Here’s a couple more shots of some current conditions at Tioga Pass.
Dana Plateau proper is looking good. Third Pillar had some tracks in it from the weekend and all the major lines look rideable (not sure about Gutter) although V Bowl is completely burnt out. If you decide to hit up one of these lines it’s best to think about booting back up something to ski out where the snowline is still pretty low. Usually Coke Chute is best for this sort of approach, although you could put together a ski out of Mt. Gibbs if you’re willing to walk out a ways on some dirt (and have a shuttle car lined up).
On your way up the Tioga access road the east chutes are still holding some great snow,
especially the seldom skied chutes that are more north facing.
As you head up higher on the road the classic mellow face of False White is absolutely plastered. If you look closely you can see a couple of sets of tracks lining the face.
Tuolumne Meadows is just buried. While not a very traditional objective for the backcountry skier I’ve always thought it would be fun this time of your to tour through there and pick off a few short lines while there’s still snow. Beyond the sheer beauty of Tuolumne some of the rock routes out there are the definition of moderate classics. Here you can see the massive traverse that is the Matthes Crest to the lookers left, with John Muir’s holy Cathedral Peak off to the right.
The most user friendly way to ski off Tioga Pass right now, if you’re looking for that extra bang-for-the-buck the pass is so famous for, is to head up Dana and tag Solstice or the Dana Couloir,
then head over to either the Powerhouse Chute, which has snow almost down to the road,
or ski Ellery Bowl back to a shuttle car or a usually easy hitchhike back to the top of the pass.
I’m stoked to have gotten at least one solid day up there this past weekend, and pretty fired up it ended up being my 200th day for the season. What a year! While somewhat satiated from this epic run that started in October, just looking at these pics makes me want to get back down there asap. Be safe out there, and let us know if you end up getting down that way and dropping into the goods. If you missed the trip report I posted earlier and want a few more shots of current skiing conditions up there here’s the link, http://unofficialnetworks.com/tioga-pass-mt-dana-dana-plateau-trip-report-24970/.