backcountry skiing with the foothill freak

 

February 25th, 2006

In search of new diggs for the sniffaz, and to avoid the wasangeles phenonomon, we got up a little earlier and headed to Alpine to check out the mountain that always seems to be off in the distance, never up close: Box Elder Peak.

Box Elder Peak Skiing

Box Elder Peak on the approach, the super couliour bisects the cliff on the right.

Box Elder Peak

Here's a close up of the north cirque. On the approach from Alpine/Dry Creek, you get plenty of time to scope your line.

Ski Cuties

Pleanty of chic power graced the tour.

surface hoar

On the way up there was a beautiful line that featured the best surface hoar I'd seen all year. We had to take a run...

dropping in

We weren't sure if we'd be able to ski from "Ze Summitt" with all the exposed rock we were seeing from a distance. But luckily, there was this thin, snowy traverse right near the top that gave us good access.

Box Elder north cirque

Princess powers through the initial crusts, moving on to ski the best two lines of the day.

sun set skiing

Last run of the day, some 3500 vft above our car at the trailhead.

west face skiing

Two new freakers that have yet to develope proper freak nomenclature. The snow was so sticky on this run that getting down was quite a chore. Princess had the best run due to riding on freshly waxed boards. That's my excuse and I'm standing by it.

We returned to the freakmobile, skiing all the way to the parking lot. Mission Accomplished.