TR: Bishop Pass - 5/12/2017

[Wandering Daisy]

This time of year, the decision between a 3-season tent and 4-season tent is tricky. 4-season mountaineering tents are designed to withstand severe winds. They are heavier and expenive. I have one and probably would haul the extra weight this time of year. I also have the MSR snowshoes with the crampon shoe plate. They really work well on steeper snow and are well worth the investment if you want to do more than walk on flat ground.

With a 3-season tent, as cold as it can be this time of year at that elevation, it is best to be very conservative and plan to camp in trees. There are some well protected sites at the lower lakes. Another strategy is to take a bivy sack. Less comfortable, but better in high winds. Granted you have to zip up into a coffin, but that beats having your shelter blown off you. In fact, you could carry a bivy sack (about 1.5 pounds) as a back-up to a 3-season tent.

I have a Copper Spur single person tent that I used in Wyoming last summer (it is REALLY windy there all the time). It does very well in winds. So does the Tarptent Moment. You do have to tie them down solidly. I have added cord to all the ties so I can use large rocks.

[Hobbes]

Because the wind was coming from the SW, we knew we had to camp either in the NE lee of Mt Goode by Bishop lake, or the unnamed lakes under Isosceles. That's what really altered our plans, because no way could we get over either Bishop or Thunderbolt and camp on the SW side of the passes.

As Dave said, it might very well have been hurricane force winds up at the passes. If you look at any of the photos with Bishop in the background, you can see how perfectly groomed & untracked the surface and cornice are.

The MSR snowshoes with the built in crampons and heel lifters work great. Andy has really strong legs and simply goes directly up/down steep slopes. I had my mountaineering boots, and would have probably just used those alone the first day if we had left earlier. As it was, I didn't use the shoes until the post holing got really bad around noon. I did wear my boots solo (ie carried the snowshoes on my pack) on our return the next day however. It is so much easier to walk over firm snow, and especially descend quickly by simply plunge stepping all the way down.

I think a 4 season tent would have been necessary if there was fresh snow fall + high winds. Since it was clear, the 3 season CS only had to deal with wind. It worked perfectly in those conditions, so if anyone is looking, I can't recommend it highly enough.

[maverick]

Here you go Karl, these are the photo's you sent me, did not have access to my computer till today:

[Jimr]

I've been in 40 - 50mph winds in the summer. It sounds like a freight train rumbling down the canyon and you know you're going to get nailed any minute, then wham! Tent shaking and leaning. I can't imagine what it would be like in snow and cold conditions.

[beamountainman]

I see them...pretty awesome

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[Bluewater]

Many thanks to Hobbes for joining me on this trip.

I usually drive to the trailhead at night after work, so I left home around 8:00 pm on Wednesday and made camp at Independence Creek by 12:45 am. After the long drive I fell asleep right away to the sound of the creek and was refreshed and ready to go by Thursday morning.

The road was open past Parchers, almost to the dam, and the snow was plowed high along the side of the road to the trailhead. By the time we got started it was already 10:00 am. . .






Last spring I struggled with the initial section of trail above South Lake. It was partially covered with snow at that time and required a mile of difficult side-hilling. Fortunately this year we met an old timer who gave us some valuable route advice. We stayed low, below the level of the shoreline, all the way to the Long Lake drainage. Following the old timers route advice paid off and the 1,000' climb to Long Lake was much easier this year.

Hobbes is the tiny dot just above the shoreline of South Lake in the distance in this photo:



South Lake pano:




The 'Televators' on the MSR Lightning Ascent snowshoes made the steep climb to Long Lake much easier:






Once we got to Long Lake things really opened up. This is the view from above Spearhead Lake with Long Lake in the background:




We decided to climb Bishop Pass the next morning when the wind would (hopefully) be more manageable so we took our time getting to camp at Saddlerock Lake. Spearhead Lake is one of my favorite places along the route in winter.


Hobbes on frozen Spearhead Lake:




Bluewater staying with the blue jacket/black pants backcountry fashion plan on frozen Spearhead Lake:). . .




Hobbes above Spearhead Lake:




The outlet of Spearhead Lake:




Hobbes with Mt. Agassiz and Bishop Pass in the backgound:




MLD Solomid from our camp in the trees above Saddlerock Lake:




That night the wind picked up and it felt like I got 10 minutes of sleep. The wind howled and we could hear the gusts coming through the trees all night. I have only experienced wind like this a few other times. One was on a group trip on an exposed plateau in Anza Borrego. On that trip the wind flattened and damaged two of the tents. The other time was on top of Mt. Baldy just to check if my shelter could survive.


