Description

This is not really a ski trail.

It is a well used hiking trail that leads to the Upper Saddle and runs such as East and West Palisades, Keyhole, Upper and Lower Saddle, and High Yellow Face.

It is well known as the access to the backside of Alpine Meadows (many people refer to this area as the High Traverse) which consists of beautiful big open bowls that lead to the base of the Sherwood Chair, but each of the backside bowls has its own name. The High Traverse actually consists of two separate hiking trails.

The first is up the wide ridge above Alpine Bowl.

Exit straight when unloading from the Summit Six Chair and begin walking, with or without your skis on your feet, up the ridge.

About ¾ of the way up the ridge you ski off the cornice (launching is not required) onto skier packed trail that traverses under Ward Peak to the Upper Saddle.

This is a few hundred yards long from which point you have many options to ski either back toward the front side of Alpine Meadows or over the Backside to the base of the Sherwood Lift. The second way to use the High Traverse is to use the Alpine Bowl or Summit Chairs to reach this trail.

From the Summit Chair bear slightly to your left as you exit the lift.

Cross Alpine Bowl on the groomed road to the top of the Alpine Bowl Chair.

Ski through the building that covers the top station and begin hiking across the steep slope.

Using the Alpine Bowl Chair exit to your left and begin hiking.

Use caution, especially when conditions are firm.

There is usually a skier packed trail to follow.

Follow this trail until you reach the Upper Saddle which should be pretty obvious a couple hundred yards from the top of the Alpine Bowl Chair.

From the Upper Saddle you have a number of options leading to open bowls on the Backside of Alpine Meadows beginning from the top of the Upper Saddle or with a little additional hiking trails leading back to the base of the front side of Alpine.