tseeb
Well-known member
After quitting Alpine at noon on Friday, we drove to Reno and, after a quick gas stop, drove straight through to Lava Beds National Monument, arriving with 15 or 20 minutes to spare before Visitor's Center closed. To visit any of the more than 15 lava caves, you need to answer a few questions to verify you are not contaminating the bats with fungus from caves in eastern US. We spent about an hour there, exploring two caves, then crossed into Oregon about 20 minutes after leaving. We did not have reservations for Friday night as we thought about staying in Klamath Falls, but decided to drive through to Bend to avoid 2+ hour drive the following morning. We arrived about 9 pm and found an inexpensive room in time to watch the 2nd half of Warriors playoff win.
Bachelor had moved to spring hours and pricing (8-1 and $59) during the previous week, but listened to customers who found snow was too firm early and just getting good when they closed and adjusted the hours. For this weekend, they continued to open at 8 as they had races scheduled, but extended the closing until 2. Next week, they plan to be open 9-2. We started skiing before 9 and found surprisingly firm snow on Pine Martin lift, considering that the low in Bend was 45 and the low was low to mid 30s on the mountain. My friend and I moved further east to some of the lower angle, more east-facing runs on Skyliner chair which were softer. We went up Summit too early and found wind was strong enough to nearly blow us down groomed, but very firm Healy Heights. We went down Beverly Hills, which was also groomed and very firm and did not soften until 3/4 of the way down.
We skied some more of the runs off Pine Marten chair which were now softening and met up with schubwa, who was skiing with two teen-age girls. He took us down Leeway and other runs before we decided to brave Summit again. Snow was much softer and we skied Healy Heights and even got off the groomed into some corn towards the bottom on Summit. The girls did not like the wind and exposure over the top so they all continued down while my friend and I went up Summit again and skied off the south side, which was about 2,000 vertical feet of good corn and interesting terrain to the catch line. We may have come down Phat Bowl as we ran into the catch line at number 17. We skied to Northwest chair which we skied once, coming down Sparks Lake before returning to the frontside.
After going to the car to get a quick snack and to have a beer in my pocket for next time up long Northwest, but fast and over 2K vertical, chair, I returned to Summit and skied off the West side. I found some great bowls and corn (may have been Boundary Bowl) that I shared with a telemarking couple. But I didn't know they best way to get towards the top of Northwest chair and skied through the trees for about 1,000 vertical feet and found the snow getting too soft in places. Next, I skied ungroomed Devil's Backbone, which we started down earlier and found too firm to Northwest base. Snow was very good for at least two thirds on the way down, then got a little sticky, especially on the southwest facing, low-angle return to the chair.
I made it up Summit one more time, going up about 1:45 and found patrol closing the highest track across the Cirque. Instead of going to the right, I wrapped around to the left and stayed high, probably getting as high as I would have by going right. I crossed under the big cornices at the west side of the Cirque and skied good north-facing corn on the West Ridge to get back to the top of Pine Marten. I got back to the car a little before 2 pm with nearly 31K vertical, my high for the year.
On Sunday 4/27, we overslept as I did not wakeup until almost 7:30. We had a quick buffet breakfast at our hotel and got on slopes at Bachelor about nine. It did not look like it was going to be a good day as clouds had moved in and there was a little drizzle. The passholders in car parked next to us were calling it a day after one run. I was glad my goggles and winter gloves were in the car and that I had added a thin t-shirt base layer to the long-sleeve t-shirt under my shell. Visibility on the top third of Pine Marten was poor and snow was firm, although softer than previous day on bottom half of the run. We moved to Skyliner chair, where visibility was good to the top and snow was softening enough that it took some poling to get past the bottom of the race course. Visibility improved enough that we moved back to Pine Marten and skied most of the runs there. Bachelor must have decided early to not run Summit and Northwest and did not start them even though skies cleared and wind was no worse than previous day.
After skiing about 10 runs on Pine Marten, I decided to try the Cinder Cone. Even flying towards it and taking a lot of compression at the bottom, I didn't make it very far up. Rather than hike the bootpack, I sidestepped and traversed around and up the cone, taking about 10 minutes with a lot of breaks to catch my breath to get to the top where I stayed about 10 minutes and enjoyed a Deschutes Chainbreaker that I had carried up with me. It was not until this hike that I opened pit-zips on my jacket and pants as, luckily since we could only ski the bottom half of the mountain, day was staying cooler At the top, I did not think hike was worth it, but after skiing the Cinder Cone, I knew I had to do it again as it was 30-40 turns in steep and excellent corn. I tried to talk my friend into joining me and he even tried schussing into the bootpack, but after nearly crashing and still having most of the climb ahead of him decided not to. I did it again, this time taking to bootpack which I found only to take about 5 minutes followed by another 3-4 minutes hiking on the mostly level top to get to the goods. Snow was still very good although it was getting softer near the bottom.
My friend and I continued to ski runs on the west edge of what was open. We found a couple of interesting chutes with a lot of terrain created by wind that must howl through there. I thought about hiking up and doing the Cinder Cone for a third time, but there was one chute where I had not found the entrance. So we went up Pine Marten (the 14h time that day for me) and went west and found the little chute with a lot of side-hill that held good corn. Snow was still firm all the way to the bottom. I'm probably lucky that I did not start going into the superpipe until my last three runs. I dropped into it a little farther each time and as getting far enough up the 20 foot walls to where my head got above the top a couple of times. We finished at 2 pm and my watch counted 24K vertical. We both thought Bachelor was worth the long drive from the Bay Area. I will add some pictures and a write-up of Friday at Alpine when I get home.
