Terry and Kenny take a day off to ski midweek at Sugar Bowl, California.
The last several weeks had been pretty dry in the Sierra. The last real snowfall was December 13th, so it was looking pretty grim for these two powder hounds.
But when the meduim range forecast starting showing the possibility of some decent snow, I asked brother-in-law Kenny if he would like to ski at Sugar Bowl on the upcoming "two-for-one" Wednesday. He said yes, so off I drove from the Bay Area on Tuesday to his home in Granite Bay.
There was a new puppy at the Peel household, a chocolate lab named Georgie, eager to bound around and tug on my clothes with those razor sharp puppy teeth. Who can resist a puppy? Not my camera:
- Big Dale and little Georgie tug of war
- Georgie gets his own stick
- The proud big brother
- Checking out the terrain
- It's so hard to keep still!
- Relaxing in Mommy's arms
- Tug of war in the dark
- Who's winning this game?
- Resting up after the workout
- I'm pretty tired now
After we got our fill of oohs and ahhs (and slobber) we got some sleep and rose early for the one hour drive to Sugar Bowl. When we arrived at 8 AM, we were about the 15th car in the parking lot. We grabbed some breakfast, geared up and headed out under partly cloudy skies and light winds.
- All manner of snow sliding equipment represented
- Cloud cover filling in, a welcome sight
- Emigrant Glades, with snow hanging on the trees
- The Palisades, very scary terrain which was closed (thankfully)
- Top of Mt. Lincoln, after a short hike
- ANIMATION: First tracks down Mt. Lincoln
From the top of Mt. Lincoln, it's a short ski and hike over to Roller Pass. This is a gladed area with just the right amount of steepness for tree skiing. And since it requires a short hike, it doesn't get skied very much. We made first tracks here, as well.
- Roller Pass, Kenny aims to turn between two trees...
- ...and ends up like this
- ANIMATION: Kenny does a disappearing trick
- If you're going to fall, watch out for the rocks!
- Time for an early lunch, in yummy liquid form
- At The Village, after having enjoyed our lunch
After our liquid lunch break, we started to ski better. The clouds started getting darker and the wind started picking up. At the same time, the few people on the mountain became fewer. This lifted our spirits further.
- Mt. Disney Chair, the snow starts to blow
- The ridge between Mt. Disney and Mt Lincoln, avoiding rocks and suffering wind
- Terry self portrait, grimacing in the wind and trying to remain upright
- Kenny points at something
- Sugar Bowl (the run) - worth the effort to get there
- Big rocks, big bowl, no people -- lift-accessed backcountry
- The Village Bathroom, the price of a liquid lunch
- Back out after bathroom break, snow flakes starting to fall
- Popping out of the woods, snow getting deeper
- Strong wind, heavy snow, big trees -- nirvana
- Visibility dropping steadily
- The snow gods are hard at work now
- It's getting crowded in the trees
- High speed turns, between Disney and Crow's Nest chairs
- Outside The Village, heavy snowfall makes for big smiles
- Dark but far from gloomy
By this point, the Silver Belt chair to Mt. Lincoln was closed due to high winds. This left us to do laps on Mt. Disney the rest of the day. The Disney chair is sheltered, until you get to the top of the ridge, where it was blowing hard enough to knock you over.
- Top of the ridge, Mt. Disney -- two boarders cower amid the blowing snow
- Kenny navigates the boarder obstacles and tries to remain upright against the wind
- Towering old rock on the ridge
- Untracked Sugar Bowl with windblown powder awaits
- ANIMATION: carefree turns in Sugar Bowl
- Idyllic touring landscape covered with delicate snow, bottom of Sugar Bowl
- It's kind of flat through here, but tucking doesn't help
- Pausing in the trees, seeking wisdom (and an easy route back)
- Which way is north? An old tree points the way
- Jerome Hill chair, last ride. Windy, snowy, dark, no problem!
- The last few die-hards, getting hard to see much of anything
- Final turns under the Jerome Hill chair
- The melancholy march to the car at 5 PM.
In my book, this had all the markings an epic day. It started with fresh snow from the day before, and ended with huge snowfall and deserted slopes. The falling snow, poor visibility, and stinging wind actually made it more enjoyable. This day will stay in the memory files for quite some time, helping me to endure the long Summer to come.
I hope you enjoyed the report, and that you get out soon to make some memories of your own.
