Jake's Peak North East Backcountry Tour

Miles & Elevation (skin-up): ~1.1 m, ~2,300 ft gain/~0 ft loss

GPX: https://caltopo.com/m/AAEV1

Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/oUuic4AHrVY3ZgFL8. Parking for ~10 cars.

After driving up to Tahoe the day before at 4am, skinning up 2,000 vertical feet at Palisades, and skiing all day, I was pretty knackered. But the following day was sunny in Tahoe and it seemed impossible to resist hitting the slopes again, which led to Jake's Peak.

The skin trail was quite steep, but regardless of which trail you take, it is always a challenging tour. The ascent is virtually straight up in the sun, so bringing water, sunscreen, shorts, and a sun hoodie is highly recommended. The tour is also quite popular, as I saw three other groups, including one with a dog wearing doggles.

The summit is treeless and provides fantastic views of Lake Tahoe and Desolation Wilderness.

Around noon, we began the descent and encountered incredible corn. We proceeded down the east slope and turned left near a rocky ridge on their left to start traversing. We found the navigation back down to the car feasible without putting back on our skins and I’d guess most folks will feel the same if they have a map.

The best part of the tour is that you do not have to put your skins back on, and Lake Tahoe is nearby, allowing you to head to the beach immediately after your tour.

Tahoe is widely regarded as the "Spring Skiing Capital" of the world, and it undoubtedly lives up to this title.