Report from May 7, 2026
Up at 5:30 am, on the road by 6 from San Diego.
Dropped Liam at John Wayne in Orange County and pushed north.
I had to clear LA County before rush hour.
Mt. Tom. Image: SnowBrains
Hit some traffic in Ontario, but nothing like the sludge crawling the other way into LA.
Once I hit 395, I knew I’d made it.
When the stoplights ended, I was home free.
Mammoth skyline. Image: SnowBrains
Made Mammoth Lakes by 12:15 pm and went straight to the Gross Out (Grocery Outlet).
Harvested yogurt and the rest of the hippie staples, inhaled my first meal of the day at home, then jumped on the bike. The ride to the hill was excellent – dirt roads, no cars.
Showed up around 1:30, met Lee, Drew, and Steve, and started lapping Chair 23.
Big Joshua Tree. Image: SnowBrains
Skiing was good.
True corn.
Splashy corn.
Chair 23. Image: SnowBrains
Drop Out 2 was tight and steep.
Wipeout was a leg burner with a couple of jumps Lee had found.
After 6 laps, I headed home cooked.
Chair 23. Image: SnowBrains
SoCal had ground me down…
My wife’s UCLA business school reunion, then the National Ski Areas Association tradeshow, layered on top of hard training and 5 straight days of surf.
Yesterday delivered: Ponto in Carlsbad, glassy and shoulder-high, not too many guys out.
Ate another huge meal at home and took a 1-hour nap.
Glad to be settled back into Mammoth for the rest of the month. Thanks, California.
Early morning in Camp Pendleton, CA. Image: SnowBrains
LA zone snow on Gorgornio? Image: SnowBrains
East LA desert. Image: SnowBrains
Bishop, CA. Image: SnowBrains
Basin Mountain. Image: SnowBrains
Park rats getting ready. Image: SnowBrains
The Hulk! Image: SnowBrains
Chair 23 Star Wars bunker. Image: SnowBrains