False-False White
False White is of course the marvelously obvious mountain that pops into view up Tioga Pass Road at Ellery Lake. For backcountry skiers, False White's looming east face is an area classic—though not quite as close as it initially appears.
Having successfully skied FW back in 2012, I wasn't too concerned about getting lost, so I didn't put much effort into reading up on the route. But guess what happened? Matthew Testa, Dave Braun, and I managed to climb the wrong summit, about a mile to the east, which we promptly dubbed "False" False White.
Let the history books properly reflect our accomplishment.
It wouldn't be fair to call False White's approach challenging, but it is a bit tedious—especially once everything has melted out.
You start at the intersection of Saddlebag Lake Road and Highway 120, then take the Bennettville Loop Trail (which has been dubiously re-routed for its first 1/4 mile), and then meander northwest for a solid two and a half miles on boggy ground to get to the correct ascent drainage.
Our patience wore out around the mile and a half mark.
Believing we had already reached False White's northwest buttress, we abandoned the bog and crossed the creek, leading us to undiscovered country. When we topped out, on a reddish-brown hump just over 11,000 feet, we saw False White's east face in the distance plus a great deal of sun cups, and decided we would go no further.
Interestingly enough, we also got a tantalizing view of FW's hidden southeast cirque—more on that to come.
After a lunch break we skied a nice series of snowfields and gullies back down to the lakes, occasionally finding smoothish snow. On balance getting lost was the right call; the east face was much too textured for anything other than survival skiing.
— June 20, 2025
My family and I are deeply grateful to all of you for your kind words, encouragement, and offers of support. Every message and every gesture—big or small—has meant a lot to us. We're doing the best we can ❤️
