Ski Mountaineering

Telescope Peak

March 28-29, 1992

Ldrs: Jamison, Stenzel



Six of us met at the Wildrose Campground Saturday morning, March 26, for a week-end of skiing in the Panamints. Steve Hessen rode with me, Reiner took Bill Oliver, and Barbara Hoffman drove with Larry Tidball. Although this was a scheduled SMS trip, it was also a kind of shakedown for a trip the following week up into Humphrey's Basin with Bill, Larry, Ellen Miller and myself.

We drove as far as the Charcoal kilns, and started hiking the road around 8:30. We were soon skinning up the road to Mahogany Flats, where we decided to continue on the road which led to the radio towers on Rogers Peak. This road switchbacks up the eastern side of a long gulley that Reiner was later to ski on the way back.

The group summited Rogers Peak, and we skied to the saddle between it and Bennet Peak, where we made camp. After we set up camp and dug a community kitchen, Reiner held a ski clinic, and we spent the rest of the afternoon skiing some of the lumps around the camp area. Larry and Barbee are fairly new on telemark skis, and Bill was trying to break in his new Randonne' skis, or visa versa. The happy hour was welcomed, as the snow had turned to breakable crust, and everyone was feeling a little crusty toward skiing by then.

Sunday found us with clouds coming and going rapidly, and the group climbed Bennet to decide what to do from there. Telescope was not visible from Bennet due to the weather, but Reiner and Steve and I decided to make a modest attempt at it anyway.

Barbee, Larry and Bill decided to stay on the slopes around camp, which proved to be the correct decision. We took the ridge toward the peak for quite a distance, but the peak just wouldn't show, and it was fairly windy and looked like weather was coming in, so we headed back to camp.

We broke camp and climbed back to a saddle where we had lunched the day before. Reiner needed to get some turns in, so even though the snow was really soft and wet, he glided gracefully down the steep gully, while the rest of us took the switchbacks back down. We met Reiner at a switchback, and a couple of us joined him for the balance of the descent.

This trip didn't involve a lot of skiing, but the group had a good time, and Larry was taught by Reiner that you can make skins from rope or twine if you forget them. Bill had so much fun on his new skis that they may be for sale, but the trip did prepare us for a fine trip to Humphreys Basin the next weekend.

Reporter: Scot Jamison


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