December 11, 2004
Mt. Tallac South Ramp Early Winter Corn Harvest
Joe, Chris, Doug, Kyle, Toby & Buddy
Looking Back up at the South Ramp Chute and Bowl that Harvested Such Fine December Corn
What a difference a week can make. Last Saturday was spent in record cold temps slogging through sugary snow examining surface hoar near Mr. Toad's. Then a classic Pineapple Express rolled through on Wednesday and dumped 16" of snow, followed by 1" of rain with heavy winds. The following two days were sunny and warm - high's in the 50's. The local avalanche forecast changed from High to Considerable to Moderate / Low in 3 days. By Saturday, the pack was safe, the pow was gone, the corn was out......and so went we.
I made arrangements with Chris and Toby to meet up for a trip up into Cathedral Bowl off of Mt Tallac's South ridge. We felt the many north, east and south facing aspects of Cathedral Bowl would allow for the best corn options and opportunities. Chris and Doug met me at the Mt Tallac summer trailhead at 8:00 AM, Toby and Kyle followed right behind them. My very pregnant wife had her own baby shower at 1:00 PM on this day too, so I was a mandatory departure by 11:30 AM to pick up the kids.
Prepping the Splits
Chris and Doug laid the gear out, strapped on the skins and were on their way. Unfortunately Chris left the video camera on the truck seat. Fortunately he was only a couple of hundred yards into the trek when he realized this and had time to turn around and grab it. He quickly caught back up to Doug and I at the moraine above Fallen Leaf Lake.
The Cross
The most well known backcountry chute in Tahoe, The Cross, is still looking a bit boney. Just below and left of the cross in the sunlit slopes are two small slides that occurred within the last few days. This early warning sign kept us on guard for the rest of the day.
Fallen Leaf Lake and Foggy Tahoe
Quite a contrast in the mountain lakes. An inversion had Big Blue socked in solid with fog, which receded as the day went on. Fallen Leaf Lake was uncharacteristically calm and glassy. I've never seen this "other" big body of water so still.
Chris and the Nice Views from the Skin Track
The views from the Summer Trail are exceptional. Almost immediately upon leaving the parking lot you follow the lateral moraine that was formed on Fallen Leaf Lake's Northwest side when the glacial valley was carved eons ago. The best part of the hike is when the trail climbs to the top of the moraine and you have Fallen Leaf Lake and all of the South Lake Tahoe basin out your driver side window. Pleasant temperatures, no wind, just the views and trail breaking in the manky snow. It wasn't all mank, there was plenty of breakable crust, rain crust and ice rink quality glazing in other areas too. But it was well worth the effort.
Chris and Doug Split Skinning
The two splitboard representatives on our day, Chris and Doug continue on above Fallen Leaf Lake. Angora Peak is barely visible peaking out around the trees above Doug's head. Doug made the drive all the way from Oakland early in the morning. Although I don't envy his drive, his ability to jump on the mountain bike in 60 degree weather last week was appealing. He mentioned something about his sea level lungs, but didn't show any signs of weakness on the skin in and up.
Skinning up Some of the Firm Stuff
Toby, Kyle and Buddy caught up with us around Floating Island Lake and helped pace us through the mank. At elevation 8,000' the really firm and "glassy" ice came into play. It was so slick we had to stomp our skis on edge into the pack just to barely break the surface and allow our skins to grip. We had a few sliders on this part. Although the snow is quite a bit softer in this picture, it is still pretty firm as barely any tracks are visible where Kyle and Chris are skinning. All aspects of backcountry skiing and riding are represented here; Kyle is on tele's, Chris is on a splitboard, Toby is on AT.
Good Spot for a Breather
The Tahoe fog was burning off as the day grew warmer. We were now out in the open and working hard. The view was grand, corn was plentiful on the south facing slope, life was good......Check out Buddy's smile.
South Ramp Ascent
Kyle is barely visible in the center of the photo, just right and below the lone tree. Our ascent line followed the lower slopes of the snow filled bowl until it steepened. Kyle and I then cut up to the ridge line on the right side of the photo. Toby, Chris and Doug continued in bowl through the choke and then cut right as well. We all eventually boot packed through the rocks to the ridge top.
