May 7, 2006
Red Lake Peak - 7 kids, 3 Dads, 1 Dog and a Big Bowl of Corn
Joe, Todd, Jim, Clara, Lissie, Maddie, Alec, A.J., Shelby, Kelly (Kevin and Shannon too) +Ollie and Jack
Learning about the good life at a young age - 5/7/06.
I had been promising the girls for two years I would take them backcountry skiing with me. I think they were beginning to doubt dear old Dad. But I was really holding out for prime conditions for their first outing into the b.c. To really hook them deep on this sometimes questionable passion, I needed to put them on the top of a big old corn slope during classic T-shirt Sierra weather. I had test driven Red Lake the day before and determined the prime time was pronto. The snow pack had transitioned to the perfect Sierra corn cycle, we had a big ol' lazy high pressure system parked over California, and the snow was still skiable all the way to Highway 88. It was not hard to rally Todd and Shelby, Kevin, Kelly and Shannon, Maddison and Alec, and Jim and A.J. to join us. These kids were all regular resort rippers, but climbing up a peak with skis and snowboards on their back would be new. We started early, took our time climbing the 1,500' ascent and found ourselves on top of a ripe 2,500' slope in a world of cornicopia!
The East Face of Red Lake. We skied from the top of the obvious long slope. We skied the natural 1/4 pipe gully that is not clearly visible in this picture:
A bunch of kids, friends and dogs in the Carson Pass Snow Park parking lot - enjoying Spring's vibe:
Ollie provided comic relief from the first steps to the last turn:
I was concerned that these chairlift spoiled kids would complain about climbing up the mountain with all that weight on their backs for just one run. Fortunately that was never an issue - they charged! They enjoyed the up nearly as much as the down. Every one of them became giddy at the thought of playing hooky from school the next day so they could do it again.....but don't worry, each kid was sent to school on Monday.
To the Top at 10,000 feet! Where boots were buckled, more candy was consumed and helmets were donned. Jim and I tried to give them the John C. Fremont history lesson, but they weren't listening.
Our first ski of the day was a small bowl off the top. The corn was ripe, each kid dropped in and charged the corn like it was an ordinary Sierra at Tahoe powder day tree run.
Lissie (dropping in first):
Alec (Big Air Bowman):
A.J (destroying it):
Maddie (yes, she rips):
Clara (took off before I was ready with the camera):
Kelly (A ripping skier who also mows it on a snowboard):
Shelby Mac (8th at Nationals for Snowboarding):
A look back at the first bowl we skied:
A short hike up an adjacent hill deposited us on top of the long and corny East Face:
This picture is going to Black Diamond. I am going to label it, "7 reasons why you should make AT bindings for kids!"
Time to ski again.....only this time it was 2,500' of consistent non resort sweetness. Good turns from the top the Holy 1/4 Gully:
The Tele guy - Coach Mac:
Would you trust your kids to this guy, with this face....
........Leading them to a line like this:
There's candy at the bottom, kids. Go get it!
Down lower the kids rode the 1/4 pipe that Ma Nature built:
Alec:
Lissie:
Maddie:
more Maddie:
Tele Todd (one of the Big Kids):
My favorite sequence. Clara is ripping the top of the lip while being chased by Ollie. Meanwhile A.J. rides the lower wall below them smoovely:
Clara drops in:
Shelby rides the wall and wonders where she's supposed to launch out of the pipe:
Kellie at the end of her session:
Then the patient Big Kid (Jimbo) lays some sick tracks down the lip:
Finishing the run down through some old debris near tree line - All at once now, Kamikaze Kidz:
Kids keeping it cool for the bustin' out part:
It was great to ski a bit with Shannon, who had her trick, skinny uphillers on foot:
It took a little doing, but we all were able to stay on snow to within 100 yards of Highway 88. The kids were a little tired, but seemed pretty well addicted to this new crazy way to go skiing:
Until next time....
They claim I need to take them up Tallac next...
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