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Traversing eastward over the Sierra Crest near the summit of the Thumb. The 7,000 ft. ski run down Birch Creek was powder in the shade and perfect corn in the sun. |
Palisades Crest Tour
This little gem idea for a 6-day high tour of the Sierra Crest was pioneered by Big Pine based SMG guide Howie Schwartz, and has since become a modern ski mountaineering classic. The Palisades are the most definitively alpine group of peaks in the Sierra, containing the largest glacier in the Range and 7 summits above 14,000 feet. What is incredible about Sierra Crest tours is the access to fall-line skiing in steep couloirs and wide open bowls, connecting each destination on route. We aim for the time of year when the snowpack is more stable and when we typically have pow on the shaded aspects and sweet corn in the sun. This tour finishes with a 7,000 foot descent from a 13,000+ foot summit all the way down to the desert sage. Designed for expert skiers and experienced ski mountaineers who want to enjoy some rowdy guided skiing in an itinerary that puts the fun factor absolutely off the charts in all aspects. Get ready for the ride of a lifetime!
Trip Itinerary | Prerequisites | Additional Information
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TRIP ITINERARY: Palisades Crest Tour
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DAY 1 |
Meet your guide in the town of Big Pine. After a car shuttle to drop a vehicle off in the desert, we drive to Glacier Lodge where the tour begins. Hike and then ski tour up theSouth Fork of Big Pine Creek. Tour over Contact Pass for an excellent descent beneath the towering East Face of Temple Crag, then up to camp near the Palisade Glacier. |
DAY 2
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Leave our heavy gear behind and enjoy a day of fantastic ski mountaineering. Here we have the option of skiing on the flanks and couloirs of the mighty 14,000 foot Palisade peaks Mount Sill, Polemonium Peak, North Palisade, and Thunderbolt Peak. Return to Palisade Glacier Camp for the night. |
DAY 3 |
Climb from camp to Glacier Notch, up to Apex Col and ski the famous L-shaped couloir. Descend technically from Glacier Notch back into the Southfork drainage. A roller coaster ride of a ski run lands us near camp beneath the North side of Norman Clyde Peak. |
DAY 4 |
We get an early start for the ascent up and over Scimitar Pass - not really a pass, more like a snow swath over the shoulder of the Palisade Crest. This is a spectacular and airy place to be with sheer rock faces both looming above on the left and dropping off precipitously to the right. We then descend carefully down to the West and then North to take a side trip up the Southeast bowl of Polemonium Peak. In good conditions this can be one of the longest moderate runs in the High Sierra. We camp at the bottom of the run, which is either at the big lake or down in the Palisade Creek drainage. |
DAY 5 |
Ascend over Cirque or Chimney Pass to Palisade Creek to a camp on sunny slabs at the lakes below the South face of Disappointment Peak (technically Balcony Peak). With small packs we will either summit Balcony Peak and descend right to camp, or venture up to ski the North side of Mt. Bolton Brown. Great options for this day! |
DAY 6 |
The Grand Finale! Ascend in the early morning beneath Southfork Pass and up to the technical col that accesses the South face of the Thumb. Ascend this amazing bowl to a ski cache and a quick scramble that takes us to 13,356’ at the summit of one of the most spectacular viewpoints in the Eastern Sierra. From there we ski down one of the best ski peaks in the Sierra, finishing down Birch Creek where one can often ski 7000 vertical feet down to the desert sage and right to the vehicle we stashed way back on Day 1. Celebrate in Big Pine. |
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Prerequisites:
- Advanced-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 40 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 steep, firm slopes
- Experience ski touring in the backcountry using ski touring equipment (boots, bindings, skins, transceiver, shovel, probe, etc.
- Ability to make uphill facing kick-turns in an uphill track on a slope
- Prior experience at altitude (10,000+ ft.)
Additional Information
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