Mike Schaffer on Mount Olson, ready to drop in

In California's Mono County from mid December through May, virtually thousands of backcountry skiers trek into the Eastern Sierra in search of adventure Many of them join a guided trip. "These trips can be as short as a day or last a week or longer," says Doug Nidever of the Sierra Mountain Guides, based in June Lake.

One of the rarer opportunities to ski the High Sierra backcountry occurs at June Mountain where for $360, two skiers join one of SMG's guides and ride the area's ski lifts to the top of Rainbow Summit and June Mountain then cross the ski area boundary to descend through the wild terrain of Inyo National Forest ($150 for each additional skier). At most ski areas, skiing beyond a boundary is prohibited. Whereas at June, guided groups of skiers can explore thousands of acres of virgin terrain.

Backcountry skiing like this has burgeoned due to the development of the alpine touring ski (also known as an AT or randonnee). Unlike telemark skis, AT skis are wider (about 80 mm at their waist), have alpine-styled bindings that allow heels to lift when walking and use stiffer boots. The new equipment has added control, color, comfort, style and adventurous mystique to backcountry skiing that, according to Nidever, is attracting "a range of abilities and ages, from X-gens to those in their 50s to late 60s."

"It's the accomplishment of bagging a Sierra peak like San Joaquin or Carson or skiing between June Mountain and Mammoth Mountain in a day that draws the backcountry skier to Mono County," Nidever explains. Eventually, these skiers progress to taking multi-day tent camping trips or to trek to overnight huts. When on a guided trip, the outfitter provides tents and stoves, stocks and prepares food and arranges for permits.

The three-day Mammoth/June Traverse ($445) provides an introduction to multi-day ski trips for the novice to intermediate backcountry skier. This tour travels north along the gentle San Joaquin Ridge from Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, passing the dramatic Minarets, Mount Ritter, Banner Peak and the Clark Lakes before descending to Gem Lake and the June Lake Loop. Along the way, guides provide basic instruction on route finding, avalanches, and winter camping.

For intermediate to advanced backcountry skiers, numerous snow camping trips to remote areas of Yosemite National Park and the eastern Sierra begin from Mono County. The Yosemite Haute Route tour, operated by the Sierra Mountain Guides, is a classic trans-Sierra expedition that crosses the high point in Yosemite National Park. For those not up to that kind of exertion or a week of camping in the snow, hut trips are alsoguided that include stops at the Tioga Pass Resort (on the eastern side of Yosemite National Park) and a hut in Tuolumne Meadows ($1,100).

Leading each of these trips is a certified guide, as the Sierra Mountain Guides is one of very few guide services in the United States with guides certified by the International Union of Mountain Guides (UIAGM -Union International de l'Guides de Montagne). "Not many guides achieve this certification," says Nidever who has spent 30 years guiding trips and climbs in the Sierra Nevada.

It's this expertise that has made what used to be the impassible, possible. More about backcountry skiing and Mono County is found at http://www.themountainguide.com/ and http://www.monocounty.org/.

Information about lodging and dining in the Sierra's can be found in Taste California Travel’s Resource Directory