April 6, 2008, Grouse Rock near Twin Peaks

We met the Sierra Club backcountry skiers again for a shorter tour in the northwest area of Lake Tahoe near the Alpine Meadows ski area.  One of the group leaders has a home in Ward Canyon which served as the starting point for our tour.  Ward Canyon is at the backside of Alpine Meadows where the Sherwood lift is located.  Although it was another sunny day, "breezy" conditions were forecasted and we wanted southeast terrain to ascend and descend.  If you've ridden the Sherwood lift and looked to climbers left, you can see Grouse Rock along the ridgeline and further out the Twin Peaks.  It's a long, long distance along the ridgeline to reach Twin Peaks.  The fastest approach there is to ascend through Ward Canyon, but all of the property is privately held and parking is a problem.  Unless you have a new friend that lives there.  ;D  The approach we followed was to descend about 400vf, cross Gstadt creek on one of the few bridges and then ascend the valley bottom until you locate a line through the old growth trees up to the ridgeline.  The terrain is ideal for a spring tour with trees to provide shade for the ascent, ramps to access steep corn rollovers and small cliff bands for those who desire air time.  It was tempting to continue towards Twin Peaks and the line that is clearly visible from the Sherwood lift, but after the long day yesterday at Maggies the climb to  Grouse Rock was sufficient.  It was another Sierra corn descent that ended way too soon