DAY 0 (Trip 3) - Dropped girls at grandma's...Mochi is too busy playing to pose for pictures. NOTE: This will be my first snowboarding trip with my new Samsung Galaxy S7...and it takes way better photos than my previous smartphone (thanks in part to being able to shoot RAW). That said, the case I wanted was not yet available, so I likely won't be using it on the mountain.

Caught Moka before she got into the toys

Not long before she got into the toys

We make our now usual gas stop at Costco Lancaster. Last time I was here, I noticed that they offer the BBQ Brisket Sandwich here. Of course, Pete wants to try it...so we both get one

This is a pretty decent sweet and savory "snack" (Pete's word, not mine). Wouldn't mind seeing this come to our local Costco.

Last time Valerie and I drove through Lone Pine, we looked everywhere for this taco truck...so we were pleasantly surprised to find Castro's Taco Stand at the Mobil Station where we began our Yelp-incited quest a couple of weeks ago.

Will this be our last Mammoth trip in the Pilot?

Legit tacos...pre-salsa

Post-salsa. Valerie and I grabbed a variety of meats including carne asada, carnitas, cabeza (cheek...very tender), camarones. Not pictured: Boing Mango drink

I find an easy-to-remember spot in the parking garage while Pete and Valerie check in

I find an easy-to-remember spot in the parking garage while Pete and Valerie check in

DAY 1 - For the first time this season, we were able to ride Cloud Nine Express (Chair 9)...extra nice for Pete since this may be his only trip. First time I've brought my DSLR on the mountain because the weather is finally playing along! NOTE: This is also the first time that I started converting my DSLR photos to RAW so I can start processing them using Lightroom Mobile. The result required minimal tweaking on PC...which means this may be a new workflow I utilize more often. I only hesitate since I don't know what I'm losing when I convert the RAW files to DNG, so I don't want to delete either just yet!

This is Valerie's kind of day on the mountain - blue skies, no wind, and warm enough that we question whether or not we need our shells. All of my vents are open!

Who's scruffy looking?

We stop atop Goldhill to appreciate the view. Hard to believe this is our first run from Chair 9 this season. In other words, this is our first time seeing this view in over 6 years!

Valerie looks eager to get going, but I want to get pictures first

So does Pete

Cheese

There certainly is not much snow in the valley below. While driving up the 395 from Bishop, Pete grew concerned what the conditions would be like when we got here, but, as you can see, there is still a lot of snow on the mountain. I suspect this season won't last as long as some in the past...especially not with more days like today.

Dood takes a photo of me while I take a photo of Valerie. This never happens when we get together

DSLR selfie!

Yes, I'm still riding with the GoPro on my helmet. I haven't gotten the best footage from it thus far, so I may rethink my mounting choice before this trip is over.

This could be a problem...I'm not even sure how this strap is supposed to connect with my binding! And to think, I had to get a cracked binding strap (fortunately not the same one) replaced at Canyon Lodge before we hit the slopes this morning.

Gear failures are definitely a concern because most of my gear is 13 years old. My wristguards, helmet, goggles are even older, started falling apart, and will have to be replaced before next season. My boots are a half-size too small because my feet grew after I started running marathons, so I probably should replace them too. Goldhill and Slot are both blue-black runs (intermediate-advanced), so I hope I can manage getting down without a toe strap.