Sean Hartel - Backcountry in Desolation Wilderness - blog

When I moved back to Lake Tahoe, I got a house in a new area on the south end of the lake. The resorts are better on the north shore, but the backcountry down here is incredible. We have so many amazing places to go within a few minutes’ drive of our house.

For those of you who haven’t experienced this, backcountry skiing/riding is the epitome of a soul-skiers paradise. Skiing the backcountry means you’re in uninhabited wilderness with no ski lifts or lodges. The terrain is unmarked, unpatrolled, and unmaintained. Your safety in the backcountry depends entirely on nature’s variables, combined with your knowledge, skills, and decisions. A few of the dangers are avalanches, mountain weather, exhaustion, wildlife, and cliffs and tree wells on your descent. Before I started exploring the backcountry on my skis, I took several courses to learn about snow science, mountaineering, avalanche prevention, and search and rescue techniques. If you want to get a taste of backcountry skiing, it’s best to go with a licensed guide.

There are a few ways to get into the backcountry around here. I usually use my skins and trekkers when I’m in protected wilderness areas (no snowmobiles allowed). Trekker bindings clip into your regular downhill bindings and have a free heel to climb uphill easily. Skins stick to the bottom of your skis and act as a one-way grip to climb uphill without your skis sliding back down. With this set up, you can climb a snow covered 10,000-foot mountain in an afternoon. If you were on foot, it would take an hour to go the length of a football field uphill in six feet of snow. But even with skins and trekkers, it is hard work to climb a mountain with 60 pounds of ski gear and still have energy for the run down.

So the other day my roommate Brian and I did a backcountry hike in Desolation Wilderness. It’s a huge area, but the trail head we departed from is about a 10 minute drive from our house. We left from Eagle Falls, which is right behind Emerald Bay.

Our original plan was to hike to the top of Maggies Peak, ski down to Azule Lakes, then hike and ski Dicks Peak, traverse up and over the saddle, and ski back down to Eagle Lake. By the time we summited Maggies Peak, a storm started rolling in. So we had to cut our day short, but we still got a decent run in. We started our hike at 6,500-feet elevation, ended on Maggies Peak at about 8,650 feet, and hiked/skied approximately eight miles.

Now check out the video from the run down!!!