Report from May 7, 2026

Up at 5:30 am, on the road by 6 from San Diego.

Dropped Liam at John Wayne in Orange County and pushed north.

I had to clear LA County before rush hour.

Hit some traffic in Ontario, but nothing like the sludge crawling the other way into LA.

Once I hit 395, I knew I’d made it.

When the stoplights ended, I was home free.

Made Mammoth Lakes by 12:15 pm and went straight to the Gross Out (Grocery Outlet).

Harvested yogurt and the rest of the hippie staples, inhaled my first meal of the day at home, then jumped on the bike. The ride to the hill was excellent – dirt roads, no cars.

Showed up around 1:30, met Lee, Drew, and Steve, and started lapping Chair 23.

Skiing was good.

True corn.

Splashy corn.

Drop Out 2 was tight and steep.

Wipeout was a leg burner with a couple of jumps Lee had found.

After 6 laps, I headed home cooked.

SoCal had ground me down…

My wife’s UCLA business school reunion, then the National Ski Areas Association tradeshow, layered on top of hard training and 5 straight days of surf.

Yesterday delivered: Ponto in Carlsbad, glassy and shoulder-high, not too many guys out.

Ate another huge meal at home and took a 1-hour nap.

Glad to be settled back into Mammoth for the rest of the month. Thanks, California.

Photos