Bachelor had moved to spring hours and pricing (8-1 and $59) during the previous week, but listened to customers who found snow was too firm early and just getting good when they closed and adjusted the hours. For this weekend, they continued to open at 8 as they had races scheduled, but extended the closing until 2. Next week, they plan to be open 9-2. We started skiing before 9 and found surprisingly firm snow on Pine Martin lift, considering that the low in Bend was 45 and the low was low to mid 30s on the mountain. My friend and I moved further east to some of the lower angle, more east-facing runs on Skyliner chair which were softer. We went up Summit too early and found wind was strong enough to nearly blow us down groomed, but very firm Healy Heights. We went down Beverly Hills, which was also groomed and very firm and did not soften until 3/4 of the way down.
We skied some more of the runs off Pine Marten chair which were now softening and met up with schubwa, who was skiing with two teen-age girls. He took us down Leeway and other runs before we decided to brave Summit again. Snow was much softer and we skied Healy Heights and even got off the groomed into some corn towards the bottom on Summit. The girls did not like the wind and exposure over the top so they all continued down while my friend and I went up Summit again and skied off the south side, which was about 2,000 vertical feet of good corn and interesting terrain to the catch line. We may have come down Phat Bowl as we ran into the catch line at number 17. We skied to Northwest chair which we skied once, coming down Sparks Lake before returning to the frontside.
After going to the car to get a quick snack and to have a beer in my pocket for next time up long Northwest, but fast and over 2K vertical, chair, I returned to Summit and skied off the West side. I found some great bowls and corn (may have been Boundary Bowl) that I shared with a telemarking couple. But I didn't know they best way to get towards the top of Northwest chair and skied through the trees for about 1,000 vertical feet and found the snow getting too soft in places. Next, I skied ungroomed Devil's Backbone, which we started down earlier and found too firm to Northwest base. Snow was very good for at least two thirds on the way down, then got a little sticky, especially on the southwest facing, low-angle return to the chair.
I made it up Summit one more time, going up about 1:45 and found patrol closing the highest track across the Cirque. Instead of going to the right, I wrapped around to the left and stayed high, probably getting as high as I would have by going right. I crossed under the big cornices at the west side of the Cirque and skied good north-facing corn on the West Ridge to get back to the top of Pine Marten. I got back to the car a little before 2 pm with nearly 31K vertical, my high for the year.
On Sunday 4/27, we overslept as I did not wakeup until almost 7:30. We had a quick buffet breakfast at our hotel and got on slopes at Bachelor about nine. It did not look like it was going to be a good day as clouds had moved in and there was a little drizzle. The passholders in car parked next to us were calling it a day after one run. I was glad my goggles and winter gloves were in the car and that I had added a thin t-shirt base layer to the long-sleeve t-shirt under my shell. Visibility on the top third of Pine Marten was poor and snow was firm, although softer than previous day on bottom half of the run. We moved to Skyliner chair, where visibility was good to the top and snow was softening enough that it took some poling to get past the bottom of the race course. Visibility improved enough that we moved back to Pine Marten and skied most of the runs there. Bachelor must have decided early to not run Summit and Northwest and did not start them even though skies cleared and wind was no worse than previous day.
After skiing about 10 runs on Pine Marten, I decided to try the Cinder Cone. Even flying towards it and taking a lot of compression at the bottom, I didn't make it very far up. Rather than hike the bootpack, I sidestepped and traversed around and up the cone, taking about 10 minutes with a lot of breaks to catch my breath to get to the top where I stayed about 10 minutes and enjoyed a Deschutes Chainbreaker that I had carried up with me. It was not until this hike that I opened pit-zips on my jacket and pants as, luckily since we could only ski the bottom half of the mountain, day was staying cooler At the top, I did not think hike was worth it, but after skiing the Cinder Cone, I knew I had to do it again as it was 30-40 turns in steep and excellent corn. I tried to talk my friend into joining me and he even tried schussing into the bootpack, but after nearly crashing and still having most of the climb ahead of him decided not to. I did it again, this time taking to bootpack which I found only to take about 5 minutes followed by another 3-4 minutes hiking on the mostly level top to get to the goods. Snow was still very good although it was getting softer near the bottom.
My friend and I continued to ski runs on the west edge of what was open. We found a couple of interesting chutes with a lot of terrain created by wind that must howl through there. I thought about hiking up and doing the Cinder Cone for a third time, but there was one chute where I had not found the entrance. So we went up Pine Marten (the 14h time that day for me) and went west and found the little chute with a lot of side-hill that held good corn. Snow was still firm all the way to the bottom. I'm probably lucky that I did not start going into the superpipe until my last three runs. I dropped into it a little farther each time and as getting far enough up the 20 foot walls to where my head got above the top a couple of times. We finished at 2 pm and my watch counted 24K vertical. We both thought Bachelor was worth the long drive from the Bay Area. I will add some pictures and a write-up of Friday at Alpine when I get home.
