So this season I finally got into backcountry skiing. I took my Avalanche I class four years ago, the year that I decided I needed to find a winter outdoors equivalent to hiking and camping. It was the same year I did the Sierra Club snowcamping series. It's hard to get into something when you don't know anyone who does it, so my efforts stalled until this year!
Henrique, Andy and I headed to the Eastern Sierras for an three-day weekend of our own making. Thursday night we headed out, spent the night in a Sno-Park in South Lake Tahoe in Henrique's new campervan, then woke up the next morning to ski Powderhouse and Waterhouse. In total we did 3,500 feet in elevation that day. I must confess I was so tired after that first day that I was a little scared that we had two more days of skiing!
I'm definitely a campervan convert now! It's a little apartment on wheels with everything multi-purpose and fitting perfectly in its place. Who needs anything more? Anywhere can be home.
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| Summit of Powderhouse Photo by Henrique Miranda |
After skiing, we hopped into the van and drove to the Eastern Sierras, parked on the side of the road on the way to Twin Lakes. Like I said, anywhere can be home for the night! The next day, our objective was a chute on Kettle Peak in the Sawtooth Range. We walked in our boots 2 miles out along the Robinson Creek, which is not comfortable, then skinned up Little Slide Canyon. I was super nervous, as the mountains in the Eastern Sierras seem larger and more forboding than in Tahoe. It was especially nerve wracking, as we saw huge rollers come down to the canyon floor as we exited the trees and broke out into the clearing.
The night before, we had spent a lot of time debating this objective. Henrique and Andy were super gung ho, and I was the one questioning. The 7 mile approach seemed daunting to my tired legs. And I was doubtful about the chute, trying to find every photo to see how narrow and steep it was. I know I have a tendency to underestimate what I can do, but I always find myself wondering if I'm being appropriately cautious and prudent, or whether through my insecurity, I'm totally selling myself short. I knew I was a better skier than Henrique and Andy, yet how were they so confident? It seems very gendered to me, this kind of self-doubt and caution. I think boys are just raised differently and those differences continue on into adulthood.
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| Little Slide Canyon Photo by Henrique Miranda |
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| Henrique and Andy skinning past the famous Incredible Hulk |
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| Photo by Henrique Miranda |
I was exhausted and freaked out about avalanches because I saw two avalanches in the canyon. But I did the approach. And when we saw the chute, it was clear that avalanche conditions were not good there. So we continued up the canyon and had a long, mellow ride down. Another 3,000 feet disappearing in an instant.
Backcountry skiing is a weird life metaphor-- the hard stuff (up!) takes five times as long and five times as much energy as the fun and easy downhill...
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| Photo by Henrique Miranda |
I'm starting to learn that it's a matter of shifting perspective on what backcountry skiing is. It's kind of hiking up something and skiiing down it. But the whole point isn't to ski and you have to enjoy the uphill too! In that way it's like hiking. You don't hike just to come down; you hike because you enjoy hiking. So I do think I need learn to enjoy the skinning up more!
We headed back to the camper van, hit Travertine hot springs, and then made dinner in the camper van in the hot springs parking lot.
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| Photo by Henrique Miranda |
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