this is probably the 4th time i’ve watched this.. and i have an all new appreciation it this time. if a red bull athlete or someone with a big corporate sponsorship did this, there would be a 5 part series on it and they’d make such a huge deal out of it (not saying it isn’t a huge deal, but u know). andy just sent it because he wanted to. mad respect
Killler video. Some of us have walked some or all of this turf, so it feels like home to see it here. Spring skiing in the Sierra is as good as it gets when it's good, and can be awful when it aint. You see it all here. What a ski. I've done the High Route, the original west to east from Wolverton in Sequoia to Shepards Pass trailhead on the east side and that's a beauty, and very tough. But this, this is a huge ski. Still Wanderin' Aimlessly...
This is HUGE,,,,my legs would have fallen off! How Awesome,,,,scary too.....being in the Sierra backcountry isn’t a walk in the park!!! Thanks so much for sharing....you guys Rock! Cheers
@6:53 You can see Mt. Humphreys. Norman Clyde and another man got caught skiing in a blizzard there. Only Clyde made it out to Bishop. the pass is Piute Pass. Wonderful video with young adventurers.
This video is so amazing. I just finished the JMT for the second time and have been looking into the Sierra High Route when I stumbled upon this. After just being there in the summer, it's amazing to see how it looks with all that snow. I've got to give winter camping a try... I've also been thinking of a 7d JMT which you have something very related to that as well haha.
So awesome that you document these adventures! Would love to be able to do this, but sadly I am limited to snowshoes (no skiing skills). Keep up the great work!
Andy, I didn’t realise you had a TH-cam channel... love following the John Z Pa’Lante journey and glad I’ve got this as well as a new RumTum fix. Cheers.
Great video. Pretty sure I saw you in the SLC airport on the 8th. I was too nervous to say anything. But just wanted to let you know you're a badass, and mad respect.
this is such an awesome trip. keep filming future stuff! also is that water trick reliable enough for the whole trip? I noticed in your other channels gear list video you didnt mention a stove
Michael Watkins really the only spot i had to take was that second to last pass by virginia peak where there is a class 4 downclimb, i took a pass a little bit to the south hoping it would be covered in snow, but it was also a class 4 downclimb lol. the passes really weren't that steep with snow covering them and i never felt too challenged on my skis
Fantastic stuff Andrew (and Alex). I've watched this thing sooooo many times. Please do some more. Did you or Alex have leashes or brakes? How did you feel about the length and weight of your skis (would you change your length/waist width/camber/weight, etc. next time? One more: do you have any ideas of what you might do next?
Jason H no leashes or brakes, which is fine, but i did imagine dropping a ski thousands of feet down a slope and being kind of screwed haha. i usually ski without anything bc i just lock down the toes
Jason H i don’t think i would change anything about my ski setup. some people recommend a race setup, but i think what i had was ideal for the conditions.
Uintas Highline Trail traverse would be very picturesque I think (very hike-y from winter pictures I've seen on web), and interesting because it's east-west. Uintas Highline seems amenable to soloing. The Windriver High Route is pretty epic, but an alternative is the Gros Ventre Wilderness Route (from Jackson) which can be connected with the Windriver High Route for pure insanity (Jackson to Lander). My personal dream is to do the Mission Range High Route in Montana near my family's reservation, but that would be like an afternoon jog for you (I think it can be done in 16 hours). Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness from the Clarke Fork to Cooke City seems really cool but theres a dip in the elevation profile in the middle you might not like. If maritime snow is easier for avalanche management, the Trans-Sierra (Walker Lake to Yos.), or a north-south traverse of the Olympics in Washington would be amazing. But the very best one would be any one that I could watch while I work and train for my own ski traverse dreams out at the beach! haha.
I actually tried getting water in the snow like you recommend, digging a little pit. No slush or water appeared. Just a hole in the snow. It was sunny and hot too. What did I do wrong? Its a very interesting method!
This is so cool. I couldn't imagine how tough it would be to hike this in the winter with skis. The JMT is no joke even in the summer. What was your ave pack wt with food?
also how long have you been backcountry skiing? did your friend just back out just fine? what type of sickness did he get? questions, questions, questions. :)
Karen Wang avy danger is an issue, but is easy to mitigate in spring snow. (stay off steep slopes when it gets really warm in the middle of the day). i have been backcountry skiing for about 4 years now.
Karen Wang my friend started the trip with a cough and a cold that he was almost over but then it just got way worse once he started hiking. the road walk also killed his achilles
This just blew my mind! Epic scenery and epic project, nicely told! I just uploaded my own spring ski video (in Madrid), it would mean a lot if you could check it out :)
all jokes aside..this is dope. i spent many years doing this on Mt. Hood and the cascades. with a snowboard though of course..lol before they had split boards.. you never realize how heavy a board is until you gotta carry it up a mountain.
