DAY 1 - If there is fresh powder, then expect to use chains on highway 395. Yesterday Mammoth got hit with 36 inches of the good stuff, so Valerie and I find ourselves putting them on nearly thirty miles from the mountain
We cannot see Mammoth from where we have stopped...and will not see the mountain for awhile since we cannot drive freeway speeds on chains
Once we arrive at Little Eagle, we are pleased to see how nicely our sticks stand in the soft stuff
We arrive way too late to make first tracks...and the heavy Saturday crowd has left little powder untracked
Valerie is not complaining because the sun is out and the winds are calm
She eagerly straps in just a few steps above the top of Chair 9
Neither of us have taken Ricochet before, but viewing the run from Chair 9 has convinced me that we must try it today while the snow is still light and fluffy
That said, perhaps I should not have pressured Valerie to take this black diamond run with me
As she peeks over the edge, Valerie realizes the run is way too steep for her
Making matters worse, she has never really snowboarded in deep powder!
Valerie makes her way down, but is not happy with me...especially when we get separated by trees as we try to find our way back to Chair 9
Late in the day, we split up so I can squeeze in a couple of powder runs before the lifts stop operating. As I look into the sun, I see snow blowing off over the top of Mammoth...must be getting windy up there
Unfortunately I get stuck in a flat patch under Eagle Express. Someone riding the lift yells, "At least you can say you tried!" I struggle to stand here for nearly 20 minutes...and the lift closes before I return to the lodge!
DAY 2 - The strong gusts keep me from going higher today...even Chair 25 is getting blown pretty hard. Fortunately Chair 9 is still pretty well shielded, so I plan to take a couple of runs from here
I decide to return to Ricochet (Valerie decides to snowboard on another part of the mountain)
Still deep powder, but not as fluffy as yesterday. This run is a lot harder when the snow is packed and bumpy
Ricochet panorama
After I get my fill of power, I meet Valerie at Eagle Express and we ride together until noon
