April 29, 2004, Ellery Bowl Cutes, Tioga Pass,CA

Yesterday was a sunny day with winds of up to 50 mph along the ridge tops.  We called a rest day and spent the day poking around Lundy Creek Canyon and near the closed gate on the Tioga Pass road.  I called Cal Tran and actually spoke to a person who said the road could open on the 29th or 30th.  Had dinner at the infamous Mobil Restaurant and had the Fish Tacos.  Had to fight off some fishermen who tried to grab our Smores cheesecake smothered with Kaluha chocolate and two gigantic strawberries.

O yea, the skiing.  We arrived at the locked gate to Tioga Pass at 9am and followed a Cal Tran truck to the gate.  Sent Jill in her tight long underwear up to get the beta on the gate opening.  It would open between 11 and 1pm.  So we brewed some more coffee and waited .At 11:15 the same guy returned, opened the gate and confirmed we could enter.  There was no one else around.  We were the first private vehicle to drive up Tioga Pass road this year. Yahoo.  The road was bare and dry up to the next closure at Tioga Pass at 9943 feet.  As we passed the Tioga Pass Resort the folks working on the facility looked at us in disbelief.  Apparently they did not expect the early opening.  It was a beautiful sunny day and no winds.  We passed by Ellery Bowl and planned to return in a bit.  We could see Mt. Dana but the summit ramp was almost bare except for a ribbon of snow along the corniced edge which overhangs the cliffs.  The south facing side of Tioga Peak at 11,526 feet was bare.  Gaylord Peak and False White looked inviting.

We returned to Ellery Lake dam at 9477 feet and set our sights on being the first folks to ski the Ellery Bowl chutes this spring.  We started the skinning using harscheisen just in case.  The snow was firm but softening as we climbed.  At the big rock which is about 1500 vertical above the dam, we stopped for a snack and I was overcome by a testosterone surge.  Jill decided to lounge in the sun, graze on snacks and videotape my descent while I put the skis on the pack and started booting it upward.  The first 200 vertical are steep but I coasted along.  The final 300 vertical are very steep and the snow was very firm.  You know the feeling.  You really can not stop because there is no safe place to put on the skis.  So you double and triple kick each step before kicking the next step.  You wish you had your ice axe and crampons but no you are kicking steps and not looking down.  As the cornice off to the right looms larger, you veer off to the left and encounter hollow snow.  Damn, keep going a bit more left to the firm snow.  The top is only 20 feet above you and you see spindrift and wonder if a gust of wind will catch the skis in the pack and offset your balance.  The final few feet are the most challenging because you need to move from vertical to a horizontal surface.  I finally reach the top of the chute and my first sight is Dana Couloir in the distance.  The top of the Ellery Bowl is a rather flat plateau which provides a grandstand view of Mt. Dana at 13,057 feet and the infamous Dana Couloir.  The top of Mt. Dana is almost completely bare except for that ribbon of snow along the corniced edge.  

I take a bunch of photos and look around to validate that I am the first idiot this spring to climb and hopefully ski the chute.  Yes, it is confirmed I am the first fool this spring.  I bark a few times to get Jills attention from below and ever so slowly side step over the lip onto the face.  Inside I know it is going to be survival skiing.  Jump turn, skid, jump turn, skid, traverse to a different exposure.  More jump turns and skidding as I drop vertical the best snow is near Jill.  I finally get on some slopes in the high 30 degree range and they have finally softened and I am skiing.  As I near Jill she asks me if it was worth it – NO.  I made it but I could not descend in comfort and jump turns just are not as much fun as corn skimming under your skis.  We descend the final 1500 vertical in great corn and ski to the dam and about 30 feet from the camper.  I look up at the chute I skied and it looks about the same steepness compared to the infamous Chute Out and Banana Chute farther to the right of the bowl. The BIG difference is the chute I skied has a rather open landing zone at the bottom if you miss a turn.  In the Chute Out or the other chutes if you miss a turn you ricochet off the rock walls or freefall over a cliff. They are not on my list.  At least we were the first skiers up the pass this year and we were the first to ski Ellery Bowl.  I definitely will never forget the final 300 vertical.  Tomorrow we will try something different.