Mt. Reba Backcountry Ski

Hiking in California

Nearby Destinations

Mokelumne Wilderness

Nearby Guides

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Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 5.1 miles / 8.2 km
Duration: Half day

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Overview: We had a day for backcountry at Bear Valley and decided to go checkout nearby Mt. Reba, a prominent local peak overlooking the Mokelumne River Canyon. We found beautiful slopes of all different difficulty levels going down, and potential for lots and lots of backcountry exploration.

Don't go too far down canyon or you'll be skinning back up to the car. If you have a Bear Valley season pass, you may access one of the lifts lower down at Bear Valley resort to return.

Tips: A GPS track is NO substitute for skiing ability, avalanche safety knowledge, winter travel experience, map and compass navigational ability, and common sense! I am not responsible for you if you should follow my track and hurt or kill yourself!

Check the weather forecast and avalanche forecast before you go (although neither is a guarantee of safe conditions!)

Big cornices exist on summit ridges - stay well away from them!

This trip requires backcountry skis or snowshoes, it is too steep for XC skis. Carry avalanche safety equipment and knowledge!

Points of Interest

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Parking

Park at the first Bear Valley Resort parking lot, where the buses park. Be sure to park well off to the side, and don't block any paths uses by snow plows.

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Bear Prints

Look out of evidence of wildlife - in this case, a fresh bear track on the skin track.

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First Knob

Go up the first hill to the ridge, then traverse along or just below the ridge top the gully between the parking lot and Mt. Reba proper.

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The Ascent

A party ascend slopes that can be easily descended.

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The Ridge traverse

Skiing along the ridge to get to the true summit is worthwhile because of the views.

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Mokelumne Canyon Views

Views to the North of Mokelumne Canyon are impressive! Kirkwood ski resort can be seen off in the distance. Don't ski too far downhill, or it is a long way back up.

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Ski Downhill

There are lots of options for skiing down depending on your ability and the snow conditions. If you go too far, you'll have you climb back up to the parking lot a long way, so pick your path carefully!