14,018' Tyndall is super long. Ups and downs a couple times. There is no access up the Williamson Creek drainage, so you have to follow the Shepards Pass Trailhead. Moynier's guide book says 7500' gain, but we count at least 9000' to actually do the tour with the "Superbowl" descent. I don't think the superbowl pictured in the guide book is correctly shown.

This ski is above the town of Independence as well. Bring a big cooler, not much going on there for eats.

getting psyched for an early start. Ended up taking a little over 8 hours to get to the summit, and 4 hours to get back to the car from there. I got lost for a short time on the way back, but we didn't waste much time being only 2 people. Don't do this tour in a day if you have a big group. Williamson is the peak on the left, and Tyndall is in the center...with Superbowl just to the right. Both are 14'ers, so this shot shows how Tyndall is set back quite a bit. John's done Williamson, and says it's just as long however. The hiking trail to the summit is 30 miles roundtrip. Usually skiing is considerably less, but I bet this tour is well over 20 on skis.



You can see the peak from the town of Independence. It's well back of "Superbowl", the 4000' bowl/gully network shown with arrows here. Shepards Pass actually has you going around the bowl. Longer miles, but not as steep. A beautiful loop tour. Totally worthy even if you only ski the bowl.


4:50am


Hiked on dirt starting at the trailhead of 6400'. After a few miles on dirt, we skinned up snow in the Symmes Creek Drainage to 9100'. You're traversing across 2 drainages bascially along the Shepards Pass summer trail.

At 9100', you get a great view of Superbowl (right), and the north side of 14,375' Mt. Williamson (left)


The trail descends 500', and then traverses up the right side of the canyon in this photo. Shepards Pass is the low spot on the skyline in the center.


12,000' Shepards Pass. The trail hugs high on the side of the drainage.


John is a spec in the bowl somewhere, climbing up to the pass. I'm fighting to get my sun screen and gu to really start working at this point.



I'm beat by the time I reach the pass, and of course John is again a small spec way out in the path I'm still heading. I was expecting the peak to be somewhat near the pass. It took me an hour to get to the base, which is another 2000' up.


John on the summit boulder, a totally overhanging rock that doesn't seem like it should be attached. I didn't look too closely at how it's attached. Anyway, many top climbers work a lot harder to get on top of this thing. Mt Williamson's northwest side on the background.


Looking south from the summit. Mt. Whitney is the big guy out there.


Snow was excellent on this north facing slope. Not quite powder, but close. Light jump turns made it feel like powder, as the wind had just gotten to it a bit. A great pitch.


To reach the entrance for the Superbowl descent, we had a long, low angle 600' climb to a highpoint for optimal launch down Superbowl. John standing at the edge.


Awsome corn snow. Not another track anywhere all day long. This is only the top 3rd of this section. It wrapped around to the left, and then left us with fun narrow gullies down to Williamson Creek.


Excellent corn even at the bottom of Superbowl, at about 8500'. Next is the hot climb on trail back over to the Symmes Drainage.


starting to wonder what's for dinner, more than where I'm going at this point.


popping over the last ridge late in the day with very high wet slide danger. Snow crystals totally let go, and you could drop the basket of your pole straight to the ground - like there wasn't even snow there. Still a long descent back, so we skied an old avy debris sliver right to the dirt trail. Very close to our hiking shoes actually. John went and got those, as I clawed my way up to the trail, happy to finally be off snow.








Mike Schwartz
www.thebackcountry.net
mike@thebackcountry.net

wow. on a trip of that size, i'm mucho impressed that your partner john did it w/ explosivs. not exactly a lightweight bc ski. or did you make him bring those so you could keep up??? sweet pics and reports.

Note on this one: Tyndall is a serious undertaking for 1 day. Most parties will require an overnight stay along the way. In fact, we passed a party, attempting the Sierra Haute Route, near anivl camp that was on pace to just make Sheppards Pass by the end of their second day. Late in our day, Mike's brief turn around on the obvious trail showed me how exhaustion can even affect the mind of someone experienced as he. Big mountains, little people...

Very, very, impressive guys. I've probably read about this tour in Moynier's book 10 or 15 times and I always drool and say to myself, some day, some day. Would never even think of doing it in one day. Props.

next time I'm putting rocks in his pack. Or maybe I'll tear a whole where he keeps the gu.

Mike Schwartz
www.thebackcountry.net
mike@thebackcountry.net

I'd have to say, at least a 9000' tour. I've done it while on one of my Sierra Club hikes in the summer, it was arduous to say the least! Nice one, get it! As for those fat skis on Johnies feet, good on ya mate!, those skis are gems aren't they...........

hooooly chit guys. that is a huge day!

Although this has been a more cold, wind-swept winter, my friend Chris was willing to try his first trip using skins (on a brand-new split-board no less) to see the top of Mount Tyndall and ski what we could. Due to un-settled weather (very windy nights) we camped at the last trees, about 11,100'. Stashing the boards beside the gully before scrambling to the summit, we connected about 6000' worth of turns on the way back down to within beeper distance of Symmes Creek itself.

Trying again to post a picture...


http://www.flickr.com/photos/25191132@N05/2378230225/

nice job guys!

_________________
Mike Schwartz
www.thebackcountry.net
mike@thebackcountry.net

Okay,

I think this thread should come with some sort of a disclaimer, as in "Mike and John were breathing Nitrous Oxide" when they round-tripped it in 12 hours.

That time is crazy fast!

And it's especially crazy fast when you factor trying to sustain that kind of pace over such a long time.

Anyhow, I directly blame this thread for giving me the very foolish idea of trying to do the exact same thing myself...

Shepherd Pass Trailhead, looking east toward Owens Valley:



To give myself a chance, I started hiking at 12 midnight. I made it ten hours up, as far as Shepherd Pass, when I lost the faith and decided to turn back.

I was exhausted.

My feet were wrecked (I'd tried to do the whole hike in my megarides), and I was starting to worry I wouldn't have enough energy to make it back out in one day.

Well, wouldn't you know it, turning back like that just didn't sit well in my craw when I got home.

Where is the craw, anyway? And can I have it surgically removed?

Causes me nothing but trouble.

So I went back to the Shepherd Pass trailhead a week later to do it all over again.

tromping around in the dark:



This time, I started hiking even earlier. I'm a little embarrassed to say just how early, but I didn't get to see the sun for nearly eight hours...

5:16 a.m.:



But when I did finally see Mount Tyndall from Shepherd Pass, the moment was inspiring.

Tyndall:



And this time, the outcome was a little different:

summit shot:



I was able to ski Tyndall from the summit ridge down the north rib, then pretty much all the way back to Mahogany Flat.

skiing the north rib:



Only a few patches of walking in between.

Once I reached Mahogany Flat, the snow vanished, and the rest of the way home was pure punishment.

Can't say I really recommend this as a recreational endeavor. But Tyndall definitely now ranks as one of my favorites. Incredible mountain.

My round-trip time including equipment changes, mini-naps, and getting lost (twice) was 19 hours.

There you go...if you're a little looney like myself, consider yourself warned. You just might be the next one to find yourself tromping around in the dark on the Shepherd Pass trail...

More photos and full trip report:

Skiing Tyndall's North Rib

Andy

_________________
SierraDescents.com

Way to go Andy!

_________________
Mike Schwartz
www.thebackcountry.net
mike@thebackcountry.net