Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board At Skinning/Skiing Mountaineer's Route

Hi everyone,

Was thinking about skinning up to Iceberg lake and then crampon'ing it up from there. Has anyone here skinned up before? What are your thoughts? What AT ski package did you use. Was it worth it for the ride down?

We're familiar with this route but I have yet to skin up.

Thanks
Canuck

Yes, did it last el nino year in the early spring. We were able to skin most of the way to iceberg as the NF drainage was completely filled in. Had to do some traversing just before LBSL and hiked up and over the waterfall shortcut into iceberg. We ended up only going about half way up to the notch as the snow was really hard wind pack and the skiing would not have been fun. We were lucky enough to be able to ski all the way out to our truck at the Meysan Lake trail head. Could be some difficult going up and down if the NF drainage is not filled in. Watch out for weak snow bridges.

Thanks Richard.

I will be new to skinning but not new to Whitney in the winter. How much did you practice before you felt confident enough to do a hike like Whitney? I plan to just go to Iceberg Lake. The trouble with practicing is finding a place that rents AT gear. Do you know of any places in SoCal that I can go to?

Thanks
Canuck

Canuk

I have not heard of anyplace that does but your best bet would be A16 or REI in So Cal. If you live in So Cal there are many good places to practice. San Gorgonio, Baldy, San Jacinto and even in Big Bear this year. I would recommend some practice prior to attempting it on Whitney. You use hip flexor muscles that I'm not sure there is any other way to train and some of the technique for skinning with the least amount of effort and traversing can take a little practice. Have fun with it. It opens up a whole new line of adventure in the Mountains for you.

I'm not aware of any place in southern California that rents AT gear. You can rent cross-country gear in at least Mammoth and San Diego.

The only 'go to ' place that I know of that stocks AT gear south of Mammoth is Norpine Mountain Sports in San Diego. They also have an experienced boot-fitter.
http://norpine.com/

A less expensive alternative to a complete AT outfit is to use an adapter with your downhill gear for the uphill portion of your trip. The only one I am aware of is:
Backcountry Access Alpine Trekker Adaptors
http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Backcountry-Access-Alpine-Trekker-Adaptors/BCA0001M.html

At about $200 it costs a lot less than buying, and probably less than multi-day rental would if it were available.

Dale B. Dalrymple

The BCA Trekkers are best for short tours. Trying Whitney on Alpine Gear with the Trekkers is not the best recipe for success.

Any word on what kind of shape the north chute is in (above the notch)? Is there snow up there?

I agree that Trekkers are not going to give uphill performance as good as Alpine Touring (AT) gear. They are normally used to allow heel lift for uphill travel on downhill gear which is much heavier than modern AT gear. Then you remove the Trekkers and descend any difficult parts in just your normal downhill gear. People experienced with downhill gear may be more comfortable on the downhill portions with their downhill gear than they would be with AT or telemark gear. Depending on snow conditions the skins may not see use in the gully and above the notch. I can't imagine a reason to use Trekkers in AT gear. (Maybe we should try and talk Richard P into trying it.)

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com

I skied mountaineers route to upper boy scout lake yesterday (tues,2/9) where, unfortunately, I judged the slope above me to be too unstable to continue up. I pulled up for awhile and watched the storm come in from the east until it was almost on top of me and then skied down. Started at road closed parking area at 2am....back at car about 1:30pm.....conditions were not ideal with deep unconsolidated snow in the gully leading to lower boy scout and lots of wind loaded slopes above with orientation being hard to predict....believe a bit more time needed for some consolidation of new snowpack.

Thanks to all who replied! I have been away having fun in the snow. Just getting back into the swing of normal everyday rat-race life.

I will try the places you suggested in San Diego. If that fails I will be up in Bishop area in a month. Will stop by Mammoth Mountaineering Supply as they seem to have good deals on demo's. Still trying to figure out which set up I want to go with. I am need something that is going to be more suited for the ascent. I don't plan on bombing down the mountain. I just want to glide down. Sounds boring but I want to become great at the climb and then maybe switch to a more aggressive setup later on.

On that note, would it be quicker to A-frame my skis and snowshoe up? I can always carry my boots. Its heavier but its not like I am carrying a tent and 3 days worth of food. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Cheers
Canuck

It sounds like you need to look into Dynafit bindings... they can handle pretty aggressive skiing as well, but they really shine if you want to do longer tours and bigger climbs. Look at the Vertical ST model. Just keep in mind that your AT boots need to have dynafit fittings in them to be used with dynafit bindings.

http://www.dynafit.com/

http://www.wildsnow.com/


Go for a ski tour with skins once and you will never want to look at snowshoes again. Taken to the racing extreme, the same general technology behind Dynafit alpine touring gear lets randonee racers do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVwHvPp_zRY&feature=player_embedded

You'll want to practice skiing with a big pack a few times before you commit to your trip... its different.

Thanks for the video link. Those guys are in amazing shape. I got tired watching them.

