Last Sunday we  took the day off and drove up the Hwy to a tad higher than 9000 feet in elevation. We drove half way up the road to the summit and parked at the Caltrans maintenance station, also a pullout where snowmobilers park.  The ski trail we decided on is an established mountain biking trail in the summer so it was well signed.  We slapped on our Rossignol BC 65 skis, which have a full metal edge and are great touring skis under non-groomed conditions.  The trail we choose is used by snowmobilers so we expected bumpy conditions, yet snow that was already packed.

We started mid-morning, not sure how long it would take to get to the summit.  Snow conditions were ok – the snow was a bit hard still and the bumpy conditions made the footing a bit unstable, which is why we chose the Rossignol BC 65 skis rather than just a normal touring ski which lacks the metaledge.  The BC 65 skis are also a bit wider and the boot a bit beefier.  It took us 1 hour and 20 minute to ski to the top.  In that time we saw NOBODY!  It’s was great – not even a snowmobile.  As we passed the ski resort we did hear their music blaring but that was ok.   The weather was warm, skies were clear and only a slight breeze – which is rare for that area.  What I love about the summit is that there are picnic tables and a great view.  We pulled out our turkey sandwiches and our cytomax energy drink beverage and enjoyed the sun and the views for a good 20 minutes before we headed down.

Now I am not a great downhill skier and play it on the conservative side when it comes to descending on skinny skis.  We had followed the access road for the last part to get to the picnic area and the snow was pretty thin.  Payment was showing and our poles were hitting the pavement.  Brian and I decided it was best not hit that pavement while flying down the first part so we opted to walk down and put our skis where the snow was thicker.

We wanted to do a loop so we opted to connect with the trail that take us village down below.  To connect with it we had to ski through the main lift area at the main lodge.  Since it was opening weekend there were crowds, particularly since not all the ski runs were open.  So much for having the place to ourselves.  After getting past main lodge and a few thin areas we were on the somewhat well groomed comeback trail, paralleling the highway but on the opposite side of the road from our ascent.  We could hear a few cars going by, but I was more focused on all the various ski resort items that we spotted along the trail left or stored  - old chairlifts, a watermelon tosser, cables and wires, old huts.  It made the descent pretty fun.  Some of the downhills were still a bit bumpy and I opted not for the “snowman of the day award” and definitely put the breaks on.  I’m not ashamed.

So a little more than 2 1/2 hours since we started we arrived back at the truck and loaded our gear.  It was 54 degrees and sunny.  No complaints for a great Sunday tour!

PS If you want to see what gear we were using here’s the BC Package that we used: Backcountry Ski Package.

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