The conventional wisdom is that all of this year’s snow is already gone. A trip over Donner Summit seems to verify that with a lot of bare granite. But if you remember, we had a lot of early season storms where the snow level hovered at about 8000 feet. All you need to do is head a few hundred feet higher than Donner Summit and you can still find plenty of snow.
Today’s trip to Mount Lola, with a summit of 9134 feet and about 20 miles north of Truckee, actually left us amazed at the copious amounts of snow, more than any of us had seen there at this time of year. While that did mean the skiing and boarding was fantastic, it also led to a long approach hike. Finding the route to Lola, navigating the narrow old roads through thick manzanita and the long approach hike are not for the feint of heart. Neither maps nor directions will make the path clear. We were lucky to have a friend whom has made it a goal to traverse nearly every dirt road and path off of Jackson Meadows Road.
The long hike to the summit ended in a huge bowl, where cornices were still larger than 20 feet, and there was a unlimited wide run of smooth corn with nary a suncup or runnel. We made several different runs and enjoyed views of the Sierra Buttes, Independence Lake, Castle Peak and points beyond. We ended with a random run through the trees and through Coldstream Creek – knowing only that we were headed vaguely toward a meadow in the distance.
For those looking for terrain to ski and board, there’s plenty of choices. Look for the snow above 8000′ and you’ll find it’s still deep and fun. We’re certain will be filing reports from the Carson and Ebbetts Pass areas in the future months.
I wonder if similar conditions might be found on the backside (north side) of Castle Peak off the Warren Lake trail. Castle is almost as high as Lola. -all that rain that fell in mid December was snow up high. 2 years ago in August after our big snow year I saw a line with 37 turns someone had made up there.
Absolutely yes. The view of that area was perfect from Lola. I thought about suggesting it in my post but the hike out if Hole In The World is not an easy one with few easy escapes.