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Organization be damned. If the weather is cooperative, I'll be making the trip from SLC, otherwise it's hard to justify the drive.

A friend was telling me about a 7000 ft vertical in that area, some couloir off Mount Dana? that ends at Lee Vinings rd. Anyone know of it?

Dana couloir, connecting to one of the chutes of Dana plateau. The plateau area is starting to melt out lower down so by then you probably won't be able to ride down near to the road. Ellery bowl should still be good though (north end of the plateau). Dana couloir will almost certainly be in good shape.

We got Fri 10th off, so we'll be there. Please post info on where to meet, etc when this is finalized.

I don't think there is that much of a plan, except to show up when you get there. There are more amenities at saddlebag campground (tables and bathrooms, if open), but a campsite near greenstone lake is closer to the goods. I'm planning to go in on thursday night and camp near greenstone lake, if anyone is interested in hiking at night. We get a new moon on monday, and only a sliver by thursday so bring the headlamps.


Anyone staying past sunday?

I will be up friday morning, have a friend who needs to rent a split from Mammoth Mountaineering. We will be up as early as possible after that. Does anyone know if there is any parking on the saddlebag lake turn off?

We're leaving Thurs night, sleep in Mammoth (and pick up gear), drive up Friday morning & hike in.

Where is everyone parking? How far up can we drive? Not too familiar with the area. Sorry for the questions, I've only been there once (last summer) and I parked at the end of the road by Saddlebag Lake.



edit: got one answer by reading another thread

A buddy and I will meet up with you early Friday morning near greensmoke lake. We'll be sleeping at the turn-off. I'm assuming there will be parking within walking distance of the turn-off.

Would someone be so cool as to rent a pair of crampons for me? None for rent near me.

Hey patroller-we'll both be stoked.

PS. size 11.5 soft boots

Parking:

Drive up 120 west from 395 about 8 miles (?) or so to the Saddlebag Rd turnout.
Once you pass Ellery Lake, the Saddlebag Rd and turnout will be just another mile or two.
If you've gone to Tioga Pass Resort, you've gone too far.

The road to Saddlebag Resort will be closed but there is a large turnout that you can park in and leave your car overnight. Note: There is no tent camping here, however you can sleep IN your car.

From the car, walk up Saddlebag Road. It's very straightforward…just don't get off the road. The road will most likely be a combination of dry road, snow patches, and complete snow. You might want to hike the road in hiking boots or tennis shoes. We usually do. I either stash them at the resort for the walk out or take them with me to camp so I have another footwear option around camp. Side note: The best way to carry your boots and your board is to put your boots in your bindings and strap your board to your pack in the normal fashion (vertical carry recommended).

Keep in mind that your pack is going to weight a TON in the beginning. You'll have all your overnight gear plus the weight of your board and boots. Keep a smile on your face and remember its only two miles on the road. It should take most folks 1-1.5hrs at the most.

With the huge snow year we've had there's a slight chance we'll be able to skin the road. If this is the case, I would recommend it as it will get a lot of weight off your back.

Once at the Saddlebag Resort (end of the road), you need to be on the lookers left side of the lake. You can cross the outlet stream on either the damn or at the base of the damn (I prefer the base). Once across, the route follows the left shoreline for another two miles to camp (near Greenstone lake).

A couple of notes on this part of the tour.
Skinning is recommended over walking but that is a personal decision. There will definitely be enough snow to skin on and the lake will should still be covered in ice (but not thick enough to safely skin across). The route around the lake is also mainly a traverse so be prepared (jimw). Just keep your head up and attitude good, it will be over before you know it. I usually take the low line right next to the lake as its flatter than the high line.

When you get to the end of Saddlebag Lake, look for our camp near Greenstone Lake, it should be easy to find.

Other notes.
The area is a non-quota area but we still need permits. You can get permits by calling the Ranger Station at 760-647-3044. They are free and can be left in the outside box and the Mono Visitor Center. Group max is 15. If we're going to exceed this, we'll need to break into two groups (we can still camp pretty close to each other). We need to get an official head count going.

The Saddlebag area is also a very pretty and fragile place (unlike the parking lot at the end of Virginia Lakes) so we really need to think about treading lightly and limiting our impact.

That's all I got for now….


Eco…you can borrow our demo Kahtoola crampons.

Great info bcr, thanks.



Count Kelly and I in. We're driving up Thursday night and will be hiking in Friday morning.

BCR-You the man. That's really cool. Thanks for all the info as well.

Patroller had already agreed to rent me some as well. Right on. Splitters are cool.

Nat and I are planning on going. We'll either be hiking in Friday morning, or if we don't get down there early enough we might get a lap somewhere off the road, then hike in Friday afternoon through Sunday.

I'm STOKED too.

Current Head Count
(I'll update as needed...dont freak if you dont see your name...just make a post that you are definitely coming )

1. bcrider
2. mmcpheet
3. sfb
4. kelly
5. PJ
6. Nat
7. eco
8. patroller420
9. patroller 420 friend
10. snow nymph
11. snow dude
12. eco's friend
13. fassnor
14. ChrisI
15. SteveP
16. dutch marc (ps- please bring me a cd with pics from VA lakes! )
17. matt (maybe)
18. bombshell (maybe)
19. jimw
... I have a feeling we're gonna need two 15 person permits

eco's bringing a friend. We can be friends w/ with tele dudes, right?