Squaw Valley High Camp…camping?

[Doug Smith]

I’m not sure if this is the best place for this topic, or in the Pre-trip planning section, but here goes:

I’d like to do some winter camping for a night or two, and I’m considering taking the tram up from Squaw Valley to High Camp, and hiking a little ways to set up the tent.  Do any of you know if tent camping is allowed up on top of the High Camp area?  In winter or summer?  I wouldn’t do it right at the top of the tram, where it is so heavily travelled by skiers, but a little further up the bowl or even on top of the ridge look like they’d be a very fun place to winter camp in exposed terrain.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions?  I’m not looking to go anywhere that requires skis or even really snowshoes.  That’s what makes the High Camp appealing, is that I could hike with regular boots the short distance to where I would be camping, not to mention quick access to bail-out if things went south.

[Lyle G]

I’m not sure you are allowed to camp near established places like a ski resort, its unfortunate that the specific regulations around things like this are always hard to find. I know you are not allowed to disperse camp very close to some established campgrounds. If you could make it into the Granite Chief wilderness, looks to be a mile and a bit then I would suspect you could camp anywhere past the boundary. Might be best to call the ranger station

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Speaking as a former ski patroller who has patrolled in an avalanche-prone resort be very careful about winter camping in and around Squaw Valley due to its avalanche danger areas. Even a ski patroller has been lost to an avalanche in Squaw Valley. Try to find out where those areas are and avoid them on your side trips. Online sites and the Squaw Valley Ski Patrol in particular are good information sources.

This winter in particular has dumped a lot of snow in the Sierra Nevada and nearby areas and the snowpack is unstable in many areas.

If you don’t have Avalanche I certification then please make time to get it and buy the necessary snow study tools and at least rent an avy beacon, go with others (who are hopefully avy trained as well).

At the least carry a rescue beacon like SPOT for a last second message.

[jscott]

Most mornings Squaw sets off some sort of cannon fire to try to set off avalanches before people are allowed on the mountain. Squaw just lost a ski patroler doing this very thing. My guess is, they’re not going to let you camp in that area during ski season.

there’s a million easy access places nearby where you could ski in on flat terrain and set up a tent–or shoe in. But you don’t want to do this. Just want to sleep in the snow?

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