I suppose that many SOTA ops have a favorite summit that they do over and over again within the same year and get no points for it. If you’re a SOTA op in the US, you probably know that K6EL, Elliott and WG0AT, Steve are often on the same summit when you call them or they call you.
K6EL has activated W6/NC-423, Mount Davidson 711 times.
W6/NC-423, Mount Davidson - Chaser Dream Team, photo by WU7H
Steve, WG0AT, has activated W0C/FR-063, Mount Herman, 263 times.
WG0AT on Mount Herman, photo by WG0AT
My favorite summit is W7Y/TT-122, Pass Benchmark, or Mount Elly, as it’s known locally. I’ve activated it 30 times total, 10 times in 2026, all of which were ski tours (it’s also a beautiful hike in the summer). Of course, I’m just a beginner at this repeater thing. But give me some time. Elliott started in 2012 and Steve started in 2010. I didn’t start until 2021. Perhaps there will be an award badge for SOTA Repeater Kings: 25, 50, 100, etc.
Why activate the same peak over and over, and for no points?
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W7Y/TT-122 is 17 miles from my house on a paved and well-plowed road; it takes 20-30 minutes to get there.
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Compared to all the SOTA peaks I’ve done, W7Y/TT-122 seems to have the best propagation. I usually have massive pileups on it, 60-100 QSOs. In January of 2026, I had the most QSOs I’ve had on SOTA: 166 in 4 hours.
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I love massive pileups.
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It’s a nice, moderate ski tour in the winter that goes right past some great ski bowls, and it’s a lovely moderate hike through the wildflowers in the summer.
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Chasers still get the points even if you don’t
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I get just as much pleasure and excitement activating the same peak over and over as I get activating a new peak.
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There are times when I need an activation fix, and I don’t have time for a long, complicated drive or hike.
My activation on April 16, 2026, promised to have some good skiing, but it was hard to tell. Both Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole ski areas were closed for the season. My snow reports came from watching the Teton Pass Cam where you can see how much it’s snowing up there.
Teton Pass Cam - The Most Viewed Road Cam in the West
If you look at the cam around 5pm, you can see the ski tracks around the parking lot. If those tracks are completely covered by morning, you’re probably in for some good skiing. But with W7Y/TT-122, I’m going whether the snow is good or bad. The activation’s the thing; good skiing is just a bonus.
But, as skiers like to say, “If you don’t go, you don’t know.” On the morning of April 16, the tracks were barely covered, but it was snowing pretty hard. I decided to wait until 1pm to drive up; it was light til 7pm and more snow is always better.
Video of the Activation
There was about 6" of new snow at the trailhead. Not life-changing powder, but at least it would be a pleasant ski up and back down. But by the time I reached the cell towers, there was about 10" of snow. I decided to do a test run. It was pretty good, but not great. The run was probably too steep for the amount of snow; I was skidding off the crust below it. (A 73-year-old powder skier has to be picky)
First Run at Cell Towers
On the summit, I got set up in about 10 minutes. Because I do the peak so much, I know exactly where I’ll sit, which tree branch I’ll drape the wire over, and where I’ll stick my mast in the snow. I set up my end fed antenna as a lopsided inverted V, with the transformer end about 4 feet above the ground, the apex at about 30 feet, and the mast end about 23 feet.
Setting Up With Frozen Fingers
It was 20 degrees F, windy, and snowing. My hands were frozen by the time I was tucked into my Bothy Bag. It always amazes me how comfortable I am in a Bothy on top of a cold, windy, snow-covered winter peak. I wouldn’t last 5 minutes without it.
Kinda Warm and Dry in Bothy Bag
The pileup started immediately. I had QSOs on 15, 17, 20, 30, and 40 meters. 17 and 20 were the money bands. I was in the bag for 80 minutes and had 85 QSOs. By the time I finished at 4:15pm, I was starting to shiver. Despite the shivering, I managed to get everything packed up in 10 minutes.
I decided to try a ski run into Black Canyon. The snow was pretty good; about 10 inches on top of a frozen base and a drop of about 600 feet. I was feeling a bit worked by the time I climbed back to the top, but finally I was warm. Then the sun peaked through the clouds, greatly improving visibility. That made my decision: repeat the run. Skiing was even better the second time because I had good light and a track to follow. Unless it’s full sun, visibility on a blank snow bowl is bad. With no trees or tracks to give you perspective, it’s easy get disequilibrium.
Lovely Light on Second Run
After the second run into Black Canyon, I started the ski back to the car, but when I came to Olympia Bowl, about halfway back, I couldn’t resist and dropped into that. It was even better: the right angle for the snow conditions. I did that twice.
Olympia Bowl
Blizzard Conditions Skiing Back to Car
By the time I climbed back to the track it was snowing and blowing hard. I got back to the parking lot at 6pm and the traffic heading down to Idaho was bumper to bumper stop-and-go. Because the temperature was dropping rapidly, the wet highway had turned to black ice. People were smart to keep it slow. The 30 minute drive took 60 minutes. Normally, I would be irritated by the slow traffic, but I had the glow from a great activation AND great skiing.
While driving, I hoped that my wife would have a fire blazing and dinner cooked, but she had been busy with other things. First I got a fire started in the wood stove, then into the hot tub for 30 minutes. You don’t realize how cold you are until you get into the hot tub and it takes 30 minutes to get your core temp back to normal.
We always keep a few frozen cheese pizzas for occasions like this. We pack on our own toppings for a custom pie. I hate to admit it, but I like frozen pizzas as much as the fresh take out pizzas; they are a LOT cheaper and a LOT more convenient.
I reminded my wife to leave the front door unlocked: we would be sleeping by the time MY ASS came crawling home.
The next morning I checked the pass cam at 5am. It was still snowing. I got up to the pass at 6:45 and did 5 runs, no activation. It was one of the best ski days of the season: 15" of untracked hero snow.
Hero Snow
I grew up in Michigan where is used to snow in the winter.