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Scratching the Technical Itch @ Kirkwood

The series of storms that have hammered the Sierra over the month of January recently calmed down and in their absence, a ridge of high pressure gave California a chance to dry out. With Kirkwood receiving over 400 inches of total snowfall on their upper mountain so far this year, the calm weather provided a perfect opportunity to examine my usual fun spots and to see…well…if they were even still there.

With my daughter in tow, we arrived early in response to the reports of crowds and full parking lots the last few weeks. Her Mini-JETS (Junior Expedition Team) begins at 9:30am, so with an early start, we managed to grab a few untracked corduroy laps on Chair 5 and sneak in a lap into the Ditch of Doom before dropping her off.
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Sunny Sessions between Super Storms @ Squaw

During the month of January 2017, over 23 feet of snow fell around the Tahoe region. After the first 10 feet, a few days of reprieve occurred over the MLK holiday. This gave time for the resorts to dig out and open more terrain…just in time for an old kid like myself to have some fun.

I’m creating this blog to give some reference on how much snow has fallen SINCE this report…the result is pure craziness for the end of January when compared to the last few years.
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Before the Storm – Early Season Radness @ Kirkwood

Early season at kirkwood mountain is quite unique. The mountain is littered with deep volcanic chutes and cliffs that skis quite differently at the end of the season with a deeper snowpack.

On a normal year, these same chutes and cliffs disappear and may even turn into a open bowl later on in the year. Therefore, this early part of the season yields some radical mini-golf action in the classic Fingers, Wagon Wheel Bowl, Oops & Poops, Lightning, All the Way and of course all of Thunder Saddle.
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‘Turns’ out Summer is ‘Pretty’ Awesome @ Telluride, Colorado

Summer is pretty darn rad in Telluride, Colorado.

With some splendid summer skiing options combined with some of the best hiking trails on the planet, its hard not to love a place like Telluride.

Just like last year, after a quick acclimatization hike up to Bear Creek Falls, the following day I rented a trusty Jeep and headed up Imogene Pass searching for summer snow. On July 26th, Ashton joined the party and we were pleasantly surprised by the coverage. Unlike last summer, a chute connected to the summit above Savage Basin. Aston took a lap followed by a scenic ride on his motorbike while I headed up the chute. How were the conditions? Summery but with minimal suncups provided a perfect descent for late July. After a few laps on the lower patches, it was time to head down for some snacks at Baked in Telluride.
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Juneuary Jaunt to Mammoth Mountain, CA – One Last Wintery Blast!

With our third child arriving into our family around mid-May, life has been a tad busy for family ski trips the month prior and after his entry into planet Earth. However, given the amount of snowfall in the Sierra this season, the two older kids and I still wanted to get in our annual late season trip Mammoth and that day happened to land on June 12th, 2016. After almost two weeks of scorching high altitude temperatures prior to our arrival, my main concern was packing proper sunscreen let alone even a proper ski coat. Well, a few days before our departure, the weather forecast shifted and took the sun completely out of the equation. The day prior displayed ‘sun’…the day after displayed ‘sun.’ But, our day of planned skiing displayed ‘rain & snow’ with a high temperature of 38F.

Fast forward to the morning of June 12th, 2016…after a night of thunder and lightning, we awoke to pouring rain in the Village of Mammoth. The older kid is yelling at me that ‘he doesn’t ski in the rain’ and my youngest is only concerned about the promised massive doughnut at the Main Lodge prior to skiing. As we made our way up to the Main Lodge, the rain did not let up and we were soaked by the time we dropped off our gear by Broadway Express. However, Dad was overly optimistic…probably because from McCoy Station and above was showing new snowfall. He studied the animated satellite image and thought to himself ‘I think we may just get a gap in the storm.’ After a hearty breakfast, dad proceeded to walk onto the deck to take a look at the weather and by some sort of miracle, the rain had stopped. Granted, it was still cloudy, but you could see to the top of Broadway and we wouldn’t get soaked ‘trying’ to ski.
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Thrashing with the Tribe…a week in Telluride!

So here we are…another year, another ‘ski week’ in Telluride. With six days of skiing on the docket, the big difference this year is that the kids can actually ski with us! Hell, my 7 year old decided to pick off ‘double blacks’ all over the mountain. Call this dad impressed…

Telluride is our staple ski destination outside of California for many reasons. One, and most importantly, there’s great hike-to steep terrain like the Gold Hill Chutes, Mountain Quail and Palmyra. Secondly, they have some amazing beginning and intermediate terrain for the little rippers in your family. Finally, it was a town before a ski resort and that character shines through as you walk down main street. I guess you argue that the views are pretty spectacular, restaurants are amazing, and the sunsets are to die for, but I only have some much time to editorialize.

With over 240 inches of snowfall before our visit and spring time temps throughout the week, we couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather to ski bell to bell everyday. Groomers such as Henry’s, Milk Run, Bushwacker and The Plunge had that ‘every so perfect’ Rocky Mountain chalky consistency. Coverage in the steeps was better than years past, and outdoor lunching at Bon Vivant or Giuseppe’s could not have been more sublime.

My only dilemma was trying to fit in some dad time lapping Dihedral face and at least one hike up to Palmyra Peak. I managed to bag those lines and a few others but had just as much fun cruising the mountain with the 4 and 7 year old groms. To be honest, it is pretty rewarding to see your kids having a blast on the hill but its even more rewarding when they crash to bed earlier than usual after a big day.
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