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....
Miles
A steady stream of poor souls off to work....
Heading east out of Tracy California, the red gow is from all the meth labs in the area....
Mr Cane was finding it difficult to keep the pedal to the metal.....
Quick stop for some jet fuel and a Macky D's breakfast.......
Starting to get excited right about here...!
Just like Christmas in New Zealand..........
Just like driving to Coronet Peak in June...More pack than an All Black front row...!
So excited to ski powder Casey can't even figure how to strap his helmet on.......
The Area in the sun is Called the Cirque.....It is open when the mountain closes..!
My first Turn in North America 2009.....soft like feathers......
Mr Cane coming up for a breath....
Soft and Smooth like expensive toilet paper....
Light and Tasty in the trees........
I,m getting a mouthful on this one..................
Waiting for the Eagle bowl frenzie with half of the Bay Area in Tow....
Casey just elated to get to ski with Dan.....!
I was pissing my pants right about here...How much excitement can a kiwi deal with in one day..?
Mr Cane Launched his meat like a of Kodak finding the last possible parking lot for his bomb hole......
Dan was right in his element in eagle bowl...fantasic skiing conditions to be had by all
This section by the trees was chest deep...even for a guy who has 118 mm under his foot......
Casey stalked dan in the trees to get this shot.....
The wait at the hotdog stand was a long one....every one wants a hotdog...
Casey was like..."Hey which way should I go?" all 20 people watching gave him a different answer.....This was how he ended up...!
Quick to pull his camera out and shoot huckster Nate blast off Tremans rock......!
Nate had more pop than a Chinese gymnast.....
Dan ended up getting more face shots than Jenna Jameson....
One last run and the crowds had started to thin, it was snowing and time for a well deserved beer...!
Dan drove 7 hours return for his day mouth watering conditions......I think you would agree that it was well worth his journey...!
Thank You Kirkwood I love you with all my heart...xxxxxx