Here's a video from that night:

[youtube_vid]<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tdv-3dXDw6A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/youtube_vid]

I was happy to finally see the sunrise that morning.


It has been interesting reading the comments about 3 vs. 4 season shelters. I have been using a Mountain Laurel Designs cuben Solomid for winter/early spring trips. It is lightweight, sheds wind from all directions, "breathes" well and it is floor-less so I can use a bivy or a groundsheet depending on the conditions. It takes time, energy and some technique to setup properly (which can be a pain after a long day). I have been looking at getting a 'freestanding' single wall tent but at 8 ozs the Solomid is hard to beat.

I run really hot and my natural temperature makes it easier to keep a low pack weight even in winter. We both brought plenty of gear to stay warm, safe and dry even in the worst case weather conditions (full storm/blowing snow/0 degree wind chill etc). During the day and out of the wind I was in shorts and a t-shirt just to keep from overheating while moving. . . but in the early morning windy conditions I was happy to have hard shell everything and a puffy jacket:)


Hobbes weighing in at the start (with 3 days of food/fuel, 1 liter of water etc):





Bluewater with the natural penguin advantage:)

[Hobbes]

It's really too bad we didn't get a photo of the OG (original gangster). He was at least in his 60s, maybe early 70s. For all I know, he could have been McCoy, except McCoy is 101 yo. Tall, nordic, tan, been living in Bishop for 31 years, had the optimal equipment for an early morning alpine day hike:

Actually, I'll share what he had, because as I've thought about it some more, he really had it dialed in:

1. Regular weight hiking boots - not mountaineering - with micro-spikes
2. Tiny (22"?) tubular lightweight snowshoes lashed to his pack
3. Single carbon hiking pole
4. Ice axe lashed to his pack
5. Homemade knee-length gaiters

It's interesting to see just how popular spikes have become - even long time hikers are adopting them. They provide excellent traction in consolidated mixed snow/ice/rock. He went up early (at dawn) so he was able to quickly hike up on the hard snow.

His snowshoes were tiny - we followed his tracks down, and while he was sinking a few inches on each step, he wasn't postholing. So, he was using the shoes for descending in soft, slushy conditions that begin around 10am.

Single pole for stability, plus ice axe if anything went sideways.

Finally, homemade knee-high gaiters made out of denim with simple tie offs. They weren't made to protect against either abrasion (ie mountain climbing) nor shin protection from postholing (since he had snowshoes). Rather, they were simply to prevent snow coming into his boots.

Inspired, I'm going to take a large piece of silnylon and use my OR Crocodile gaiters as a pattern. Full length velcro to bring the two sides together, hard sewn strap on the bottom, and a simple cord tie at the top to cinch them up under the knee should do the trick.

Sorta want to get back and experiment with a different gear arrangement.

[Wandering Daisy]

Floorless teepee shelters (hexagons etc) are considered 4-season shelters. The high angle sides shed snow easily and floorless works well on snow when it is cold enough that flooding and wet ground are not a problem. The teepee shape is good for wind. This design also has a sturdy single center pole. Set up properly, floorless shelters do not let in spindrift. They are very flexible and can be set up high off the ground or low to the ground. Four season in timber is different than 4-season at high altitudes. A tent suitable for Mt. Everest is overkill for spring condtions in the Sierra.

Spring in the Sierra is neither winter or summer. Although you are camping on snow, and there can be high winds, temperatures are mild relative to real winter. It is almost easier to deal with colder conditions than the melt-freeze cycles of spring. In fact, in real winter you do not even need waterproof gear. In spring you do. You have to be prepared for both cold and wet in the spring. In true winter, there are no warm daytimes to dry out and warm up, thus more insulation is needed. You are not dealing with -40 degree temperatures in the spring. Frostbite is less of an issue. In the spring, you are basically summer camping, on the snow.

I am lucky in that weighing less than most, I often can do without snowshoes when heavier people post-hole. I am unlucky in that I am the least cold-tolerant person on earth! With enough spring/on snow backpacking you will be able to dial in on equipment that works for you. It is a pretty individual thing. As all the photos show, it is a unique and wonderful time to be out in the moutains. Thanks for the trip report.

[KevinDo]

Lol trust me, you don't want to go from an 8oz shelter to the 9.5lb 4-season tent I have haha. I mainly use my 3-season tent in spring if the forecast looks good. If it looks to be windy or heavy snow inbound, I'll take out the 4-season tent along with an 80+liter pack, down pants, etc etc

[pakoR]

Thanks for the TR and photos. Exited at Bishop Pass last July after completing section 1 of the SHR. Nice to see the winter landscape.