Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Hello!

As it happens, it seems there is a real possibility the Sierra Nevada range in California may (or may not) retain a very high snow content this year again, long into the springtime. Me and my partner are dry-land hiking the PCT from early March onwards and entering Sierra early on, if all goes to plan. I brought my Nordic setup last time in 2019 and loved it, but not so much the logistics as a foreigner. Now after covid flying with skis has become difficult and expensive too.

Does anyone know of any ski/poles/boots rental for a 75mm, NNN-BC or Xplore setup for a few flexible weeks? We are 182cm/70kg and 174cm/65kg to start with, probably lose a few kilos but carry 15-20kg through this section. Boot size 41 or 42 for both of us. Any metal edged nordic skis will work, we are not picky. But would prefer a skinlock system and NNNBC/Xplore as we have no experience with 75mm. It would be preferrable if the rental is located along the trail and we could possibly return the skis as we descend down from the high range. But shipping one way at least would need to be possible.

This is of course not set in stone and we have no set schedule yet, except plan is to start slow through SoCal on 8th of March. I am gathering any helpful information for the "what if"

Any recommendations, contacts, help is appreciated. If it comes to loaning some gear, we are of course 100% willing to replace any worn skins and broken poles. Sierra cement was hard on my skins last time. We can also bring our own skins and small items as we anyways have equipment for the smaller snowy sections down south with us.

We would prefer to just walk through this time with less hassle, but the nordic skier in me would be kicking himself inside the head on every flat section, especially if the snow does remain high and or no longer supports a walker We both have extensive experience of long-distance winter tours so one does not need to worry if we would be well prepared or not, but any local wisdom is very welcome. Anyway, if you happen to reside close to the trail, I would not mind meeting a few TTalkers along the way!


Yours truly,

Teemu & Vilma

"Record Snowfall" is correct in a literal sense. California has been keeping good snow data since 1971, and for this season between the start to Jan 17 it is the most snowfall of any year. --However-- this is a la niña year (cold ocean currents) which usually results in some big atmospheric river storms early, and then a ridge sets up on the coast. Temps will be slightly lower than average, but also dry. We saw this last year (also a la niña year) with record storms in October and December, but record dry months of Jan and Feb resulting in an awful spring/summer snowpack.

So far this year the moisture has kept coming... but the ridge is now setting up. Some models have it moving offshore opening the window for more storms, others don't. All this is to say--you're going to have to pay close attention to see what Feb and March do. If we get more storms, there will be snow up high. If not... you're only going to find it on the north side of high passes. (all of this depending on how fast your are of course).

When do you think you'd want to ditch the skis? Bishop or further north? It might help with suggestions, even if it will likely be a long shot either way.

I remember running across some other write up about these guys. Maybe in Outside Magazine?? Anyway this article gives their names and you might want to research them. They did the PCT in Winter.

https://www.rgj.com/story/life/outdoors ... /81501560/

And you might look into shipping your ski gear to a UPS or FedEx location for pickup where you need it. The IT company I worked for used it all the time for us remote employees. Like 150 lb hard case of equipment.

Krummholz wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 30, 2023 6:48 pm

I remember running across some other write up about these guys. Maybe in Outside Magazine?? Anyway this article gives their names and you might want to research them. They did the PCT in Winter.

https://www.rgj.com/story/life/outdoors ... /81501560/

And you might look into shipping your ski gear to a UPS or FedEx location for pickup where you need it. The IT company I worked for used it all the time for us remote employees. Like 150 lb hard case of equipment.

