Browse Category: go beak go

Don’t open the trunk!

We went to Tahoe this weekend for some fresh powder. Getting there was a bit hairy since the roads were icy and we had to put chains on Victor’s car. It took a little while but we finally got them on. Our condo wasn’t horrible but apparently it was too stinky for the Sokol-Juns and Misses Chan. They decided to pass on crashing on our floor and went to the Motel 6. Oh well.

The next morning we left for Kirkwood but Victor’s mudflap was falling off because there was something wrong with his chains. We had to make several stops before we decided it was time to just take them off. An hour and a half later we got stopped 0.5 miles away from the Kirkwood entrance to find out that they had closed the resort to any more visitors. Grrr…that meant turning around and heading over to Sierra.

Luckily, our half-day at Sierra was awesome and we salvaged the day. The snow was chunky but it made it a lot of fun getting down the mountain. I even learned how to turn on moguls using my ski pole…it was cool! Anyway, we had a great time but someone else didn’t do so well and had to be picked up by a helicopter in the middle of the run.

On Sunday, we went back to Kirkwood and lucked out on the road conditions. No chains needed!! It was pretty windy in the morning but we managed to have a great time anyways. The snow was so powdery and the gullies were a lot of fun. Victor and Jimmy also survived “The Wall” for the first time. Good job, boys! By noon there were only 3 runs open and it started to snow but we stayed long enough to enjoy it.

Overall, this weekend was really fun even though we spent quite a bit of time in the car and on the side of the road. Photos from the weekend are posted. I’ll have video clips posted soon. By the way, don’t open the trunk when the boards are on the rack. That will make Jimmy sad.

They actually look like snowflakes!

It finally rained here in Southern California, which meant badly needed snow in Big Bear. You know what that means…pack up the car and head up the mountain! That’s what we did this weekend and it was a little more adventurous than usual. First of all, we had to actually put chains on our 4WD car. Jes and Jay had a good time figuring that out for the first time. Fortunately, we had the cable-type, which is actually not very hard to put on. Once we were let through, we had to drive 30 mph and had to go through a detour around the other side of the lake due to an oil spill that happened a couple days ago. Then, we were stopped 15 minutes away from the park for about 20 minutes because of an overturned SUV. While we were stopped, Wendy and I rolled down the windows and caught snowflakes on our gloves. Like total dorks, we kept saying, “Hey, look at this one!” Having lived in LA all our lives, we were so amused to see that snowflakes really do look like those paper cut-outs that we made in school. We finally got to Snow Summit to find that the rest of Southern California thought it would be a good idea to come up too. Parking was tough but we managed to get on the mountain by 10:30-ish. Jay, our neighbor across the courtyard, came along for his first time on a snowboard. He spent all day taking classes and hanging out on the beginner runs. He did rather well for his first day (see photo on right). He managed to learn to stop, turn, and get off the lift without falling. Good job, man! We also met up with Scott (Jes’ boss) and his family on the beginner runs and hung out with his kids a bit. Wendy (Jes’ co-worker), Jes, and I went up the mountain to find some powder. There was so much snow!! It was the best day at Snow Summit yet. Unfortunately, it was a littel foggy, the blowers were on all day, and the wind picked up a bit at noon but we still had a great day. We took the double blacks on the far side and I got to practice mini-moguls. No major falls to report today. Pray for more snow! Oh yeah, here are some more photos.

Sunny Skiing

Mammoth was great this weekend! Johnny and Patty planned the weekend and we stayed in a cabin along the Green Shuttle Route. We had a full house with about 13 people and 4 dogs (including Koa) but somehow we all managed to find a place to sleep. Koa got to play with Mochi, Enzo (looked like Santa’s Little Helper), and the calmest Dalmatian I had ever met.
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We rode 2 full days and it was so fun! It was sunny all weekend and it was a warm 50 degrees. The snow conditions were good and there was powder at the top and on the backside. I managed to take 2 double black runs and had a great time. I guess it helps to go up the mountain with a crazy guy like Arnold who will just go to the top and jump down between a gully of rocks. What else can you do but follow him down?! Haha. No, I actually took my time getting started and past the moguls before shooshin’ down the rest of the mountain. What a rush! By the way, I didn’t fall on my head this weekend. Yay!
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On Saturday night we enjoyed burgers (cooked outside in the dark), cheesy nachos, and booze. We played poker and I actually won! It came down to just me and Joanne at the end and I went “All In” with a straight on the river. Sweet…I made 40 bucks. Johnny also gave Jes a little accupuncture for his back pain, which was pretty funny to watch. Good times.
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After our full day on Sunday, we had a pasta dinner at the cabin and drove home afterwards. There were so many cops on Route 395 but we managed to get home in 5.25 hours. I’m so happy to have Monday off. Working for a school district certainly has its perks.
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Oh yeah, here are the photos. Enjoy!

Tahoe Photos

Photos from Tahoe are up. Enjoy!
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By the way, this heat is killing me. It’s been almost 80 degrees everyday this week! Fortunately, the forecast for next week says we’re in for some rain…that means snow at Summit!

Time for a helmet?

Jes and I went to Tahoe this past weekend. On Saturday, we went to Squaw Valley and it started out rather dismal with snow, wind, and virtually no visibility. In fact, I took quite a tumble when I couldn’t see the terrain in front of me and did a nice faceplant. I got a mouth full of snow and tasted a little bit of blood from my lip. That was pleasant. After lunch, the sun finally came out and the rest of the day was awesome. We managed to find some powder and the back side wasn’t as windy. Squaw has a pretty accurate rating of their runs. Blues were real blues and black diamonds were pretty scary. On my last run I decided to take a run where the sign said “Advanced Only”. I just hate it when the mountain is so steep that you can’t see the bottom and it looks like you’re about to fall off a cliff. Luckily, it wasn’t a cliff and I managed to get down without injury. Phew!
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On Sunday, we went to Alpine Meadows. The weather was great and the snow conditions were just as nice. Jes took the day off and hung out in the lodge all day. Boy, did he miss out. We found some powder on the back side and the some of the runs were nice and long. I took the terrain park with Vyl and landed a baby jump. Woohoo! Unfortunately, on the next run, I caught a nasty edge at the bottom of the run, lost control, and hit the back of my head pretty hard on the ground. That certainly ended my day. So, the question now is whether or not to get a helmet. I don’t want to look like a poser but hitting my head on the ground is hurty…what to do?

It’s finally Friday

What a crazy week. What a crazy January. It’s going to be a crazy February. Thank goodness it’s Friday. Most of you will be watching the Super Bowl this weekend. I’m going to be shooshin’ through snow in Tahoe. Woohoo! Oh yeah, special thanks to the parents for watching the doggie again. You won’t have to take him next weekend though. We’re going to take him to Mammoth with us!
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istockphoto update: my “broken glass” photo just hit 50 downloads and I’m at $85.90. I’ll be able to cash out my first $100 in no time!