Break free from the pack Photo © Eyewire

Come May, it may seem odd to think snow when most of the country is airing their Speedos for Memorial Day pool openings, but California's Sierra Haute Route is one reason to keep the planks out just a few weeks longer. This 38-mile romp dissects the wilderness spine of 865,952-acre Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park and will introduce both skiers and 'boarders to some of the most remote and rugged backcountry the West Coast has to offer.

With a total elevation gain of some 12,000 feet and a traverse across nine mountain passes, the Sierra Haute is no pushover and should only be attempted by skilled backcountry skiers or snowboarders in excellent shape. The trail, first traversed in the mid-1970s by ski pioneer Dave Beck, is wilderness exploration at its best: hard, thousand-foot uphill pushes; huge snow-filled bowls and acres of untracked powder; no huts and very few fellow trail goers. It's the North American equivalent of the great Chamonix-to-Zermatt Haute Route in the European Alps. "The Sierra High Route has been compared and rivals the Haute Route for its high line and uncomprimising scenery," is the assessment of Tim Keating, owner and founder of outfitter Sierra Wilderness Seminars (888-797-6867, www.swsmtns.com). "It's an exceptional close-to-home adventure," he adds.

Sierra Wilderness Seminars, in operation since 1981, is one of the few outfitters licensed by both the park and forest services to run summer and winter outdoor excursions into the backcountry of places like Sequoia and King's Canyon NP and Inyo National Forest. The 2005 SWS Haute Route tour runs May 1-8; price is $1,495 including hotel accommodations on the final night and return via charter aircraft.

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