Powder Photo Archives
As temperatures soared in California last week, it was clear we had to hit the Hotlum-Wintun ridge on 14,162-foot Mount Shasta.
It was game on when we left the Brewer Creek trailhead on the east side of the mountain at 7,200 feet and started hiking with heavily loaded packs. We broke out of the tree line at 8,000 feet to plainly see the entire route, in excess of a vertical mile, awaiting us. The skins went on at 8,500 feet, easing the strain on the back during the push to camp at 10,400 feet. There, we saw two other parties of two. All told, ten of us were on the route, which was a definite minority to dozens on the popular Avalanche Gulch route on the south face.
Sleep came and went before we put on the crampons and booted higher on the textured snow that firmed during the night. A beautiful sunrise and sprawling vistas served to distract us from our task. Before we knew it, it was time for our descent. The corn did have some corduroy type texture and the sun cups weren’t too bad. There was a runnel or two from 13,800 to 13,000 feet where the slope steepened and sun baked. Otherwise, the snow was surprisingly good and the 3,000 foot vertical descent back to camp was well worth the climb. When the skis finally came off, we had all logged descents in excess of 5,100 vertical feet. No better way to beat a heat wave in July. - Matt Tarka
Guest pros in town included Sammy Carlson and Kristi Leskinen. Charles and Vincent Gagnier were also around filming with Plehouse. K2 team rider Chris Benchetler just arrived for his first summer with Windells...CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY...
The arrival of over 30 ski and snowboard camps to Mt. Hood, Ore. marked the official start of summer skiing for 2006. Windells and Mt. Hood Summer Ski Camps are dominating the freestyle scene with their private parks and pro coaching staff…CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY
6/26 – Tioga Pass had been open exactly one week when we set out to ski Mount Dana on Saturday. Too bad that week was in late June—most everything off Tioga is done—but the Dana Couloir wasn't a bad way to cap off the season. We booted up a thousand feet of sun cups before hitting scree and after a couple grand of scrambling along a ridgeline we reached the 13,053 summit. We shared it with a couple hikers, but the frenzy of butterflies and spanning views of Mono Lake and Tuolumne Meadows more than made up for it. The monstrous sun cups and sketchy wet releases from the summit to the saddle were a far cry from conditions we found inside the couloir. The northeast facing chute, set far back in a canyon, is known as one of the classic ice climbs in the area. But we found a thin layer of corn atop a groomer-smooth firm base. Mammoth local Hans Ludwig claims we found the last remaining quality stash in the accessible eastern Sierra. A thousand feet later the skis were off and the fun was over. If you aren't ready for summer, down climbing loose scree in ski boots is just the trick. -Tess Weaver