Mt Tom

Mt Tom! The beautiful giant looming above Bishop and the Owens valley is simply the finest ski-mountaineering objective in the Sierras. Elderberry canyon is the classic of classics, the rite of passage, the one mountain to bag if you brought your skis to the East Side. And if you missed, the reason to come back and try again. Mt Tom is why everyone should take on ski-mountaineering.




When I was in Korea, I had a picture of Mt Tom on my desktop. It was a factor for my decision to come back to Cali. And the first mountain on the list. A day after landing on LAX I was in Bishop scheming with Andre the ascent. It didn't come easy. On my first attempt, I almost destroyed my civic. On the second, I got food poisoning and nearly passed out before snow level. Third time was the charm. Andre took about 30min head start. Seemed reasonable, in 2010 I was perhaps a bit faster. Or not. He kept his lead the entire time...and we met low on the descent. The ridge was cold and windy--waiting was a luxury he did not have.

Mt Tom did not disappoint. It was as good as it promised, and then much more. Gaining the summit ridge was only half of the deal. The ridge was long and technical. The summit-- spectacular, the way all mountain summits should be--small, snow covered, exposed, views in all directions. 






Elderberry Canyon is prone to avalanches. Be careful. Go early. Plan for a long day. Go to the summit. 

Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/badakov/MtTom#