Moonlit Glides and First Turns

I have a love/hate relationship with the state of California. I mean, what's to love about a state that pulls money from education programs and state park funding to pay our politicians? That pulls people out of prison rather than raise taxes to balance the budget? But how can you possibly hate a place that opens its ski hills the second week of November? That has the highest mountains and the lowest valleys in the country? My relationship with California: it's complicated.

I'll be leaving this state soon so it's nice to go out on a positive note, or should I say a snowy one? I've missed real winter for the last couple years, but growing up in Montana I developed a healthy appreciation for snow and cold weather. When our forecast began calling for feet of snow last week I got ridiculously excited. I stared out the window just waiting for the clouds to begin piling up behind the Sierras, for the sky to darken and for those first feeble little flakes to begin falling. It was hard to remember what feet of snow was like. I started making all kinds of plans for the snow - skiing, sledding, skiing and more skiing. And snow it did. Between Friday night and Sunday afternoon we logged about 9 inches here in town with between 3-5 feet falling in the mountains.

The clouds finally began to clear a bit on Sunday afternoon so my housemate Julia and I took advantage of a beautiful full moon to ski out to Panum Crater. Highway 120 had not been plowed and as soon as we skated away from the car it felt like we were the only people in the world. Snow inspires an incredible stillness. It muffles the sounds of crunching gravel, snapping branches and rustling leaves, and the quiet at Panum Crater was almost deafening.

http://www.blackcatweavery.com/LakeTahoe2007.htm

The next morning, my other housemate Morgan and I left the house early to get to Mammoth Mountain in time for an 8:30 opening. The wind must have been blowing 40 mph most of the day, but that didn't stop us from getting in some early season turns. We both just purchased telemark equipment, so I was showing Morgan how to drop her knee and ski for real! The snow (that hadn't blown away) was fluffy and beautiful and we had a great day! Even met up with friend Clif for the afternoon and challenged ourselves on some steeper slopes.

Photo courtesy of http://4-mammoth-condos.com/

These Sierras have been a truly remarkable place to call home. I know I say too often and it starts to lose its meaning, but the variety of ways to play out here (and people who want to play) continue to astound me. Many thanks to all who have made this place home for the past two summers. I'll miss you and these sentinel mountains more than I can ever express.