced the 1022s with 1025s. Buy the snowshoes that fit your weight plus a full pack. On our trip through untracked powder, my combined weight with a full pack was 136 lbs so the 1022s kept me on top of the snow. SDs weight with the pack was 180 lbs, and the recommended weight for the 1022s was 175.”

“Hehe, so, you're a night owl too eh SN? OK thanx for clarifying. I was under the impression that he had the 1025's, but that in some conditions S-dude postholed in'em and needed the 1033's for bp'ing in. I know whut Atlas's weight suggestions are, but I thought they might be a bit off considering S-dude's experiences with'em. Cool beans SN, thanx! I'll be on the lookout for Atlas 1025's, and MSR Denali Ascents too then. BTW - do let me know if you're interested in some TRT as well.”

“nekkid, sent you a couple of e's. It would be fun to get together for a TRT hike, unfortunately my wife already made my Memorial Day plans, but I will be free on almost every other weekend in May. I could even make a three day weekend out of one of them. (I feel sick cough cough, I don't think I'll be in today) LOL!! Let me know what kind of plans you are making.”

“Got your e's, I'll hollar at ya this weekend, ty!”

“who's doing this one?”

“I'll be there for sure.”

“Tekapo,
I'm interested in doing this one.

E-mail me at snownymph@socal.rr.com with details.

I'll leave after work Friday and arrive late.”

“Harrumpf tahoe, missed ya this evening, but I'll try tomorrow evening.”

“I tried out snowshoeing for the first time this weekend up to Loch Leven Lakes up 80. It was great!! Didn't make it to the lakes as we had a 65 year old along with us who while having a great time, wasn't keeping pace. At any rate, snowshoeing is a total blast and I can't wait to get a pair! Yeehaw!”

“roseymonster- Loch Leven first time out? Good goin'! Glad to see you've picked it up. It really is fun, huh? I'd really like to try that area.”

“Snow Nymph- Just sent an email with details your way.”