Had a Spring Break MITOC reunion, with Chris, Greg, Drew, Eric and others. Stayed at a Tahoe “cabin”, really an incredible home we were able to stay in for free. No Camelot for us! There’s more snow here than I’ve ever seen. The moutains got seven-plus feet over the last week. Got up there on Friday night after a long drive, made longer by needing to put on chains, which were entirely unnecessary. I wish CalTrans would let you pass the chain control if you’re a competent winter driver. But the (apparently injury-free) rollover accident we saw indicates that not everyone is…
Went to Alpine on Saturday, which had a tremendous amount of snow, but was incredibly windy. Got stuck at the base of Sherwood when the lift shut down, so we had a nice climb out. Should have gone to Squaw, where our friends had a top ten day. At least we got a comped lift ticket for another day. The walls of the parking lot were 20′ of snow, so there should be plenty left later in the season.
On Sunday we went to Jakes Peak just off Emerald Bay. It’s a classic backcountry run, with a pretty steep skin track right off the bat. I’m a little out of shape, but Chris kept me company in the back. When we got to the top, I was glad to have my new beacon and shovel, as there are several clear avalanche paths. Definitely need that gear out here; and yes Mom, I am going to take a safety course.
Descending was not as epic as you’d think given the amount of snow. The high winds had done their worst, and the surface was pretty slabby for the top third. The middle was quite nice, and then it got a little heavier at the bottom. Took a few tumbles in the soft snow when I couldn’t keep my weight far enough back. Still, I had a better descent than John, whose rented AT gear malfunctioned and so had to walk/shovel ride down 2000 feet. Better luck next time, Gamble.
After one lap, I was too spent to consider another. The boys built a kicker at the side of the road and got some extra vert off the 12 foot drop. Drew called his Mom while sending it, for a thousand extra gnar points .
Got home around 9:30, and launched the new Presente.org site. Not bad for a three day weekend.
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