This has been my favorite video on the internet for 7 years
this is probably the 4th time i’ve watched this.. and i have an all new appreciation it this time. if a red bull athlete or someone with a big corporate sponsorship did this, there would be a 5 part series on it and they’d make such a huge deal out of it (not saying it isn’t a huge deal, but u know). andy just sent it because he wanted to. mad respect
Truly heroic undertaking! And he didn’t even use a tent in the winter!
I suspect this is going to be me this year trying to hike in August. 😅
This video is solely responsible for initiating my interest in ski touring AND Rumtum. Thanks Andrew and John.
watching it again and again. absolutely underrated video. should have like 100k+. what an accomplishment.
Killler video. Some of us have walked some or all of this turf, so it feels like home to see it here. Spring skiing in the Sierra is as good as it gets when it's good, and can be awful when it aint. You see it all here. What a ski. I've done the High Route, the original west to east from Wolverton in Sequoia to Shepards Pass trailhead on the east side and that's a beauty, and very tough. But this, this is a huge ski.
Still Wanderin' Aimlessly...
One of my all-time favorite trekking films. Super impressive and understated.
This is HUGE,,,,my legs would have fallen off! How Awesome,,,,scary too.....being in the Sierra backcountry isn’t a walk in the park!!! Thanks so much for sharing....you guys Rock! Cheers
doing the PCT this year with this kind of snowpack is going to be EPIC you all got me so stoked!
watched it again, super amazing! this video has inspired me to plan and complete my own week-long ski tour in April of 2022!
Sometimes you think you got after it last winter, and then you see this! Inspiration and goals!
@6:53 You can see Mt. Humphreys. Norman Clyde and another man got caught skiing in a blizzard there. Only Clyde made it out to Bishop. the pass is Piute Pass. Wonderful video with young adventurers.
y'all are insane in the best way.
Beast mode
Yes!! More Handy Andy adventures.
Congrats. What an accomplishment. ⛰👍
That is some insane daily mileage.
Wow, this looks like an incredible trip! Great video!! This just got moved to the top of my "must-do" list.
Incredible. Thank you for sharing.
This was frikking awesome Andy. You are a beast! Glad you made it home safe
Congrats thats a huge acomplishment!
fantastic...
Crazy fun! I've hiked it and those passes are STEEP!:)
You're so casual about the whole thing, it's ridiculous. Good stuff
This video is so amazing. I just finished the JMT for the second time and have been looking into the Sierra High Route when I stumbled upon this. After just being there in the summer, it's amazing to see how it looks with all that snow. I've got to give winter camping a try... I've also been thinking of a 7d JMT which you have something very related to that as well haha.
So awesome that you document these adventures! Would love to be able to do this, but sadly I am limited to snowshoes (no skiing skills). Keep up the great work!
Great edit John and epic shots Andy
Andy, I didn’t realise you had a TH-cam channel... love following the John Z Pa’Lante journey and glad I’ve got this as well as a new RumTum fix. Cheers.
Epic is all I can say, well done!
Great video. Pretty sure I saw you in the SLC airport on the 8th. I was too nervous to say anything. But just wanted to let you know you're a badass, and mad respect.
lol thanks, shoulda said hi im not famous enough to be nervous around
just watched this rad video, went to your channel and had to subscribe to be your 1000th! congrats :)
I must learn how to do this thing you call skiing.
lol it's crazy how much you can do w it right?
Knowing the SHR from summer backpacking, I would not have thought this possible, or advisable!
Very impressive.
6:45 “OWWWEIGH!!!”
Glad this one is still up but what happened to the others? Why is the JMT FKT private?
What an epic trip. Skiing off those passes with just and your partner or just you. Man. Looks insane. What happened to your bud?
Incredible
this is such an awesome trip. keep filming future stuff!
also is that water trick reliable enough for the whole trip? I noticed in your other channels gear list video you didnt mention a stove
Sam Smith yeah i worked the whole time, there were other times where i would get water from streams and sometimes from water trickling down rocks
speechless!
Great video. I dont know how many times I've watched it.You have to loose the LA hat. Hahaha
james conrad Go dodgers! Lol
Thanks for sharing this dope experience. What was the total elevation gain that you did in the end?
Being on the high route in summer I remember how steep some of those passes were. Were there places where you took alternate ski routes?
