April 29, 2007
Finding out Y at Snow-more-a Pass
Joe, Toby, Buddy
The Y Couloir (and many tracks) on Leavitt Peak - 4/29/07
Of all the trips down South on 395 that Toby and I have taken, neither of us had ever ventured up Sonora Pass.....until today. Chris had been there on Friday with skier 666, Matt, Darren and others and reported great conditions with plentiful base. So Toby and I headed that way to get that last dastardly pass finally done! And although Chris and the posse had done the Y couloir on Leavitt on Friday, we were bound to be followers and seek out Spring sweetness on the same line. We skinned up No Name with the crew under skies of high clouds and ripping winds from the West. But at the top we parted ways while they headed towards Soda Creek and we started the long traverse towards Leavitt. It was a great day out there, especially when we escaped those heinous winds. My stomach wasn't happy and Toby's knee was still tender but we managed to ski the Y and No Name in our maiden outing on Snow-more-a Pass. Thanks for the beta and advice Chris!
The Pass:
No Name:
Toby and Matt:
BC Rider:
There was one big boulder we all huddled behind to escape the wind at the saddle. Darren was quite accommodating in his primo position with Natalie, and Chris:
Toby, Buddy and I heading off towards Leavitt Peak (photo by Chris):
Views of the Sonora Pass Candy Store from the PCT trail on No Name:
Views from the top of Leavitt. Not too shabby of a snow pack for the driest winter since 1988?!?
I believe that's Tower Peak on the left:
the skier's left entry to the Y. It was glare ice on the right side, and nice and soft on the left....where the two sets of tracks are from the Friday foray. We dropped in at the gap in the cornice in the upper left hand corner:
Looking back at Toby at the other entry option:
I love entry shots with ski tips:
Getting an up close look at this frozen breaking wave:
I do much better skiing frozen waves than surfing moving waves. From Cayucos last Labor Day:
Back to the Y. Another great Sierra line:
Toby and Buddy with our entry line above:
Toby and Buddy in the middle section. Pesky tracks from that previous party!
The two entries to the Y:
Toby and Buddy finishing it off:
Apron corn was great:
Our route back to No Name - the only hard part to navigate:
Why, Toby, why?
Our last set of tracks down the canyon before skinning back up No Name. Leavitt in the distantbackground:
A view down our last run of the day on No Name. The highway winds up the mountain below:
I've heard Sonora Pass is the hardest pass for road riding in the Sierras. Paul has not yet ridden it, so I took a few pictures of the highway on the East side. These are by no means the steepest sections on the East side. And the West side is even steeper than the East.
Looking forward to coming back to these parts again.
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