Skiing Death Valley

Bernie Rosow takes on the ancient Bristlecones, Death Valley's Secret Stash, Men's Journal, Feb. 2010ONCE UPON A TIME there was a certain utility to climbing mountains: to get the lay of the land, to see which way to run the wagons, to be the first to do it. That time is gone. And yet there we were, on a long haul to the top of the biggest mountain in the lower 48, deep in the Mojave Desert, in the dark, with skis on our backs.

For the glossy mag version, check out the February issue of Men's Journal, the one with Mel Gibson on the cover.

For outtakes from the notebook, and more of Pondella's fine photos, check TheTravelersNotebook.com.