Location: Twin Lakes – Bridgeport
Elevation: 11,171′
Elevation Change: 4,071′
Recommended Map: Hoover Wilderness – Tom Harrison
I liked the look of Hunewill Peak each time I ski toured out of Twin Lakes. It’s amazing to look at. I would get butterflies since I knew it was only a matter of time and conditions before I would go try it. Without binoculars it’s hard to gauge the steepness and also how the lower cliffs work for skiing through. Next try to guess if it’s corn snow yet, being high elevation but getting so much sun. I haven’t heard of anyone who has skied this peak, but someone must have since I posted it on my older website or before. Reply here and show me your pics please to the peaks on this website please! We can’t keep looking at my amateur phone action shots.
These pics are from March 17, 2004 when I got Mark Sanders way back there to try and film him tele skiing. The spot I choose to shoot from was insane. Everything else I did was of course terrible, and we didn’t get any worthy pictures or video. This was actually my 3rd try on this peak. The first time I dragged Rick Sylvester and Steve Reynaud all the way down there for the day (3 hour drive from home). I bragged about this peak. We got a late start because I forgot my poles. I tried to use branches, it doesn’t work. Most of the slopes above us in Big Slide Canyon had wet slid recently and we slowly skinned over football fields of frozen bowling ball avy debris. We spent a few hours getting to the bottom of the peak before we just turned around and went home. I suggested they go up without me, but it was probably too warm at that point.
Skinning up Hunewill is steep and probably wind hardened when you get there. We walked up most of it. Maybe we didn’t have ski crampons. I can’t imagine skiing this peak in powder, but there is always a window if you follow the snowpack history and ski in that area regularly. The view was insane, which led me to discovering and skiing Crown Point next. Also the view of the Mt. Walt area from this side of the canyon shows you how many steep north facing lines there really are in there. We found great corn snow and no wet slides thankfully. You want a really early start for this one, as it’s about 4 miles from the car before you even start going uphill. It’s pretty steep and unsupported by terrain shape to expect stable afternoon slop. If you don’t get out there fast enough on a warm windless day, your consolation prize is even better. Go up Victoria Peak for a 3000′ continuous corn run and hit the summit if you have time to walk back there from the ridge. If you go out to ski corn on Hunewill or Victoria and you discover it ain’t gonna soften…..no big deal. Head up Little Slide Canyon for some softer north facing couloirs or tree skiing. Or go all the way out to Crown Point and enjoy beautiful Barney Lake all to yourself.
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