It was early February in the Eastern Sierra, and we had just received our first sizable snowfall of the year. Avalanche danger remained high due to multiple feet of new snow sitting on-top of a weak, faceted layer from December, so we decided there’s no better time to keep it mellow and ski tour to a hot spring!

The mountains remain a blank canvas for the time being.

Matt, Jordan, Adrianna and I were staring intensely out the car window, watching what the weather was doing to help us decide what to wear when we got to the trailhead. The clouds were creeping in so we all went with a base layer bottom and our preferred Ridge Merino hoodies. 

Never overheating on these long missions, Matt is wearing the Heist Hoodie and Aspect ¾ Length base layer, developed for the ski and snowboard boot fit. 

As we trudged through the sun baked snow, we couldn't help but stop next to the river to take in the views and grin at the fact that we were ski touring across an active supervolcano system. 

The Long Valley Caldera is home to numerous habitats and ecosystems, world class fishing and views beyond compare. To say we are fortunate to call this our front yard is an understatement. 

Front yard views

Being the ski bums that we are, we think about layering clothing in terms of "building a quiver." Just as in skiing and snowboarding - each board and ski performs differently based on the current conditions, type of snow and weather - each Merino wool piece in the Ridge Merino line has its place for any scenario.