Again this year Steve Hamilton and I took the same route to the Charleston summit that we did last year. Like last
year, Steve wanted to ski the face and was joined by a friend he'd recently met, Seamus Brennan. The gully we
climbed is commonly known as Airplane Gully because of the accident site near the summit ridge.
It was very much a winter day for being April in the Mojave Desert. This is a picture
of Seamus coming up behind us through a snow squall around 8:00 in the morning.
Looking back down a cold summit ridge line.
With the wind chill the temperature was below zero
Seamus and Steve coming up behind. They left their skis below on the lower face to tag the windblown summit.
Coming up on the summit of Charleston.
Once we got on top the wind died down and the skies cleared up. This is view of Mummy Mountain to the northeast.
Rime ice on the summit registry box.
Bob on the summit (11,918 feet).
Seamus Brennan, Bob and Steve Hamilton taking a break out of the wind.
Seamus Brennan skiing off the the south ridge cornice near the summit of Mount Charleston.
Steve enjoying some nice turns in the upper bowl. In the morning conditions were very
icy so it was helpful that the sun came out and softened the snow.
Steve making his way through one of the steep and narrow sections of Airplane Gully.