I'm very aware of the guys and have researched their trip in detail before - there is a lot of room for improvement from what they did. After all, they did what was most comfortable to them, and with nobody as an example. I am not opposed to trying something like that in the future - although I am aware I would need to spend a season or two on site to plan the journey as a whole. I am not that aware of the seasons. Nordic setup can possibly be a heck of a lot more efficient most of the way, and these guys went so called 'stupid light' with some things, sacrificing overall efficiency for efficiency while on the move with the equipment they had

- -

I think I shipped my skis out with USPS last time, about $80 or something like that. Got a cardboard box from a sporting goods store. An aquaintance flew home with them. Should definitely look into what you've suggested.

spopepro wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 30, 2023 12:41 pm

"Record Snowfall" is correct in a literal sense. California has been keeping good snow data since 1971, and for this season between the start to Jan 17 it is the most snowfall of any year. --However-- this is a la niña year (cold ocean currents) which usually results in some big atmospheric river storms early, and then a ridge sets up on the coast. Temps will be slightly lower than average, but also dry. We saw this last year (also a la niña year) with record storms in October and December, but record dry months of Jan and Feb resulting in an awful spring/summer snowpack.

So far this year the moisture has kept coming... but the ridge is now setting up. Some models have it moving offshore opening the window for more storms, others don't. All this is to say--you're going to have to pay close attention to see what Feb and March do. If we get more storms, there will be snow up high. If not... you're only going to find it on the north side of high passes. (all of this depending on how fast your are of course).

When do you think you'd want to ditch the skis? Bishop or further north? It might help with suggestions, even if it will likely be a long shot either way.

Thank you - this does clarify a thing or two. I have been keeping track of the past winters and followed some locals to inquire about the conditions. As you said, it can come to something or nothing. Anyhow, I'm looking to fill in the what if -slots of my plans.

It would indeed be a wild guess, as the land areas the snowfall will cover this year can't really be predicted from past years. 2019 one could have skied all the way to Truckee. After Echo Lake before South Lake Tahoe the snow didn't freeze overnight any longer. I believe that was in June. We had many consecutive storms that slowed me down by almost a month. We entered Sierra in April I believe, had the same start date as this time. But had to turn back a few times to not risk getting caught in a bad spot as weather patterns suggested. A drier winter definitely would be preferrable to make things easier. But for the ski drop-off I am willing to carry them to South Lake Tahoe for example. If it comes to that.

Can't speak for speed of the desert section yet either - can be a month or two months. My partner has had some back issues from work now which we are trying to resolve in time.

A couple of resources for you.

Snotel - water/snow data, open the map, click on a dot and start diving down the rabbit hole in to the data. Unfortunately no snow depth data, just snow water equivalent in inches. California has denser snow 1 to 6 - 8 than Colorado 1 to 10 - 15.


https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wc ... 0&zoom=4.0


I use GaiaGPS.com as my go to for trail finding, topo (Free), snow coverage (Freshsat), Nat Geo PCT, cell coverage, and a bunch of other layers (Premium). Yes you will need LTE data for updated satellite data. Static layer areas can be downloaded.

Freshsat - dark-no snow, white-snow

greater detail on the snowpack is available here:

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow/current/snow/

There is a massive amount of data available, it takes some time to figure out how to wade through it. The key things to look at are the snow sensors, which have real-time information on snow water content and in some cases snow depth. On the page above, under snow sensor information, you will see "Latest Real-time Snow Water Content Data or narrow by River Basin" that will take you to the list of active snow sensors. It takes some map knowledge to find the best ones for the PCT/JMT. Most if not all of these are on the snotel interactive map; but by way of the CDEC site you can get deeper into the data.

Then there are the manual survey locations, which are more accurate but only get measured once a month at best. If I get time later today I could put together a list of the best sensor and manual survey sites for the PCT/JMT.

If you're thinking you'll be fast enough to have snow up to tahoe, then I think you should give Alpenglow Sports an email/call. They are probably one of the few shops here who might be able to help you. Long distance nordic backcountry isn't big here (yet... ) so there's not a lot of options even for gear sales, let alone rentals. But Alpenglow will at least know what you're talking about and might have a lead.

I'd offer up my 195 Ingstad WL... but they are mounted for AT. Best of luck--you seem to know the area and have a plan. It can be *tough* back there early season. If you happen to hit donner pass at a time that I could get free, I'd shuttle you down to truckee and back.

Enjoy your journey on the PCT, and here's to hoping for an epic Sierra experience!