Please make an appointment for bootfitting.
Oh baby, you must really like skiing to be contemplating this monster! Giant Steps isn’t lying when it says it’s giant, no matter how you approach and exit this is a huge day in the mountains and one of the coolest and most complex ski tours around with complicated navigation and technical skiing. So let’s dive in. From the summit of Mount Williamson one follows the ridge to the north for a few hundred feet, then it’s necessary to click out of skis and find the notch in the ridge. You’ll know you’re there because you’ll be staring down a huge west facing couloir and there may be some slings. From here downclimb or rappel a short 60 feet or so. Probably a 5.6 or 5.7 rating on the descent. Traverse around again to the north and you’ll reach the top of the line proper. The Giant Steps are a series of three distinct ramping couloirs that appear as a single line form the valley, but they actually divided by small ridges that can require side-stepping up. The first step is the steepest, shortest and most exposed, the pitch is in the 50 degree range and a fall and slide here would end really poorly. The next step is just about as steep, but not as exposed. The third step connects to a longer rock strewn chute and contains much more skiing before it deposits you into the basin. From here you can ski right out the drainage and deal with the scrubby exit, or hike an additional couple of thousand feet on the longer, but trail assisted exit via Shepherd Pass and out to the trailhead. Yes, it’s complicated, but take some time on Google Earth and you’ll get there.
Drive as far as your vehicle will allow towards the North Fork of Bairs Creek. Park here and follow some faint trails up a steep ridge until you come to a rocky pass, drop down into the drainage while traversing, there’s a bit of a trail. Cross the creek and then enjoy the long slog up through the beautiful basin. Navigation from here is pretty easy being walled in on both sides, just climb the mellow slopes until you hit the wide couloir in the upper basin. Climb this and then you’ll work to the north toward the north until you top out.
Finding the notch to descend off summit ridge, long dry walk out.
Ideally you want snow down to the valley floor to eliminate a dry trail shoe approach and exit, but this can be tricky. A car shuttle is a great idea for saving some added mileage on the exit.
