Moving out Californee way (San Diego !) in July - tips on living, hiking, skiing?

[TEXASS]

Kicking around the Idea of heading up. Just dont know about that bit of rain/snow mix they are forecasting for saturday. Keeping an eye on the wind too. Breezy in the forecast is doable. If it goes to windy, may have to regroup

[hutash]

i think the recent issue of powder has an article about automated tuning machine that one of the shops in Mammoth uses, although don't recall the name? Try them and let me know what you think...seems like an interesting concept, not that I tune all that often.

They specifically mentioned Footloose, but I believe Kittreidge and the on mountain shops have them as well.

[TEXASS]

Im out for this weekend. Too much wind, not enough snow. Looks likeIt will be Shasta, first weekend in december.

[Deep Days]

Right on. Anyone else crazy enough to brave it? 3 chairs opening tomorrow. Will def be there sat sun. Maybe softish sun??

[Deep Days]

Actually pretty damn fun this weekend. Was pretty rad to see what Mammoth is all about. I will probably be advised against this, but for the time being I will affectionately term the mountain Miss Mammy.

On that note, I felt like Scarlet O'hara in Gone With the Wind getting relentlessly and coldly yelled at by Mammy all day Saturday (emphasis on the wind and coldly parts, as well as Mammy's comment of "catching my death of dampness"--was wringing out gloves on gondola every run after about 1 1/2 hr!). Discovery was open all day and comprised the totality of skiing for about all but 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. Chair 3 did not open. There was maybe an inch of graupel and super sticky snow surface...? Warm surface melted and then glazed over on Sunday with colder temps late night and then pretty darn warm mid-day.

Either way, Sunday was a nice day, chair 3 was spinning, and I got to remember how much I love my Monster iM103s (which did pre-release at about 45 mph due to being mounted for a bigger bootsole and really marginally adequate forward pressure, but that's a matter for another thread--need a remount of 997s, which no shop will do!)

Quite a few crowds out enjoying the sun--hard to really give'er but I did make a few reasonable-speed carves. Always love working on subtleties of technique early season, and Sunday was just bully for that. Snowmaking looks like going quite well for the Canyon (or whatever the area is far skier's right of the ski area), so fingers crossed maybe another lift or two next weekend?? Even with crowded runs, lift lines weren't bad at all rolling solo. Maybe 8 min on the busy ones and <5min for chair 3?? Skied onto the chair a couple times just after lunch. Pretty empty after 1p, as I guess is to be expected.

Definitely need snow BADLY. Lots of exposed dirt and rock. Lots. Tahoe Daily Snow saying multiple feet for Tahoe next weekend, so maybe some will dip south?? Fingers crossed.

I'll be up there to ski Fri, Sat, Sun. Maybe see some of you party people up there. I'm in gray helmet, yellow arcteryx jacket, black pants, and usually iM103s (orange and gray old school) or dark green Wagners early season.

Peace!

[LARRY01]

^^^go see Rob at the ski renter next to Shell. He will help you out with a remount on the 997's. He also likes beer.

[Max Archer]

The Bear resorts open up this week (Summit tomorrow and Bear Mt. Friday) if anybody feels like braving the WROD. I might go up, it'll probably be a shitshow but some turns are better than no turns and I can squeeze it in between turkey day and going back to work on Saturday and Sunday without too much trouble.

[Rodneyyee]

Miss Mammy?

Seriously.

And P3 for all those things you mentioned. Ski renter is technically challenged. (imho)

[Deep Days]

Anybody thinking about breeding the wind tomorrow at Mammoth? Looking like winds may be substantial enough not to open chair three, but maybe stop Allie will be some kind of fun. I'll be up there pretty early. Yellow jacket, likely go pro, green Wagner's or old-school gray and orange Im103. Holler if you see me.

[P_McPoser]

I need to figure out a way to ski mammoth again with all you dickheads.

[hutash]

^^^Yeah, we need some roads cleared at the fort

[Deep Days]

3 open today no problem. Icy in a lot of spots but pretty fun kicker-bump things on saddle bowl (and could avoid people after 1230 or so). Pleeeenty people still. Hard to carve more than two turns, but easier late in day. Wind was very very minor. If you choose carefully, could definitely find some spots to hold an edge nicely.

