No dramas nor fancy music, a normal day ski touring in the Sierra Nevada
Let's face it, most of us are not daredevil skiers. We don't really want to be hurtling down some ridiculously steep slope chased by an avalanche! Yes we want to be tested, be prefer the wide open, quiet and remote mountains where the only noise is the sound of skins gliding across the snows as we ascend to our peak. We access the conditions for the way down and try to judge when best to time the descent. When it comes, the descent is without drama, just the exhilarating movement of skis across snow. This is my kind of backcountry ski touring!
We had one such day here in the Sierra Nevada a few days ago. It was a beautiful and cloudless day as we drove up from Nigüelas to the Cortijos Echeverria and made the left turn towards Fuente Fria (a note about this route ..... strictly only suitable for 4WD transportation!). In fact the snow didn't allow us to get as far as the trail head and we parked some half a kilometre before.
The road to Fuente Fria
The snow started at Fuente Fria itself so we donned our skins and started to climb, slowly and effortlessly ascending the west flank of the Cerro de Caballo. At half height we sat in the bright sunshine amongst some protruding rocks, nibbling snacks and chatting. We were the only ones on the mountain.
Just Chilling!
The snow had a very hard and icy base, but about 5-10cm of softer surface snow made the going easier although ski crampons were necessary (harscheisen). At about the 2700m level we hit our first patch of very extensive sheet ice. The going became more difficult as the skis struggled to adhere to the hard surface.
Steep icy slopes
As we were here primarily to ski and were not fixated by summit fever we decided to stop there and prepare for the descent. We suspected the snows lower down would be just about perfect for the trip back. We were right! Very soon we were turning our way down the vast snowfields below us.
All too soon we arrived back to Fuente Fria. Skis off, a short walk and drive back in time for "beer o'clock" in Lanjarón. An end to an enjoyable ski touring day. Just about perfect?
Hagan Skis at the ready. Continuous snows above