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| Jed stands in front of Emerson's famous ski lines, The Zebra Couloir and the North Couloir. |
Bishop Skyline Tour
We created this rowdy ski mountaineering traverse as the ultimate linkup of the Eastern Sierra's highest concentration of steep couloirs. It is dedicated to our friend Will Crljenko, a prolific, local, Eastern Sierra ski mountaineer who died tragically in March 2003 in a large avalanche while skiing Mt. Tom.
This is a point to point tour that follows the crest of the magnificent Bishop Skyline. The skyline is made up of several 12-13,000 foot peaks that tower over the 4000 foot high Owens Valley. These peaks lie along an ancient layer of weaker sedimentary and metamorphic rock thrust up at an angle by the ubiquitous Sierra granite. The weaker rock erodes more quickly and over millennia has gifted skiers with big, steep faces and prominent couloirs. To enchain these features involves an incredible amount of elevation gain and loss over a relatively short horizontal distance - just as we like it. We adjust the route to optimize the quality of skiing, but we generally go South to North and earlier in the spring, to find the best wintry snow in the couloirs and snow covering the high desert.
This is a very special trip for the elite ski mountaineer. We consider it to be world class for its quality, position, and uniqueness. The Bishop Skyline Tour travels along the edge of the biggest, steepest escarpment of the Sierra, where enormous alpine peaks meet raw, wild desert. A modern gem of iconic and breathtaking scale.
Trip Itinerary | Prerequisites
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TRIP ITINERARY - Bishop Skyline Tour
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DAY 1 |
We meet in Bishop, but prior acclimatization is highly recommended. The tour starts in the North Fork of Bishop Creek in the small village of Aspendell. We ski up the closed road to North Lake and from there climb steeply up to camp at Lower Lamarck Lake. This positions us for a day tour the following day. |
DAY 2
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The original idea of this tour started with Mt. Emerson. SMG guide and owner Howie Schwartz was talking about this tour one time with legendary Sierra ski pioneer Tom Carter who suggested starting with Mt. Darwin and Mt. Lamarck. Tom had apparently given some thought to this tour as well and we gladly took his suggestion. Donning daypacks, we climb and ski both of these peaks by their North Couloirs and return to camp. |
DAY 3 |
 
We climb from camp over "Fool's Ridge" where Smoke Blanchard's Fool's Needle sits and ski a fantastic North facing couloir. We then cross the valley to the South Face of Mt. Emerson. Steep skinning takes us to a beautiful granite ridge climb to the summit and then down more steep rock to the entrance of the North Couloir. We ski this famous couloir, first climbed by the great Norman Clyde. From there we have the option to climb again up toward Peak 13,121 where we ski the Kindergarten Chute, or we may camp and ski the Kindergarten chute the following day depending on conditions. Either way we camp in the headwaters of Birch Creek.
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DAY 4 |
Climb Peak 13,121, and ski the Kindergarten Chute if we didn't do so on Day 3. If we did we will look to see if the Checkered Demon Couloir is in good condition for an extreme ski descent with light packs. From the base of these couloirs, we will continue North toward Peaklet Col. Ski down a nice short run from there and ascend Mt. Humphrey's NE couloir for an ultra-classic 50 degree ski descent. Camp at Longley Reservoir.
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DAY 5 |
On Day 5 we ascend very steeply up a couloir on the South Face of Basin Mountain that puts us atthe top of the Classic Basin Couloir. Summit via technical rock climbing and ski an amazing 6,000 foot run to the desert. Then traverse Northward into the Horton Creek Drainage to camp near Horton Lake. |
DAY 6 |
The finale! We ascend the South Face of Mt. Tom. Mt. Tom is enormous. It is like a small mountain range unto itself. We will pick the line of greatest rewards, as conditions dictate, finishing 6000+ feet down to the desert and our pickup vehicle. |
SUGGESTED BONUS DAY
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If you want to cap it all off in style, plan to stay in Bishop after Day 6 and book a 7th day tour up and down the 5500 foot Scheelite Canyon on the Wheeler Crest, located across Pine Creek from Mt. Tom. This Eastside steep run is visible enough from Bishop that it is considered the Northernmost classic ski feature on the Bishop Skyline. If conditions are right, and you still have the legs for it, you do not want to miss out on this day!
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Prerequisites:
- Expert downhill skiing skills
- Ability to control speed and execute fall-line turns in control and comfort in difficult snow conditions (deep powder, heavy and/or moist snow, breakable crust, firm or icy, etc.)
- Ability to execute hop turns on 50 degree+, firm slopes, coming to a complete and immediate stop at the finish of each turn
- Ability to sideslip forward and backward, with edge control, on very steep, firm slopes
- Extensive experience ski mountaineering using ski mountaineering equipment (touring boots, bindings, skins, ski crampons, transceiver, shovel, probe, boot crampons, ice axe, harness, etc.)
- Ability to make uphill facing kick-turns safely, comfortably, and efficiently in any conditions, on steep slopes of up to 40+ degrees in steepness
- Experience ski touring with a multiday pack ~40lbs.
- Outstanding fitness and high mountain endurance
- Prior experience at altitude (10,000+ ft.)
- Particiaption in at least one previous SMG ski mountaineering program
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TRIP DETAILS
Trip Dates:
February 24-March 1, 2013
6 days
Trip Difficulty:
Level 3.5
Guiding Ratio:
2:1
Cost:
1 skier $2710
2 skiers $2140 each
Recommended Prior SMG Programs:
Ski Mountaineering Skills Course
Level 1 Avalanche Course
Split Mountain High Route
Recommended Follow-up SMG Programs:
Palisades Crest Tour
Valdez Ski Week
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