Chris Skinning
I like this picture. Wide and open, steep, smooth slope. Chris was the only guy with ski crampons, and they were the shiznitt on this trip. Chris had originally intended on hitting the Cathedral bowl lines. He ventured a bit towards Cathedral, but ended up joining us on the South Ramp.
Northeast Facing Chute
This beauty was staring at us for our entire approach. I gave it a good look from a mid point during the ridge ascent. It was somewhat wind buffed, but also had a bit of a crust on it. Based on the incredible variety of conditions we experienced on our way up on north and east aspects, we opted to pass on it in favor of south facing corn.
A couple of other photographs of the same chute taken from the mid point during my ascent. I plan on coming back to hit this one some day:
Angora Peak and Indian Rock
Once on the crest of the ridge we had stellar views into Desolation. South Lake Tahoe's best kept secret for steep skiing lies on this north facing slope of Angora Peak and Indian Rock. Fallen Angel chutes are on the left of Indian Rock and Halls of the Gods chutes are on the right of Indian Rock. Halls of the Gods is one of the best chutes I've ever skied. With Fallen Leaf Lake road closed in the winter, the access to these lines is difficult. Definitely in need of a bit more snow at the moment.
Behind Angora Peak in the distance are Stevens Peak, Red Lake Peak and Round Top.
Glazed Doughnut
The Southeast corner of Desolation Wilderness shined like a glazed doughnut on this day. All of these north and east facing lines would be brutal right now.
South Ramp Towards the Summit
The Red X in the photograph indicates where we started our ski descent from. The chute was wide and moderately pitched and faced south - which was key. The corn in that chute was the super sweet butter corn. The bowl and apron below, in the lower right hand corner of the picture, was amazing as well.
West Facing Chute on Tallac
Tallac is loaded with incredible lines and views around every corner. Here is a west facing little gem of a chute that I had never seen until this day. Needs just a bit more snow and some determination to get to that ridge line. Just another reason to keep coming back.
The Shadow
I was in a bit of a hurry to get over to the chute so I could head on down. It was now 11:30 and I had to call Jodi around 12:15. It was going to be a slog out, so I had no time to screw around. But I did have time to catch a picture of this funny shadow I came across.
Looking Down the South Ramp Chute
Although I wanted to bolt down this motha in a fast and furious fashion, I was patient enough to take off my skins, buckle my boots, wait for the video camera to set up, take a picture of the line.......
........Then I succumbed to gravity's pull:
(Pictures by Doug)
Perfect corn throughout. So good I couldn't stop until I had reached the bottom. It was one of the best runs I have skied this year - and it was corn snow in December!?!
The other guys weren't obligated to their wives and families, so Toby and Kyle went to the summit to peer into a rocky Cross, while Chris and Doug chilled on top of the chute. Here's a couple of other pictures taken later of Toby flying down the line. (Photos by Doug):
Chris cruising through it smoovely
Kyle arcing through the corn with the low horizon December sun casting a long shadow. Another great picture by Doug or Chris.
Here's a couple photos I took looking back up at our Saturday morning playground:
Last bit of Corn
All of the south facing open spaces offered fabulous corn for the harvesting. The background view in this picture is equally as incredible. Not only does Tallac have the greatest concentration of steep ski lines in Tahoe, but it also has the best views in the basin.
After this last little shot of corn it was a pure and simple 2 mile slog back to the truck. I loosened my boots and free'd the heels. The mank was heavier, the legs were more tired, the clock was a tickin'. I was able to leave Jodi a message at 12:15 when I found good reception on top of the moraine, but her phone was not with her. I practiced route finding and survival skiing to the best of my ability and came out O.K. for the most part. Snowshoer's had ruined our skin track, so any hope I had for smooth gliding diminished immediately. Surprisingly, I only took one awkward, gaper fall into some manzanita brush. The rest of the way I was on my feet, although completely absent of grace.
I made it to the truck at 12:35, a mere 45 minutes after I had started my ski descent. I threw off the boots in a hurry, fully aware that I would pay for an eternity if I made Jodi late to her own baby shower because I was skiing. I bolted through town and pulled up to the baby shower house a full 2 minutes ahead of Jodi and the girls! I calmly took the girls and helped Jodi up the stairs. She gave me that little knowing smirk I deserved, and happily entered the pastel world of presents, women, cakes and babies.
Another sweet line skied. Another bullet dodged. Another rich memory filed.