May 4, 2005, Independence Peak, Sierras
5/4/05
US elsewhere
2247
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The evening of May 3rd, we drove south on 395 and stopped at the Chevron station in Big Pine for the Mexican burrito and enchilada plate. Thanks to, "Hydro Dork", Andrew for the excellent recommendation. We stopped outside of Aberdeen at Goodale Creek campground which is a free BLM campsite. We tried to get an early start but Jill spotted some wildflowers in bloom and we took the time to make coffee and take some photos. At Independence, we headed west on the Onion Valley road. We passed through the Alabama Hills which was the site for numerous western movies and climbed from just under 4000' feet in Independence to 9200' at the road end 13 miles further at Onion Valley. The road was officially closed at the Upper Gray's Meadow campground but you can proceed at your own risk. We continued past the closed sign and half of the road had rock debris and chunks of snow while the other side was cleared. As we proceeded past the Sardine Canyon road pullout, we waved at the payload driver who cleared a bunch of debris for us to pass. As we rounded another hairpin around 8500', we had a clear view of Independene Peak at 11,744' and the east avalanche gully we planned to climb and ski.
We parked the camper along the roadside in a location that was protected from rockslides. We then found a snow bridge across Independence Creek and crossed over to the base of Independence Peak. I looked up the north couloir and saw a faint ski track. The north couloir is a steep avy chute with a large rock in the middle of the chute. I was short on testosterone for that line. We wrapped around the base and began the long corkscrew ascent of the east gully. The old avy debris provided a firm skinning surface and we meandered upward. Climbers right and left have tree terrain which could be excellent in powder conditions. John Moynier mentions in his guide book that you can "turn around at any point,especially if the corn bomb is going off". I wasn't sure I knew what a corn bomb was but now I do. As we approached the steep face at the end of the avy path, I noticed a few bowling ball sized corn bombs coming our way. We listened to the message and pulled the skins. The view down the avy path is impressive and you can see all the way to Independence. Our serpentine descent was lumpy corn. Not a smooth surface, yet about 2 inches of cream on small lumps of avy debris. The trees on skier right were shaded and provided a smoother surface. The trees on skiers left looked appealing but the surface was uconsolidated so it was back to the the avy gully. The descent to the base was fast. The final 100 vertical to the stream crossing was unconsolidated mush. It seems each of our recent tours ends with unconsolidated snow. As we approached the stream, high clouds started moving in and the light turned flat. Howard S. was forecasting a significant winter storm for the Sierras with a foot of snow predicted. Looks like our next outing will be lift skiing at Mammoth. Powder in May. :) Zap
We parked the camper along the roadside in a location that was protected from rockslides. We then found a snow bridge across Independence Creek and crossed over to the base of Independence Peak. I looked up the north couloir and saw a faint ski track. The north couloir is a steep avy chute with a large rock in the middle of the chute. I was short on testosterone for that line. We wrapped around the base and began the long corkscrew ascent of the east gully. The old avy debris provided a firm skinning surface and we meandered upward. Climbers right and left have tree terrain which could be excellent in powder conditions. John Moynier mentions in his guide book that you can "turn around at any point,especially if the corn bomb is going off". I wasn't sure I knew what a corn bomb was but now I do. As we approached the steep face at the end of the avy path, I noticed a few bowling ball sized corn bombs coming our way. We listened to the message and pulled the skins. The view down the avy path is impressive and you can see all the way to Independence. Our serpentine descent was lumpy corn. Not a smooth surface, yet about 2 inches of cream on small lumps of avy debris. The trees on skier right were shaded and provided a smoother surface. The trees on skiers left looked appealing but the surface was uconsolidated so it was back to the the avy gully. The descent to the base was fast. The final 100 vertical to the stream crossing was unconsolidated mush. It seems each of our recent tours ends with unconsolidated snow. As we approached the stream, high clouds started moving in and the light turned flat. Howard S. was forecasting a significant winter storm for the Sierras with a foot of snow predicted. Looks like our next outing will be lift skiing at Mammoth. Powder in May. :) Zap
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