tseeb
Well-known member
My plan was to get up early and ski Squaw on Thursday on $19 ticket for other resort passholder, then spend night in So. Tahoe, then ski Mammoth Friday and Saturday. But when I checked weather Wednesday evening, I kept seeing low 40s and very high 30s and showers and the only freeze I saw was on remote sensor on top of Squaw. So I did not get up when alarm went off a little after 4. When I got up later, I took my dogs for a walk and did a couple of hours of work around the house that my wife appreciated when she got home from work. Even leaving San Jose before noon on Thursday, I had a couple of slowdowns getting out of the Bay Area. I did get report that N-facing on Squaw did freeze but a lot of it required some hiking.
Friday morning, I left So. Tahoe at 4:45 and arrived Mammoth at 7:15. After changing and setting up my MCP, I got on chair 1 at 7:45. I skied chair 2 a few times and it was a little firm for the first couple of runs. I rode gondola to the top and skied smoothly groomed Cornice run. Next time up I took Dave's where snow was not as good, then came down in Dry Creek where snow was poor as it was thin and still partially frozen and sun-cupped where not skied. Next four times up to the top, I skied Climax starting from far skiers left first run and ending with narrow chute at far right my last run.View attachment 5View attachment 4
I moved to scary chair 23 (steep, high off the ground until you get over rocks and no bar) which stopped a few times to increase the thrill. I started with run in sun between Cornice and Drop Out chutes, then moved to Drop Out chute closest to chair. The snow was firmer than expected on shady side so I had to repeat it to get a clean run. I also tried the sunnier side of that chute, then moved to Wipe Out chutes which had good snow. I especially liked the smoother snow of skiers right of Wipe Out 2 and 3 which was smooth and partially still shaded by big rocks. Lower down you had to be careful as there were quite a few rocks on top and in the snow.
Eventually, I got tired of skiing the almost too soft lower part and started traversing to groomed and salted Race courses that had firm and fast snow once they opened them to public about 11:30. Before taking a break from 12-12:30. I got into Paranoids 1 by side-stepping from the top of Monument and hiking above rocks in soft snow that separated the two runs. After my break I skied a few more chair 23 runs, then did 3 quick laps on chair 3 and loaded upper Gondola at a few minutes before they closed it to skiers at 2. It was almost 2:15 when I got back to car with 36K, my highest vertical of the year. Top of upper mountain was very good until the end.
Friday morning, I left So. Tahoe at 4:45 and arrived Mammoth at 7:15. After changing and setting up my MCP, I got on chair 1 at 7:45. I skied chair 2 a few times and it was a little firm for the first couple of runs. I rode gondola to the top and skied smoothly groomed Cornice run. Next time up I took Dave's where snow was not as good, then came down in Dry Creek where snow was poor as it was thin and still partially frozen and sun-cupped where not skied. Next four times up to the top, I skied Climax starting from far skiers left first run and ending with narrow chute at far right my last run.View attachment 5View attachment 4
I moved to scary chair 23 (steep, high off the ground until you get over rocks and no bar) which stopped a few times to increase the thrill. I started with run in sun between Cornice and Drop Out chutes, then moved to Drop Out chute closest to chair. The snow was firmer than expected on shady side so I had to repeat it to get a clean run. I also tried the sunnier side of that chute, then moved to Wipe Out chutes which had good snow. I especially liked the smoother snow of skiers right of Wipe Out 2 and 3 which was smooth and partially still shaded by big rocks. Lower down you had to be careful as there were quite a few rocks on top and in the snow.
Eventually, I got tired of skiing the almost too soft lower part and started traversing to groomed and salted Race courses that had firm and fast snow once they opened them to public about 11:30. Before taking a break from 12-12:30. I got into Paranoids 1 by side-stepping from the top of Monument and hiking above rocks in soft snow that separated the two runs. After my break I skied a few more chair 23 runs, then did 3 quick laps on chair 3 and loaded upper Gondola at a few minutes before they closed it to skiers at 2. It was almost 2:15 when I got back to car with 36K, my highest vertical of the year. Top of upper mountain was very good until the end.
