Another warm and sunny day greeted us as we made our way up the mountain in the gondola. We weren't too sure what the conditions would be like, but we decided to make our way over to the back side of the mountain to check it out. As we approached the top of the chairlift the wind started howling and I was starting to wonder whether this was a good idea.... Anyhow we kept going and it ended up being wind-blown powder all the way down, and no wind.
Jase had spotted a few people who were walking up a little way and dropping in to one of the upper bowls, so we thought we'd give it a go... The wind up there was crazy, icy snow stinging your face and the feeling of almost being blown off the edge of the mountain, but we persisted and dropped in. The first bit was basically ice that had grooves through it from the wind, but just past that was again wind-blown powder covering the steep bowl. Lots of fun but probably not worth the hassle to repeat.
After a few more runs we had lunch and saw "Wooly", who is the mascot for Mammoth Mountain. The crowds stayed away today, after yesterday I'd say most people didn't think it was worth it to come up without any new snow. But for us, we have to make the most of it before we head back to summer!
We hit the park a few more times and got a couple of good pics (and lots of bad ones too), and headed home at about 4.
-N
Respect to Neri for riding some icy steeps on her short board.
The parks here are fun.
-J
