© Copyright 2006-2026 Sierra Mountain Guides. All Rights Reserved.
312 North Main Street · Bishop, CA · 93514 USA · 760-648-1122
Sierra Mountain Guides operates in partnership and under permit with the Inyo & Toiyabe National Forests, Yosemite & Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks,
the Bureau of Land Management, and other public land agencies as appropriate.
Learn more about our community
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil
rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating
on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or
retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all
programs.)
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for
program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign
Language, etc.) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that
administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and
TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
Additionally, program information is also available in languages other than
English.
To file a complaint alleging discrimination, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at
http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office or
write a letter addressed to USDA and provided in the letter all of the information
requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-
9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (a) mail: U.S.
Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (b) fax: (202) 690-7442;
or (c) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Comments
Hi Ron. It has been raining all day below around 8500′, so that is changing some things. I was discussing a rain crust on the surface below ~9500′, as opposed to at the base of the snowpack. Crusts are common in the snowpack and can be formed by temperatures/sun, rain, rime, and wind. I wish it were possible to forecast what effect the formation and subsequent burial of a crust will have on the season’s snowpack. Crusts can be associated with persistent weak layers, which can cause avalanches for several days, weeks, or even months. The best way to know if there is a layer of concern deep in the snowpack is to read the local avalanche bulletin and make plenty of relevant field observations.
Hello Howie, you mentioned a hard ice base below 9000′.
That’s pretty critical for snow deposits that will be coming up, but how critical will that ice base affect the season for back country outings in the remainder of the season?
FYI – my wife and I would like to plan for a couple of nights back-country, so we’re ascertaining the season conditions and schedule for a great weekend outing in the 2017 season.