Another saturday, another early morning drive to Tahoe. This time it was an even longer drive to Nevada, to get some beginner backcountry skiing experience on Tamarack Peak. Thanks to Marusa for guiding us on this half-day tour, it was a lot of fun! Snow conditions were good and the way up was well tracked. I managed to fall a couple of times on the icy parts of the skin-track, until I learned to trust my heels and keep looking up. Read more...

February was a pretty relaxing month. It also hadn’t snowed in ages, so skiing wasn’t that high a priority. I had a friend visiting, and an upcoming trip to India, so I couldn’t do anything too technical. I did still manage to get out a bit, but nothing that needs a full trip report. Recent rains have made the Bay Area hills a treat, so we went for a quick Saturday morning hike from Stinson Beach to Pantoll Ranger station. Read more...

Despite what I said in the last post, I gave in and put together a backcountry skiing setup after all. After skiing them at the resort a couple of days, Lassen Peak seemed like a great trip to get in some experience. The approach is on a gentle road I knew I wouldn’t have problems with, and the SE ridge is short enough that I wouldn’t mind bootpacking down if skiing was a bad idea. Read more...