SummitPost.org

Hey, Im a student at UNLV and I have been telemarking in Idaho for quite awhile. I was hoping to take my telemark setup back down to Vegas and go on some backcountry skiing trips and possibly overnight camping trips.

Does anyone have any advice on some good areas to head from Vegas besides the Mt. Charleston area? Some suggestions on where to go in the Death Valley National Park?

Thanks!

??? There are plenty of areas in Mt Charleston, why in the world would you want to go to DV?

Try the true NLT (North Loop Trail) off 158, south to the 10000' ridge. Try Trail Canyon (off Kyle) to the junction with NLT. When you adjust to those, you can try the routes down the Griffith Avalanche chute and "the Hourglass" on Charleston. I can give you a route on the N of McFarland that will be "interesting."

The only thing in DV is Telescope, a lot longer drive, and harder to access, with less snow in an average year.

Look for Seamus in Vegas. He'll set you up.

Thanks for the advice. I wasn't entirely sure how much potential the Mt Charleston area has. I will definately make some trips up there to check it out and get some turns in.

Have any of you done a winter summit of Mount Wheeler in Great Basin NP? I have summited wheeler when it was dry but would like a fun overnight trip during the winter. Is late February, early March a good time to do this?

We climbed Wheeler in late March a few years back.
http://www.splattski.com/2004/wheeler/index.html

We were on snowshoes, and followed the trail up the canyon from about 7800' (the road was closed).
The snow on Wheeler would not have been good skiing (hollow, rotten snow and wind-affected up high), but the ridge/peak to the north had turn tracks all over it

Brianhead area in Utah and the Tushar range are reasonable drive from Vegas, there is a defunct ski resort in the Tushars above Beaver Utah that has some nice skiing.

Wheeler and the Tushar Range are about as far from LV as the CA Sierra. I can certainly see the appeal for the Tushars though -- lots of open areas with gentle slopes.

mate....skiing in Nevada is virtually unlimited, no less in Southern Nevada, have skied off the summit of Charleston twice this winter, once by a new line on the buttress south of the airplane gully, once thru the hourglass couloir.....there isn't really a local scene so Lines can be picked off at will......standard route to the summit in winter is thru Big Falls, but it is prone to slides so pay attention to conditions.....so many ranges in central nevada have awesome snow but rarely, if ever, have seen a ski track....the Schell Range alone could keep a person busy for quite a while......have fun, this is an awesome state for bc skiers!!!!

Hey Seamus! I recognize the ellipses! You have the best advice about LV BC skiing.

Have any of you done a winter summit of Mount Wheeler in Great Basin NP? I have summited wheeler when it was dry but would like a fun overnight trip during the winter. Is late February, early March a good time to do this?

I have been there in winter. It's a great area for winter mountaineering, but it isn't that close to LV. It can be done in one verly long day in winter, but a two day climb can be more enjoyable and would allow for side trips, such as to the Bristlecone Pine forest.

Also consider the Pine Valley Mountains outside St. George Utah. It would be closer to LV than places like the Tushar Mountains or Wheeler Peak.

Hey MoapaPk,
just a heads up .......jeff jackson and I are skiing up Charleston to summit on Sunday morning....will probably ski the true airplane gully or something similiar.......we usually leave maryjane falls parking lot about 2am in the morning......we will usually make the summit in six hours or so climbing thru big falls, depending on conditions.....are you interested????...send a reply if you are............cheers, seamus b.

nvskier1 wrote:Hey MoapaPk,
just a heads up .......jeff jackson and I are skiing up Charleston to summit on Sunday morning....will probably ski the true airplane gully or something similiar.......we usually leave maryjane falls parking lot about 2am in the morning......we will usually make the summit in six hours or so climbing thru big falls, depending on conditions.....are you interested????...send a reply if you are............cheers, seamus b.

I'm sort of busy this weekend.... and I need some intensive rehab on skis to re-learn how to use my right foot. I've done just one paltry telemark trip since my paralysis in 2002. Plus, I need new skis!

no worries, wanted to extend the offer ....not many of us here in the vegas valley and I thought I'd ask..... my 18 -year-old daughter just arrived from australia and I'll be skiing at LVSSR on saturday....we do have a small group which skis with me and if you'd ever like to join for a day just give a shout......snow on saturday and sunday will certainly make the summit a bit tougher, but skiing should be stellar off the top.......cheers.....seamus b.

I did a two day trip up Wheeler and didn't ski the top cause it was way too wind blownto be fun at all. there is great skiing there though, and we did ski a bunch of other stuff. There are several couloirs to check in the cirque too. just be sure to dig pits and follow backcountry safety, that snow pack seemed heavily windloaded and had some hoar layers as well.