March 27, 2005, Pickett Peak.S. Lk. Tahoe
3/27/05
US elsewhere
2092
0
Camping with my new Sierra ski friends is pleasant. Woke at the appropriate hour of 8am. We huddled around the campfire in the sun and enjoyed fresh coffee with bagels, cream cheese and smoked trout and a bit of pumpkin and spice granola. I love these folks. The forecast was for an approaching storm this evening with winds gusting up to 70mph - hmmm. The temperature was mild and the winds were already starting to increase. We drove back towards hwy 88/89 and decided to ski Pickett Peak at 9100'. We left my camper at the junction of hwy 88 & 89 and parked the remaining vehicles near Sorensens Lodge at 6900'. The skinning was easy on an old FS road until we cut a track to the exposed summit block. The winds were getting uncomfortable even with the mild temperatures and sunshine. We pulled the skins about 300 ' below the wind hammered summit. The descent route was mainly NW through old growth trees with slopes in the high twenties. It was dense wet snow that provided a skimming surface - great for sweeping hero turns. We skied right to the camper. It was great touring with new folks and experiencing new terrain. We'll be skiing together later next month near Mammoth. Yippee - there is a winter weather advisory for the Sierras. They're talking about another 12 to 24" in the next 2 days. I think it's going to be a powder day in the morning.:) Zap
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