It takes a little bit of motivation, some camping supplies and a decent level of fitness, but don’t let that stop you from skiing Mt Shasta this summer. My trip up the Brewer Creek (eastern) Route in August 2005 was one of the most exhilarating experience of my life. Because it was late in the season, we hiked up to the snow line, set up camp there, and woke up around 4 am to start our ascent. The snow turned pretty slushy as we neared the summit around noon, but most of the 7,000+ foot descent was creamy corn! Here’s an article with lots of details on how to ski the main route >
Author: Susan (Page 11 of 15)
I’m in Florida where the air temperature is 87 degrees, the ocean temp is 79 degrees and the humidity is 68%. I probably won’t get to do any summer skiing this summer, but I have done plenty in the past. While friends were content to embrace the warm temperatures and mountain bike for the summer, I alway got a thrill out of skiing during the off-season. During the summer months, I’ve skied Las Lenas, Argentina, Portillo, Chile, Treble Cone and Mt Rupeahu, New Zealand, Mount Hood, Orgeon, Mount Shasta, California and Mount Washington, New Hapmshire. During the next few weeks I’ll be posting articles and info about these summer ski destinations and more. I’ll start with Portillo, where I traveled in August 2006 and got to heli-ski deep powder. Skiing Magazine will be coming out with an article that I wrote about Portillo shortly. In the meantime, here are two other articles featuring Portillo: To South America with NASTC and International Heli Skiing.
Yesterday was the last day of lift operations at Squaw and there were plenty of skiers out lapping the Paslisades and milking the last sticky turns of the year.
Well, it’s May and even though there is some skiing left, I’m switching modes. Last fall, the owners announced that the 9-hole Ponderosa Golf Course in Truckee would not reopen. Just outside of Sierra Meadows, the course was just a few minutes from my house. A locals’ gem among many expensive, high-end courses around town, many were saddened to see it go. The word was that the owner’s didn’t want to run it anymore because of competition from the resort courses. The airport bid on it, but could only offer the appraised value ($3.1 million) and the owners didn’t want to sell at that price. Last weekend, we learned that the course is going to open after all! The Truckee Parks and Rec department will run it and hopes to reduce prices and increase local programs. The photo to the left was taken two weeks ago when we played the unopened course for what we thought would be the last time. Nothing like the losing something for a little while to make you appreciate it even more.
Greg Pronko and Mike O’Reilly got sick of shipping snowboards and displays in oversized boxes stuffed with landfill-clogging Styrofoam peanuts. The bloated shipping costs bothered the founders of Glissade Snowboards and Bender Brothers almost as much as the destructive environmental effects. Their newest venture, Eco Ship, provides lower-volume, sustainable shipping supplies like biodegradable, corn-based polymer bags, foam and boxes. “These are the biggest materials in the garbage,” explains Pronko, “so we reached for the lowest-hanging fruit.” Pronko, who is talking with Amazon, is also working toward an discounted ski/snowboard industry prices. “Right now the bio materials are too expensive,” Pronko says, “but there will be a tipping point and we hope to be there when it tips.”
The annual pond crossing at the bottom of KT-22 is scheduled for tomorrow, which is also the last day of the season for KT. Check out video of the crossing > I’ll post photos of tomorrow’s event here tomorrow. Also, friend, neighbor and heli ski guide at Points North just returned from Alaska. I’ll post a report and a slide show here soon.
On a stormy April afternoon in 1978, the Cable Car at Squaw Valley came off of one of its cables, dropped 75 feet and then bounced back up, colliding with a cable which sheared through the car. Four people were killed and thirty-one were injured. Robert Frohlich tells the full story of the Squaw Cable Car tragedy and the heroic rescue effort in this Moonshine article >>
The birds are making noise, the snow is melting and temperatures are supposed to reach 67 degrees today in Truckee. Despite the huge snows we received in January, the snowpack has dipped slightly below average. But there’s still plenty of snow in the mountains and spring skiing is excellent: firm in the mornings, creamy from 11-1 and getting slushy in the afternoons. It was a big season for Squaw in more ways that the snow. Patrol opened more terrain in Silverado and extended the boundary in Sun Bowl. Even more terrain at a mountain that was anything but lacking terrain to begin with!
Next to powder, corn snow is the most fun to ski. So live it up this weekend because a cold front with gusty winds will likely move in on Sunday night and firm it all up.
Check out new shades from companies like Spy, Smith, Dragon, Electric, Giro, Uvex and Zeal.
Preview new sunglasses for 2008-09 here >>
Double Feature Now Playing!
Sierroin: The Movie
Exit Strategy: The Movie
Exit Strategy: The Movie
Recent Comments