ski from Fallen Leaf lake to Lake Aloha, Deso wilderness

BTW, can you recommend a trustworthy place in So Lake Tahoe where we
could rent BC equipment? I trust Paco's but renting at So Lake Tahoe
would save use 1.5 hrs of driving one way - more skiing.

In article ,
wrote:
The forecast looks good.

If you get into it, you will learn.

We have decided to do exactly what you suggested - ski into Deso on
day 1 (half day, realistically), make camp, sleep, ski around on day 2
(Pyramid peak?), sleep, ski back down (half day, realistically).

Your choice.

Might be a bit ambitious. You'll find out.
Depends on your balance of brain (skills) and brawn.

I am a bit worried about avalanches, but I am hoping the snow have
settled by the time we get there (they just had a storm and it is
supposed to be warm for the rest of the week).

You should.
Depending on exposure and loading, most of the coast area hazards
stabilize in a short time. We're in a drought.

It's not what you see in gross evidence. A skier has to learn to read
the snow. I've been caught in 3, the only local to Tahoe was in the
middle of a storm in the 80s off Anderson (no visibility and didn't see
the cornice I was standing on when it cracked). That's also independent
of other hazards like crevasses on glaciers, but that's a different topic.
Those are work hazards for some.
You don't want to pick up habits socially engrained looking at things
like photos. Then say later in life go to the Rockies. Or the Alps.

--

Looking for an H-912 (container).

In article ,
wrote:
Ever camp on snow?

- Oh, ***no*** to this. Planning to bring 2 thermarests and 2 sleeping
bags (don't have a 4-season sleeping bag). I've slept in sub 10 deg
nights before, but not on snow (racetrack, death valley).

2 thermarests? Luxury. Oh you have to carry them both.
I just own blue closed cell foam pads.
I did once use a thermarest for 3 months in Antarctica. The NSF paid for
that. Actually the US taxpayer. We had an LC-130.

I can see your weight accummulating.

The gear isn't the issue. It clouds the issue.
Caves and other snow shelters take time to build.
Tents should have proper platforms.
You should also be capable, if you are trees, of starting a fire.
This is not summer; you won't have the day light advantage.


People think of the area around Tahoe as a cake walk.
I've got friends who live around the Lake (one wrote NNTP) and have a
place not far myself from there now. Some time in the 90, two guys from
SF frozen to death only 150 years from homes at the top of the Kingsbury
Grade. They got lost. In the summer time, a dirt road goes through
this area.


I was at Racetrack last year for a field survey. It was cold. It was OK.
We only had a 2WD govt van, but I recall one SUV going in late in the
day. They popped 2 tires. I heard also the new Super to DV also did 3
tires on his first DV trip. They all drove too fast. I think a friend
and I landed a Cessna on the Playa back before it was added to the Park
or when it was basically legal (old photos).


--

Looking for an H-912 (container).

Buy a snow park permit, park at Echo Summit, and ski to Aloha from
there. The snow will be chopped up near the road but you will have less
vertical except where you want it (Price or the side of Pyramid, no
trees) and minimal tree skiing.

In article ,
wrote:
I will consider Echo summit as a starting point. We will be driving
from Truckee, so Fallen Leaf seems closer. Also, the road from Fallen
leaf seems more wind-protected. I do not mind the vertical.

It's just another variable.
What goes up must come down.
Wind is a fact of life on ridges and in mountains.
Pilots have to learn cross wind landings.
Frankly I'd rather deal with the wind than the vertical, depends on
objectives.

--

Looking for an H-912 (container).

I think I should be able to bail out if I smell blood. Honestly, I
haven't seen the weather change that dramatically in the sierras in
winter - while skiing on groomed trails anyway. Summer - yes, been
caught in hails and rainstorms at elevation, but that's expected. But
winter.... if it's all clear it's all clear.

*I think a friend
and I landed a Cessna on the Playa back before it was added to the Park
or when it was basically legal (old photos).

Did you fly the plane over the playa to see if the wind from the wings
makes the rocks move?