Don't like when opensnow is talking in feet for Tahoe and NWS says < 1" for mammoth mountain (9800') but hopefully the low snow totals forecast is about as accurate as the winds...

Rinse & repeat tomorrow. Thunder bout 9, ski til 1-ish.

FWIW, Cornice bowl looks like pretty reasonable goal with maybe a gloppy foot on top... Maybe less?? Next weekend might get interesting??

[P_McPoser]

^^^Yeah, we need some roads cleared at the fort

Perfect, and I need an old fart to lecture me on the lost cause of it

[Eldo]

...If you choose carefully, could definitely find some spots to hold an edge nicely...

Have you heard the phrase: "Damning with faint praise."

[Max Archer]

Bear was about what you'd expect. Pretty decent for fake snow for the first couple of hours and not obscenely crowded, but then it turned into awful chop and a game of "dodge the noob snowboarders."

It was still nice to get some turns in and get there, ski, and come back in under eight hours total.

[whyturn]

If it's just fast groomers and sun I like snow valley. Not bear or snow summitt. It's an hour or more closer total and less people. Just better IMO

[Max Archer]

If it's just fast groomers and sun I like snow valley. Not bear or snow summitt. It's an hour or more closer total and less people. Just better IMO

Valley is actually where I first learned to ski when I was a little kid. Don't think I've ever been there as an adult though.

I still like Baldy the best of the LA area ski areas but as we all know they never have any damn snow.

[1000-oaks]

Monument status probably screws Baldy out of ever putting a lift on the northwest slope. Thanks dickhead POTUS, couldn't resist slapping your name on yet another pointless act. Will be interesting to see how it affects Waterman.

[406]

Monument status probably screws Baldy out of ever putting a lift on the northwest slope. Thanks dickhead POTUS, couldn't resist slapping your name on yet another pointless act. Will be interesting to see how it affects Waterman.

Baldy expanding to that area is a stupid idea and would never work.

I'm not sure what I think about the Monument, might be good if it increases human powered recreation options such as mountain biking. Regardless looked to me like the boundary is west of the ski area.

[1000-oaks]

I agree that the larger basin to the west (starting at the top of lift 4 and butting up to Harwood) wouldn't work.

They ran the boundary roughly along the top of the ridge, from San Antonio east. Basically they carved out a notch for the ski area, so no expansion.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/defa...lmonument.jpeg

[406]

I agree that the larger basin to the west (starting at the top of lift 4 and butting up to Harwood) wouldn't work.

I think Baldy has on their "trail map" as the proposed expansion the north facing slope off 4. In the attached shown as red could be a lift line. All very steep with lots of rock fall, no roads so would need to put in lift towers with helicopters, so very expensive. Also most of the time that area is an icy death trap or powder days the avi hazard would be much more than Baldy could mitigate. Typically it would be good back there when 4 is all melted out.

I think the area East of the notch would be a good expansion down to about 6800 ft. Road is already in and could get it with one lift, so cost would be a lot less. Double the terrain than North side of the Devils Backbone with North and south facing slopes. Could access from Thunder via Mullin's and top of 4 for longer runs. Attached shown in blue.

Although I would just be happy to get some skiable snow in the Gabes this year

[bodywhomper]

If memory serves, baldy has been proposing that expansion, at least on their trail maps and marketing info, since at least the early 90s.

[Max Archer]

Got back from a gorgeous afternoon at the race track out in the high desert to find LA soaked. I'm hoping that some of this rain turns into usable snow but I'm not holding my breath.

[LightRanger]

If memory serves, baldy has been proposing that expansion, at least on their trail maps and marketing info, since at least the early 90s.

Stockton Flats. Yeah, they've been marketing it for a long time. Never going to happen without a major cash infusion, which is never going to happen.

[1000-oaks]

I think the area - would be a good expansion down to about 6800 ft.

Lol, I initially posted the same thing (only I said 7,000 ft) but edited it out to so the guys who skin that area wouldn't get bent out of shape.