White Mountain and Mount Conness - April 13, 2025
2025-04-16 | Virginia Lakes, Lundy Canyon, Tioga Pass, and June Lake Areas | California
The last week has been dominated by clear skies and warmer temperatures, and the corn cycle has set in down in the Eastern Sierra. An early start has been necessary to time the best skiing conditions, but those predawn wakeups have paid dividends for our guides (and clients).
In addition to affording some incredible turns, the recent warmer temperatures have also allowed for some excellent on-snow fashion, as Blackbird Guide Jan Czyzewski models on Mount Wood.
We've been finding the best skiing this week on solar aspects, with east aspects softening first, then south aspects as the day progresses. Axes, crampons, and the skills to use those tools have all come in handy, as early-morning ascents are often done on firm surfaces. Check out our Ski Mountaineering Skills course to learn more about how to put these skills to use to ski bigger lines this spring!
Blackbird Guide Jason Smith staring down the Ripper Chute on the Dana Plateau, with Mono Lake in the background - April 14, 2025.
Our guides have been skiing incredible terrain with clients in the Lee Vining area this week. Steep couloirs and incredible alpine terrain are on the menu in the Eastern Sierra!
Crampons were a must on this bootpack up to the Tioga Crest - Lundy Canyon in the background. Splitboarder: Robert Schwartz
Blackbird Guide Jan Czyzewski and Noah Wasserman climbing Mount Wood - April 9, 2025
The snowpack above 10,000 feet is robust, and excellent spring skiing conditions will last well into May this season. As access to higher-elevation trailheads improves in the coming weeks, some of the biggest terrain in the Range of Light will become more accessible.
John Lauer skinning above Virginia Lakes, with Mount Conness, North Peak, and Excelsior Peak in the background.
If you've dreamed of riding a big-mountain face or a steep alpine couloir, our guides can take you there! Our guides take clients into the backcountry in the Eastern Sierra every week, and know where to find the best skiing right now.
Blackbird Guide Chris Cloyd touring in the Virginia Lakes area. Photo by John Lauer.
John Lauer touring on Black Mountain in the Virginia Lakes area, Mono Lake in the background.
Take advantage of the excellent skiing conditions and book an Eastern Sierra adventure with one of our expert Guides today!
About the Author:
Chris Cloyd is a Splitboard Guide and AIARE Avalanche Instructor based in June Lake, CA. He works as Blackbird's Program Manager, helping put together trips into the backcountry from the Eastern Sierra all the way up to the North Cascades in Washington.