When my research is not going well I am thinking of installing
tracking cameras above the RT playa to record the rocks moving on the
racetrack. Camp there for a year. Watch the rocks move. Correlate with
the weather patterns. Get a single-author Science paper of it

In article ,
wrote:
I think I should be able to bail out if I smell blood. Honestly, I
haven't seen the weather change that dramatically in the sierras in
winter - while skiing on groomed trails anyway. Summer - yes, been
caught in hails and rainstorms at elevation, but that's expected. But
winter.... if it's all clear it's all clear.

I've watched weather forecasts improve from the 60s.
And they have improved.

The problem isn't always weather, and it won't always involve yourself.
The Challenger accident and others are good examples of problems.

=A0I think a friend
and I landed a Cessna on the Playa back before it was added to the Park
or when it was basically legal (old photos).

Did you fly the plane over the playa to see if the wind from the wings
makes the rocks move?

Most of the rocks are near the shore cliffs on the S side.
Not a place for a flying plane. It was dry and cold when we were there
and no water or mud. Last year (drove) we did have snow in the usual in
the usual N and E exposure areas. While I didn't walk S-N like the
other 2, they didn't encounter any water or nice.

Bob Sharp's sign on his movement research was gone since I was last
there. I didn't have a 4WD with ground clearance then as now. I am
curious about the road further to Saline Valley. A big 4WD jeep
jamboree was there and started out when we were there. I have to figure
out why we can acquire the Blazer I see at work.

When my research is not going well I am thinking of installing
tracking cameras above the RT playa to record the rocks moving on the
racetrack. Camp there for a year. Watch the rocks move. Correlate with
the weather patterns. Get a single-author Science paper of it

How do you plan to prevent your cameras from blowing away?
I thought some one tried that.

Science tends to be more bio oriented. I suspect you will get faster
turnaround in one of the AGU journals (B (Solid Earth?)? I can't
remember the subsections). Science just tend to take months. It is
possible. I've friends who have, but they alienated their PhD advisor
because of the rush in the community to get his ideas out (stable
isotope mass spec stuff). Good luck!

We might do a DV trip in a few months.

--

Looking for an H-912 (container).

On Jan 26, 11:56 am, "
wrote:
I posted about this to rec.backcountry, but could not get a response.

I would like to try backcountry skiing for the first time. The idea is
to ski from Fallen Leaf Lake, Tahoe, to Lake Aloha, Desolation
wilderness. It's going to be my buddy and myself (he has good
experience in bcs, my experiences are in XC racing and backpacking in
summer). Does anyone have a suggestion on the best starting point? My
Tahoe Ski touring book suggests starting at "Tahoe Mountain Road" in
South lake Tahoe, but the book is relatively old (judging from 80s
style clothing and 75 mm bindings they use ). Does anyone have
comments (snowmobiles, private land crossings, etc)? The plan is to
ski up to Aloha on day 1, sleep, and ski down the next day.

Also, looks like the backpack will be much heavier compared to summer
b/c of all the winiter clothing. Does the fact that you are skiing
instead of walking (i.e. less pounding on legs) make the pack feel...
well... lighter?


Well, I am back, and I had a blast. We ended up skiing from Echo lake
to Aloha, camping there for 2 nights, and skiing back. There was no
enough snow at Fallen leaf, and the closed road around the lake had no
snow; hiking 3.5 miles on pavement in ski boots wouldn't be fun.

The weather was perfect - 50 degs during the day and 10...20 degs at
night. No wind at all. Sunshine and stars. 2 thermarest pads and 2
sleeping bags (rated at 20 and 32 degs) were just enough, and I did
have 3 fleece/polypro layers, plus ski pants and parka on top.

Our packs were rather heavy - 50 lbs. We rented skis at "Alpenglo" in
Tahoe city. Great store, great people. The skis were Karhu 10th mtnt,
and Excursion 3-pin plastic boots. It worked, but the equipment felt
rather heavy to me. more like alpine skis/boots. The skis floated
great in powder, but I am still wondering If I can get lighter skis/
boots.

My racing XC experience was not of much use on the powdered slopes. I
could not produce anything but a snowplow to control my speed on the
dopwnhills. Did I mention the 50 lb pack? Gotta learn telemark turns.

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I will definitely be back
this season.