Hemlocks 02 26 2023

We wanted to use Chair 14 to get to Hemlocks, but the backside was closed, so we skinned the ski area boundary to the north to the top. This is another version of my favorite area to ski when the avy hazard is high or the weather is too bad in other areas. The snow was really deep. I could push my pole all the way down to the grip without much resistance. It was very light on top, getting progressively denser lower down. I never stepped off my skis, but probably would have gone down to my nipples.
I was with team Slovakia. An old friend who lives in Mammoth half the time and a new friend from the same town in Slovakia, who has been living in Switzerland for the last seven years. The skin up is usually pretty relaxed, but was tough this time, due to the deep snow. Good thing we had three people to rotate breaking trail.

[@michaeldougfir9807]

So fun! Me too. Thanks for the video.

[@loslobos9461]

Amazing! How do you even know where to go?

[@midi510]

I've lived here for 60 years and know the surrounding area quite well. As far as the specific line, it's always different and part of the fun, just reacting to the openings that pop up. It's easy for people not familiar with the area to get lost. Sometimes tourists from the ski area get lost off the back side of the mountain and search and rescue has to retrieve them. This is in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. Just a mile or so to the south is the John Muir wilderness. Both these wilderness areas are within three miles of where I live. I spend much of my free time there.