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. |
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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. |