Trailhead: Wolverton
Elevation: 11328
Route: The hump trail and Pear Lake
Difficulty: Moderate Ski
Aspect: North/Northeast
After two previous attempts (one where a winter storm rolled in, another where our hut reservation was cancelled unexpectedly) we finally managed to climb Winter Alta via the Pear Lake trail. We did this on AT skis although one member of our group (a runner) tried the classic running shoes / snow shoes combination and made it to the hut but not the summit of Alta. RM and I summited Alta after spending the night in the Pear Lake hut and found tremendous views of SEKI and the tablelands and excellent corn skiing.
Photo credits: CMR and RM
Standing on Alta looking out at the Sierra Crest
Our first try at winter Alta was a sad attempt at deluding ourselves about the weather. During the great winter or 2017 GG and I set out to do Winter Alta in a day from the Wolverton trail head. We brought light sleeping gear, concerned that we might get benighted. However the weather forecast was dire, calling for a big snowstorm to arrive sometime in the next 48 hours. The Sierra already had a massive snowpack from dozens of other multi-day blizzards earlier in the year.
The trailhead at Wolverton was buried under the huge snowpack!
We skiied up to the "hump", basically a high ridge that overlooks the Pear Lake basin. The weather was clear, however we could see clouds gathering over the tablelands. We met a few skiiers on the trail who warned us again about the weather, and noted that in case of a blizzard the road to the Wolverton trailhead might close, trapping us. They suggested we pick a shorter day, so we skiied "the soccer field", a beautiful 30 degree slope near the hump. As we finished the run, the pressure began to drop and the temperature chilled. It was time to return to the car.
Ski squiggles on the Football Field
What followed was the most harrowing couple hours of skiing I had experienced. The sun set into the central valley casting an orange glow into the dense trees. The temperature was cold enough to freeze the snowpack solid and my light AT skis skittered over the ice. GG had no problems but I pingponged from tree to tree enduring a series of low speed crashes. We returned to the car as snow began to fall having gotten no where close to Winter Alta.
The hut at sunset
I returned with a group of three friends, KB, JW, and RM. KB is a runner and travelled on snow shoes, which can be difficult on the angled terrain around Alta. JW was learning how to backcountry ski. RM was pretty much an expert skiier and could ski circles around me. We skiied the first day in to the Hut and spent the night. Early the next morning RM and I spent a few hours skiing the mellow Winter Alta peak. The Tablelands leading up to Alta are expansive, and the skiing is spectacular. I hope some day to come back and spend more days in the area.
Looking out over the Tablelands
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