Sugarbowl to Squaw ski traverse
February 16, 2015
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This is an awesome day out! I started by taking the lift up Mt Lincoln, before leaving the ski resort boundary and dropping down the ridge towards Anderson. Really thin snow there... I actually had to walk a bare section of 100 feet to connect the ribbons of white! Thankfully once on the ridge proper, there was enough snow. In about an hour and a half from starting at the base, I was at the Benson hut - what a gorgeous location for a hut, right on the ridge! I took a small break there and went straight up to Mt Anderson, from where I had to walk on rocks again for ~200 feet until dropping down onto the snow. It must be really windy there, I doubt there's ever much snow on the summit... From Anderson the next destination is Tinker Knob, a really distinguishable mountain along the ridgeline. Technically you don't have to go the summit but I took the extra few minutes to bootpack up there and check it out. Good thing too, because the ski down from the top was probably the best snow on the trip, perfect ~2" of fresh corn, and nice steepness, just short!

Low snow meant that the second half of the traverse was survival skiing while dodging dirt patches and rocks (and a few brief sections of walking), but it was still great fun! The views from the crest are absolutely unbelievable... photos don't do it justice (and I only had my phone's camera). From Tinker Knob I skied down a bit, but soon had to walk again (on the PCT trail, no less!) - after a few hundred feet I was able to step into the skis again and dropped down to the west on a nice corn slope, before climbing over another small ridge and dropping into the prominent meadow under Granite Chief. It took me a little while to navigate out of there, but I made it!

Route beta:

Tip: I brought lightweight aluminum boot crampons for Mt Anderson's north couloir and they were awesome to have there. The north side doesn't get any sun in the morning, it's quite steep there and it was really firm from the overnight freeze.

  Mt Anderson in the distance, with a broken cornice in the foreground Broken cornice pieces Looking back at the top of Mt Lincoln at Sugarbowl. Ski the ribbon of snow!  
  Mt Anderson in the distance, with a broken cornice in the foreground Broken cornice pieces Looking back at the top of Mt Lincoln at Sugarbowl. Ski the ribbon of snow!

  Mt Andersen's north face in the distance shows the first real objective  
  Mt Andersen's north face in the distance shows the first real objective

  Truckee in the distance! Good snow coverage in the first half of the tour  
  Truckee in the distance! Good snow coverage in the first half of the tour

  Looking back at the starting point - Mt Lincoln  
  Looking back at the starting point - Mt Lincoln

  Mt Anderson The Benson hut! What a beautiful place... would be cool to come stay here sometime  
  Mt Anderson The Benson hut! What a beautiful place... would be cool to come stay here sometime

   
 

   
 

  View from the hut to the northeast State of the art mountain toilet :-)  
  View from the hut to the northeast State of the art mountain toilet :-)

  Tinker Knob on the right, with Lake Tahoe in the background! Panorama from the top of Mt Anderson  
  Tinker Knob on the right, with Lake Tahoe in the background! Panorama from the top of Mt Anderson

  Gorgeous view of Desolation Wilderness to the south! Tinker Knob on the left Nice drop to the east :)  
  Gorgeous view of Desolation Wilderness to the south! Tinker Knob on the left Nice drop to the east :)

  Breath taking views! Approaching Tinker Knob Looking southwest from the summit of Tinker Knob  
  Breath taking views! Approaching Tinker Knob Looking southwest from the summit of Tinker Knob

  Looking south, great view of Squaw Valley and Lake Tahoe Nice corn turns from the summit of Tinker Knob (surprisingly my tracks were the only ones!)  
  Looking south, great view of Squaw Valley and Lake Tahoe Nice corn turns from the summit of Tinker Knob (surprisingly my tracks were the only ones!)

  On the PCT! Some nice corn near Billy's peak Looking back at Tinkers Knob... I don't know how I managed to ski through that  
  On the PCT! Some nice corn near Billy's peak Looking back at Tinkers Knob... I don't know how I managed to ski through that

  Skiing through granite cliffbands :)  
  Skiing through granite cliffbands :)

   
 

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