WED, MAR 11, 2009
CALIFORNIA SKI TRAVEL PHOTO BLOG 2009 DAY4
The previous day at squaw was not quite enough to quench our powder thirsty souls, hearing that silverado chair was still in premium virginal condition and knowing Mr Acland still had another day to shred with us was encouragement enough head back to Squawllywood for some more good times....MORE STORY COMING....!!
SAT, MAR 7, 2009
CALIFORNIA SKI TRAVEL PHOTO BLOG 2009 DAY3
After Our Big Fat day At Kirkwood we traveled from South Lake Around to meet up with Nzskier's Hamish Acland who had arranged for us to stay in style at his hotel and ski at the the world famous Squaw Valley USA International ski resort...Home of some big name American ski stars and all the hype that has has made this resort world famous....MORE STORY COMING SOON...!
FRI, MAR 6, 2009
CALIFORNIA SKI TRAVEL PHOTO BLOG 2009 DAY2
Day 2
After waking In San Fran to Holden wanting his Bottle at 4.50 am,Casey and I pulled on to the street at 5.15 it had been raining hard that night and felt like winter....after a brief stop at Starbucks for coffee in the financial district we were heading out of the city across the bay bridge at 90mph on the wet roads in the dark. There was a steady stream of traffic coming into the city on their way to work...With a 3hr drive to Kirkwood resort and Drum and Bass rocking it was time to sit back and take it all in.....
Pulling In over Carson Spur the powder was looking amazing and it was totally blue..We had made Kirkwood Car park by 8.30.....
After heading up chair 6 we traversed out to wagon wheel bowl and I experienced some very choice powder turns.
Next we met with Casey,s oldmate Dan at the lift, Casey decided that because eagle bowl had not be open yet we better go wait it out as it would be some most excellent fresh turns to be had.....After an hours wait on the ridge the patroller announced that it was open and the 300 other people that had also waited started a mass straight line Chinese downhill style...after scoring some pleasure turns and a couple of laps we headed over to another lift and another mass rush to be first on.... Racing the pack off this lift and into a fresh thunder saddle, the Americans kindly let me go first conditions were all time blower in a land that is known for its sierra cement...
On the next lap we met up with Nate a huckster from Pennsylvania, he was all about dropping a big rock so him and Casey hucked there meat in the flat light. Th snow was perfect for dropping rocks...
We ate no lunch and skied all day it was really wicked and a day i will never forget, finishing up with a run through the trees and a beer and hamburger at the Kirkwood Inn...After that I wound the seat heater up on full I slept all the way back to Casey's house in South Lake Tahoe....
WED, MAR 4, 2009
CALIFORNIA SKI TRAVEL PHOTO BLOG 2009 DAY1
After a couple of months in the pipeline my usa trip was coming to fruition, I was finally on my Air NZ flight to Auckland and dreaming of the Powder that I had heard was falling in Tahoe, It was a bluebird day and I had a window seat great for a last look at the land of the long white cloud.
I arrived in San Fransisco in the morning, and spent the day sampling American coffee and completing some last minute arrangements with Casey Cane. Casey is a local from the bay area and one of the most eager skiers on the planet maybe even in the universe.
So the plan of attack was to head up to the remote Californian ski area Kirkwood the following day........ We focused on being there early to try to score some fresh powder...Our excitement levels were high as was our chances of getting ourselves some face shots and some cold winter conditions the next day.
I must mention also a massive thanks too Casey's wife Halle for making this happen, without her organizing my travel I would have still been in NZ...She wins "2009 North American wife of the year"