Sawtooth Ridge / Matterhorn Peak
Bridgeport (Twin Lakes / Sawtooth Range) · near Bridgeport · Eastern Sierra
Backcountry Skiing
At a glance
- Vertical
- 4000
- Best season
- April–June · Expert spring ski-mountaineering · The northern boundary of Yosemite's high country
Permits and booking
- Permit
- No permit for day tours; wilderness permit for overnights (Humboldt-Toiyabe / Yosemite boundary). Access from Twin Lakes near Bridgeport. Serious alpine terrain above treeline — the Sawtooth Ridge is genuinely alpine.
Worth knowing
- Gear you must bring
- Beacon · Probe · Shovel · Skins · Ski crampons · Ice axe (+ second tool) · Boot crampons · Rope & glacier kit · Helmet
- Gear worth bringing
- Airbag pack · Ski-mountaineering rack
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guides
- International Alpine Guides
Backcountry Skiing detail
- Nickname
- The Northern High Sierra Alpine
- Directions note
- Park at Mono Village on Twin Lakes — Horse Creek approach
- Ates
- extreme
- Tour types
- ski-mountaineering · multi-day
- Summit
- 12279
- Approach
- Long alpine approaches from Twin Lakes into the Sawtooth cirque — above treeline, glaciated in spots
- First timer with guide
- No
- Guide recommended
- Yes
- Avi zone
- Bridgeport Avalanche Center (advisory) · check current forecasts
- Signature lines
- Matterhorn Peak · Crater Crest & the Sawtooth couloirs
- Intl tip
- The Sawtooth rises above Twin Lakes near Bridgeport — the same base as Buckeye Hot Springs (swimming guide) and the Sonora Pass zone to the north. Bridgeport is a classic Eastern Sierra town; Bodie ghost town and Mono Lake are nearby. This is the northern crown of the range's ski mountaineering.
The guide
The Sawtooth Ridge, rising above Twin Lakes near Bridgeport, is the northern High Sierra at its most dramatically alpine — a ja…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Sawtooth Ridge / Matterhorn Peak — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.085, -119.372