I will take your advice into consideration.

Cheers
Canuck

Brent,
I took a look at the Dynafit bindings. Which version specifically where you suggesting? These bindings do come highly recommended by a lot of people. There is a local shop that has them on consignment paired with some G3 Reverend's for $650. Your thoughts?

Thanks man

Canuck

The TLT Vertical ST with brake (stopper) is a good choice for general touring and some resort use. I say this because its easy to use, not the most expensive model, is very durable, easier to mount (more front-back adjustment range so if the shop or your buddy messes up a bit its ok), has a good heel lifter system for hill climbing, and has a re-enforced crampon attachment point.

http://www.dynafit.com/uk/4/674/48703-TLT_Vertical_ST_with_92_mm_Stopper.html

If you're a very large skier, riding very wide skis, or need higher release settings for jumping off cliffs or something, the Vertical FT 12 is the top of the line... but the vast majority of backcountry skiers don't need to spend the extra money. The TLT Speed model is also just fine for most backcountry touring, and usually costs the least.

As for the skis you found, what's your height, weight, ski style? I like the reverend on paper (93 waist) but have never skied them. What length are you looking for? Will this place let you demo them first? I would try to do that. Mammoth Mountaineering has great deals on demo rentals. Its always good to try skis before buying. If the ones you're looking at for $650 have Vertical ST bindings and are 'like new' then its a good price... if they have speeds or comforts, then its a bit high. Its clearance season so there are deals to be had on new stuff right now. Here's a nice rig that's new for about the same $$, but only if the skis are the right size for you:

http://www.campsaver.com/itemmatrix.asp?GroupCode=dyn0001&MatrixType=1

http://www.campsaver.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=dyn0008

If you're in the san diego area I'll mount them up for a beer.


More good skis on sale:

http://shop.campsaver.com/nav/Category-Alpine_Touring--SubCategory-Backcountry_Skis

The BD kilowatt and verdict are also really nice rides with good width and value.

Found another sale:
http://www.mountaingear.com/pages/product/product.asp/imanf/K2/idesc/Backup%20Ski%20-%20Men%27s/item/217786/N/0
The skinnier skis are super cheap this year. Everyone wants the fatties.

Oh, I would not recommend Norpine in SD for binding mounting. They damaged a pair of my skis beyond repair doing a normal mount. Since then I've learned to do my own mounts.

Thanks for the beer bro, I might take you up on that since I am not sure if I want REI to mount them.

Those were great links that you sent me. As for length of ski, I have a pair of 188 Atomics for the resort. But for BC skis I am not sure. I am 5'9" and weigh 200lbs. So I am thinking the 178's are best. But I will be able to turn faster in the 170s. But are the 170s too short?
Thanks for your advice! I will PM you when I am in SD. I went to UCSD!

Cheers
Canuck

REI in SD doesn't even have the mounting jig, sad but true. According to Salewa, Dynafit's distributer, there are only two such jigs in SD, one at Norpine, and one at my house. HA!

I bet you'll be fine anywhere in the 170-180 range if you're 200lbs and ski 188s at the resort, and probably better closer to the 180 end, especially if they have some tip rocker. I'm 6' and about 170lbs and my rigs range from 170 (78mm waist, no rocker) to 188 (125mm waist, huge rocker).

For anyone who sucks at using physical (opposed to virtual, I guess) tools, Dynafit has at least one pre-drilled ski in their line which is easy to mount with nothing more than a ratchet and the right posidrive thingy. They're a lot lighter than comparably wide skis from BD (these are the Manaslus).

Yup, and those are my go-to skis for most BC days. The Mustagh Ata superlight, Seven Summits superlight, and the new Stokes also have the pre-drilled mounts.

I'll chime-in on the Dynafit Vertical TLT bindings. They are about half the weight of the Fritchi/Daimer Freerides and they work great.

I couldn't find any shops in Southern California with experience in backcountry ski gear. So I mounted the Dynafit TLT's myself at home without a jig. It takes some patience, a lot of careful measurement and layout, and the step-by-step instructions along with the download-able template. The instructions and template can be found on Lou Dawson's Wild Snow website.

The heel and toe pieces are two seperate units so proper alignment is critical. If they don't line up, the heel of your boot won't land right on the heel binding.

In my opinion, the mounting job is worth more like a case of beer.

I also thermo-molded my own liners for my Garmont Megaride boots. Do-it yourself instructions for thermo-molding are also on Lou Dawson's Wild Snow.

You are a brave (or particularly tool-savvy) man, Rick.

The boots will be the hardest to find. There IS nothing in SoCal. So I will bite the bullet and head up to Bishop and see if I can find something for my feet there.

I have normal to wide feet. Not full on wide feet. So I need something with a wide toebox. It seems as though only the Scarpa's will work for me. I am hearing great things about Dynafit and Garmont boots though. Does anyone know if the one in particular has a lot of toe room?

Thanks again for your help !

Canuck