Crater Crest 11,200′ and Monument Ridge

Crater Crest 11,200′ and Monument Ridge

Location: Bridgeport, CA
Duration: All Day
Elevation Change: Twin Lakes is 7100′. Crater Crest Summit is 11,200′.
Recomended Map: Hoover Wilderness Map by Tom Harrison

just added to end of this photo gallery, current pics of our ski tour on Crater crest 5-11-2023. Please excuse the spelling errors and old Incorrect website attached to older pictures. We are now .COM

The ski tour to the summit of Crater Crest in the Sawtooths above Bridgeport offers an excellent introduction to the area. The views are incredible in every direction, and navigating is easy. From the top of Crater Crest you can see most of the peaks and ski terrain in the Sawtooths, Big slide Canyon, and in the Hoover Wilderness. You can see the town of Bridgeport and Hunewill ranch as well as all of Twin Lakes.

I usually park in the middle of the two Twin Lakes and boot straight up the left most gully with boot crampons. for this direct option, park in one of the few public dirt parking spots down in the private neighborhood. If there is no parking down there, just park up top on Twin Lakes Rd which only ads a 2 minute walk. Or take the safer and longer ski tour up the low angle Eastern Slopes. For this, park at the far East End of Twin Lakes, which is plowed year-round. The first 500′ will be the hardest skinning, as this annoying short and steep slope above the car melts out quick and is covered in bushes. Above this first climb you will find a forever long and mellow east slope to skin up to the summit. You can skin back along the lake shore on a flat service road to your car if you end up dropping down the north avy gullies. They are hard to resist when you get there.  These north facing slide paths should be avoided obviously with even the slightest doubt in snow stability. Skiing down them is quite exhilarating. I usually drop in from the top into the NE aspect. It drops pretty steep for 1000′, maybe around 40 degrees. In pow it’s great. In breakable crust, I have been very careful with slow turns. Then you get into many twisty turns in the path, like a giant half pipe. The snow is wind protected in these chutes. Then you pop out into the old Twin Lakes Neighborhood and wonder how any of these houses survived the biggest winters. Like this one in 2023!  The west facing side of the peak doesn’t hold slope wide snow, but I have seen long strips you could easily ski down into Cattle Creek, which drains pretty close to the campground. West facing afternoon corn can be silky smooth.

I’ve skied windboard, powder, and corn snow on Crater Crest, and sometimes all on the same day. Check out the entire route from your car with binoculars and look for tracks. I have never accurately judged the snow quality, but you can fish around for a little more east or west in your gully descent. You basically can start skiing right from the summit, and there are no cornices up there. If you don’t know how to judge snow safety and skiing quality, come find me or hire a guide. I can help you find the right guide. Or just play it safe and go up and down the East Slope. Go do it! If you have skied Tallac in Tahoe, this is your next step.

If you want a 6000′ day and beautiful loop tour, park at the far east end of Twin Lakes and ski one of the Monument Ridge Couloirs above Tamarak Lake first. Start early and follow the summer trail on a map. Pick out one of the many 1000′ couloirs and resist the temptation to just hang out there all day, skipping Crater Crest. The crazy vertical line near the summit does go through, although I haven’t done it or even seen the whole thing from any vantage point. I didn’t look down it from the top as I didn’t even know about it, until friends said they skied into it. The main Monument Couloir is a wide and wind protected line I have skied a few times, which starts about 500′ below and to the west of the summit. You don’t see it go along your skin, but you can certainly make it out from town. It looks like the Dana Couloir to me.  If you link up Monument Ridge to Crater Crest, try to avoid the false summits of Crater Crest. It’s a big area up there. You need to get all the way to the most northern edge of the Crater Crest Ridge, because that’s where you are skiing down….to the North and down to Twin Lakes, or to the NE on a 20 degree easy slope down to the East end of Twin Lakes. You may be carrying your skis across scree and wandering around a bit before finding the ski descent option you want.

Bridgeport’s economy seems to be hurting, and half of the commercial properties are always for closed and for sale. Summer tourism is short lived, and nearby Tuolumne and Mammoth steal the show.  Eat in town and consider staying there. Food at Rhinos is excellent. I also like The Barn. They have the white picket fence.  Try not to buy gas in Bridgeport however, it’s the most expensive I have ever seen. Someone please explain that one to me. Please post pics here and tell us how it goes in a reply!