Our original idea, hatched Wednesday night, was to take the dogs to the North Bowls of Mt. Tallac (9735 ft). Goof #1: After loosing the skin track on what is one of the most popular backcountry destinations in Lake Tahoe, we finally found an uber-steep track up to a north sub-summit at 8700 feet. Goof #2: We mis-read the map and thought we were climbing to a 9235 foot-tall summit, markedly lower than the actual 9735 foot-height. Oops.
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Sander and Lucy crossing the final bowl |
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photo / sander van tol |
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photo / sander van tol |
And because plan A was the North Bowls, we looked down into plan B and wondered what happened after (we didn't read about how to get out). Still this is Mt. Tallac, right? The straight entrance featured a 20' drop, so we opted for the mellower, 40+ degree left-hand entrance instead. Soft snow allowed Charlie and Lucy to follow us, with a little bit of spotting and encouragement through the two bottle-necks. Once we got into the couloir proper, snow up to our thighs, and a fantstic ski to the lower slopes. The snow remained fantastic on anything remotely north-facing, and the track leaving the lowest slope allowed for a skin-free traverse back to the car.
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photo / sander van tol |
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photo / sander van tol |
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photo / sander van tol |
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photo / sander van tol |
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photo / sander van tol |
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photo / sander van tol |
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photo / sander van tol |
I came home to my new skis - a pair of K2 Backlashes - waiting for me. Thank you UPS! As soon as my boots arrive today or Monday I'll have a new ride!