TIOGA PASS, CALIFORNIA
Unreal faces, straight-to-hell couliers, step, rolling glades: Tioga Pass could be the best roadside attraction on the planet. When the road closes for the season, book a room or cabin at the Tioga Pass Resort (209-372-4471) and head out into a ski touring nirvana. Perched on the eastern side of Yosemite National Park, Tioga Pass Resort marks the end of the line in the winter (during low snow years you can drive to the resort, but when it dumps, you have to ski, snowmobile, or snowcat in). In the spring, the road opens, providing Mammoth locals and road-tripping ski bums sustained, expert-only pitches such as the Dana Coujoin. Although Tioga offers a wide variety of terrain, it's the steep chutes off the Dana Plateau and runs like Powerhouse, a 4,000-vertical-foot descent, which attract skiers like moths to a flame. Other options include lapping the challenging Ellery Chutes via a bootpack that leads directly to the top.

Road: Highway 120 (closed in winter, approach from the east side)
Annual Snowfall: 400 inches
Range: High Sierra Nevadas, Dana Plateau
Nearest Town: Lee Vining
Elevation: 9,945 feet
Descents: 13,000 feet to 8,000 feet
Avalanche Info: (760) 878-3213, www.csac.org
Road Info: (916) 445-7623

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