Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Epic Days; Put 'Em in the Bank

Back in 98 I think, I went to Mammoth with a few friends. It was one of those gnarly winters, and we hit snow in the high desert a good hundred miles before the mountain. Unheard of. Four of my friends and I had ridden there many times together, and one, Len was new to our pack. Long story short, between snow, beer, a total lack of common sense (bringing chains for a VW GTI that I knew would not fit), and a crazy Frenchman from Montreal who had no problem fishtailing at 70mph through 8 inches of fresh without chains, it took us 7 hours to complete this 4 hour journey.

In typical Mammoth fashion, we woke to several feet of fresh powder, along with 45 mile an hour winds, shutting down most of the mountain. We made the best of it of course, finding our white room in the trees on the lower chairs. Next day, the storm was clearing, but the winds were still blowing it out, and ski patrol had the top shut down. As any Mammoth local knows, this is exactly the time to head to June Mountain, Mammoth's little known sister some 30 miles north on the 395. Sure enough, pulling into the parking lot, we were greeted by maybe 30 other cars, blue skies, and just a strong breeze. Holy shit, we had heaven to ourselves! Heading straight to the top, we found run after run of open trails and untouched powder. Now, even for the seasoned vet, this is a rare treat, but our friend Len had never seen anything like it. First run, looking down the untouched canvas, I gave Len the go ahead for first tracks. "you've got three turns and then I'm coming after you!" After all, "no friends on a powder day," right? After lunch, we were still finding untracked on the open trails, rarely seeing anyone else. An epic day for all, but for Len, who had never had a day like this, proclaimed it his "best day ever."
Shittily, Len died of cancer right before he turned 30 in 2000. As far as I know, that day at June was still his best day ever. Last night, I drove 15 miles an hour through zero visibility in a storm to make it to my local mountain, hoping for some El Nino pow in April. Total nightmare. Today, in April of 2010, I rode untracked powder on trail under bluebird skies and was reminded of that day riding with my good friend Len. Point is, this is why we snowboard. Remember these days, they are what help make it all worth it. Some of those turns were for you too, buddy.

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