My Ski Mountaineering Year of 1996

It seemed like the skiing would never end.

But that's the way it felt at the end of this finest month for skiing the High Sierra backcountry. I went the whole season with no skiing in the local mountains, with no partners or any club ops. My first ski climb, was then the fearsome Elderberry Canyon. Out of shape and doing this with my last skiing being then over a year ago, I had to carry extra gear, and a camera pack, too, since I could never be sure what might happen or what I might wind up doing. The others skied as a group, all from the same area, able to travel light, and I surmise, ski often on previous weekends. I can't really afford downhill resort skiing, so count on plenty of backcountry locally, to make me fit and proficient. I made a terrible show in front of everyone, skiing down, although we made it down the 2,500 feet to snowline in an hour. I suppose this was the beginning to the end, for me and the Ski Mountaineers.

Nevertheless, I managed to attend the joint Hilton Lakes snowcamp, then the Southern Cascades tours over the May holiday. I finished a bit stronger with the final June day tour at Sonora Pass. Most of them do the same ski tours over and over. I like variety. But, being around for over 25 years, you do get some mileage on you, and eventually get around to doing most or all of the main scheduled tours.

Photography has topped out as my passion. Now with digital gear, I avoid cold weather traveling in the backcountry, since the cold depletes batteries. Many digital cameras are rated to work only above freezing. I try to keep them warm inside a pocket, but taking the camera out constantly to shoot photos drains them. The local skiing has long fallen apart, and now there's global warming. It burns only about two gallons of fuel, each way, for me to motor to the nearest snow, and I am only so happy for good company. But I guess the ops, for me, and this crazy sport, have disappeared forever!