Michael Watkins really the only spot i had to take was that second to last pass by virginia peak where there is a class 4 downclimb, i took a pass a little bit to the south hoping it would be covered in snow, but it was also a class 4 downclimb lol. the passes really weren't that steep with snow covering them and i never felt too challenged on my skis
Fantastic stuff Andrew (and Alex). I've watched this thing sooooo many times. Please do some more. Did you or Alex have leashes or brakes? How did you feel about the length and weight of your skis (would you change your length/waist width/camber/weight, etc. next time? One more: do you have any ideas of what you might do next?
Jason H no leashes or brakes, which is fine, but i did imagine dropping a ski thousands of feet down a slope and being kind of screwed haha. i usually ski without anything bc i just lock down the toes
Jason H i don’t think i would change anything about my ski setup. some people recommend a race setup, but i think what i had was ideal for the conditions.
Jason H i am looking into other high route type ski traverses. winds? unitas? you have any suggestions?
Uintas Highline Trail traverse would be very picturesque I think (very hike-y from winter pictures I've seen on web), and interesting because it's east-west. Uintas Highline seems amenable to soloing. The Windriver High Route is pretty epic, but an alternative is the Gros Ventre Wilderness Route (from Jackson) which can be connected with the Windriver High Route for pure insanity (Jackson to Lander). My personal dream is to do the Mission Range High Route in Montana near my family's reservation, but that would be like an afternoon jog for you (I think it can be done in 16 hours). Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness from the Clarke Fork to Cooke City seems really cool but theres a dip in the elevation profile in the middle you might not like. If maritime snow is easier for avalanche management, the Trans-Sierra (Walker Lake to Yos.), or a north-south traverse of the Olympics in Washington would be amazing. But the very best one would be any one that I could watch while I work and train for my own ski traverse dreams out at the beach! haha.
One last question/request: Wherever you choose to go, can you document your planning, and just general thoughts pre-trail?
you can hear how shit that afternoon snow is for skiing.
BattleRattle so bad. better than walking down switchbacks tho
What an amazing trip! I would love to do this some day. Was late April - early May a time you you recommend doing it? Thanks for sharing it!
Rad!
I actually tried getting water in the snow like you recommend, digging a little pit. No slush or water appeared. Just a hole in the snow. It was sunny and hot too. What did I do wrong? Its a very interesting method!
Has to be over water, yes?
South to north?
Did you know before hand about Orland Bartholomew's epic solo JMT Ski?
dematson no?! where do i find out more?
This is so cool. I couldn't imagine how tough it would be to hike this in the winter with skis. The JMT is no joke even in the summer. What was your ave pack wt with food?
Tom Henderson i think my base weight was under 15 lbs. so my pack would
probably be like 30 at the heaviest
Tom Henderson i
epic
What exactly is the route you took? From where to where?
How do you keep track of where tf you are?
how'd you get by with just the 15 quilt at night!? warm sleeper?
there was a warm temp event that came thru when i was skiing. i cowboy camped in little snow pits pretty much every night, so nice.
12:01 does anyone know what that peak is?
North Peak
wow i am so impressed, how are you not dead lol. i learned so much! you have really great navigation skills, was avy danger an issue?
also how long have you been backcountry skiing? did your friend just back out just fine? what type of sickness did he get?
questions, questions, questions. :)
Karen Wang avy danger is an issue, but is easy to mitigate in spring snow. (stay off steep slopes when it gets really warm in the middle of the day). i have been backcountry skiing for about 4 years now.
Karen Wang my friend started the trip with a cough and a cold that he was almost over but then it just got way worse once he started hiking. the road walk also killed his achilles
that's so crazy. im learning so much about avalanches in my mountaineering class and it seems so hard still. im glad he stopped before it got worse!
it takes time, but youll get a feel for the snow if you spend a lot of time in it
Was this early may? Is the snow still good enough to do it in mid may?
10:02 lmao
how can i watch your PCT video?
i plan to release them in 15 yrs if youtube is still around
But why...?
Pack looks a little light...you sure that's safe?
Jacob Walters lol
This just blew my mind! Epic scenery and epic project, nicely told! I just uploaded my own spring ski video (in Madrid), it would mean a lot if you could check it out :)
just watched, awesome video! the snow looked amazing
Andrew Bentz thank you!
2 planker.......lol
all jokes aside..this is dope. i spent many years doing this on Mt. Hood and the cascades. with a snowboard though of course..lol before they had split boards.. you never realize how heavy a board is until you gotta carry it up a mountain.
matanuska high i
Nice trip but I would prefer the sound of the wind and the water and skis on snow, and the music selected is distractingly loud.