California/Nevada 2021-2022 Big Bear, Mountain High, Waterman, Baldy Resorts/Conditions/Meetups

[Popeye Cahn]

@Pat AKA mustski I am leaning towards Monday if I can sort some child care. We'll be staying in Olympic Valley the 27th to the 1st and would enjoy some blue laps to get a feel of the terrain ;-)

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

Happy New Year! We just left SS and it was great. It started out dead empty. We had first run on Miracle Mile to ourselves, then 2 solitary on Log Chute and 3 lonely runs on Ego. After that we headed East and skied 7 and 10. People arrived but it wasn’t crowded until 11:30 and even then it wasn’t bad on the runs. Chairs 1&2 backed up a bit at that time but the wait was’t longer than 5 minutes.

Ego around 10:00 AM. We had to ourselves
Chair 3 around 10:00 AM

Timber Ridge around 10:30. There were people but they were well spaced out.

Miracle Mile at 9:00 AM

Chair 2 around 9:00 AM- no line until around 10;00 and it was all on the West side until 11:00 ish

 

[trieu]

Looks great!

 

[Larry]

Dang, I should have come up today. Looks great up there

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

SoCal skiers are big partiers! Afternoons are always a $h..show on weekends/holidays. Mornings are pretty decent because once the Upper parking lot fills, it takes forever for everyone to make their way to the mountain. New Years Day is particularly slow. We’re going to try it out again tomorrow and see.

 

[In2h2o]

Running errands this weekend seeing the snow on the back side of Mt. Pinos and I am once again tempted to explore. I have hiked in the summer and previously scouted some spring BC lines but have never been able to
make it work. Curious if anyone has successfully XC skied or ? at the Nordic Center -- seems like parts of the site have not been updated for a while, not sure if they are even open anymore.

Mount Pinos Nordic Ski Patrol

Official website of the Mt Pinos Nordic Ski Patrol.

www.nordicbase.org

Los Padres National Forest - Recreation

Los Padres National Forest - Recreation

www.fs.usda.gov

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

Today was a cluster. They did not finish grooming last night so only Miracle Mile and Summit Run were open for the first hour. Ski patrol and safety patrol were manning the ropes all morning so there was no presence on the mountain. Judging by how awful the grooming on the East side was -when they finally opened the runs- it must have been really bad before!

 

[Larry]

Today was a cluster. They did not finish grooming last night so only Miracle Mike and Summit Run were open for the first hour. Ski patrol and safety patrol were manning the ropes all morning so there was no presence on the mountain. Judging by how awful the grooming on the East side was -when they finally opened the runs- it must have been really bad before!

Thanks for the update

 

[Mendieta]

Hi all, thank you for sharing on this thread! I've been keeping an eye on it, because Mrs Mendieta loves SoCal (mostly the beach, any time of the year) and doesn't ski (neither does she want to try again ). So, the possibility of having a trip where part of the family heads to the shore and part to the hill, in the morning, and we all regroup in the afternoon/dinner, sounds very tempting.

I have a full Ikon pass, and so does my son, the other skier in the family. We typically alternate Alpine and OV at Palisades, with a preference for offpiste. Would BB/SS be the obvious option? Is that conglomerate comparable to Palisades Tahoe? Also, would be there a reasonably "mid way" area to aribnb mid way from the ocean that someone would suggest?

At this point it's kind of peeling and onion, to see where to start looking and see whether it's even viable. I am assuming the season is shorter than Tahoe, too (due to the latitude).

Thanks for any pointers!

 

[Rostapher]

Hi all, thank you for sharing on this thread! I've been keeping an eye on it, because Mrs Mendieta loves SoCal (mostly the beach, any time of the year) and doesn't ski (neither does she want to try again ). So, the possibility of having a trip where part of the family heads to the shore and part to the hill, in the morning, and we all regroup in the afternoon/dinner, sounds very tempting.

I have a full Ikon pass, and so does my son, the other skier in the family. We typically alternate Alpine and OV at Palisades, with a preference for offpiste. Would BB/SS be the obvious option? Is that conglomerate comparable to Palisades Tahoe? Also, would be there a reasonably "mid way" area to aribnb mid way from the ocean that someone would suggest?

At this point it's kind of peeling and onion, to see where to start looking and see whether it's even viable. I am assuming the season is shorter than Tahoe, too (due to the latitude).

Thanks for any pointers!

Hi @Mendieta, your idea is do-able but wouldn’t be my preference for a relaxing vacation! If you stay in the vicinity of San Bernardino you’d have a hour+ drive one way to BB/SS and the other way to one of many beaches. Beaches are easier to get to because of all the highways to get there.

The wildcard, driving wise, is the twisty two lane mtn roads that can get backed up quickly with any kind of weather or a wreck, especially when leaving at the end of the day. Basically, it seems like everyone would be in a car for a minimum of 2.5 hours each day.

Others may have a different take, but Palisades (based on reputation & the maps alone) is comparable to BB/SS the way an MB S Class is comparable to a Honda Civic. I’m not sure how much off-piste you’ll find (not much AFAIK), but people who have skied there much more can weigh in (@Pat AKA mustski, @MountainMonster, et al.)

 

[Mendieta]

Hi @Mendieta, your idea is do-able but wouldn’t be my preference for a relaxing vacation! If you stay in the vicinity of San Bernardino you’d have a hour+ drive one way to BB/SS and the other way to one of many beaches. Beaches are easier to get to because of all the highways to get there.

The wildcard, driving wise, is the twisty two lane mtn roads that can get backed up quickly with any kind of weather or a wreck, especially when leaving at the end of the day. Basically, it seems like everyone would be in a car for a minimum of 2.5 hours each day.

Others may have a different take, but Palisades (based on reputation & the maps alone) is comparable to BB/SS the way an MB S Class is comparable to a Honda Civic. I’m not sure how much off-piste you’ll find (not much AFAIK), but people who have skied there much more can weigh in (@Pat AKA mustski, @MountainMonster, et al.)

Thanks so much, @Rostapher ! I had a strong hunch along the ways of what you are saying. Which is why I thought of asking before any serious planning. It seems like a much more viable option would be to split, say, 9 to 10 days around springbreak, spend a few days in Mammoth, then complete the drive to the beach, spend a few, and then drive back. Mammoth does seem like the ticket (never been there, but it's been in the bucket list for a few years now). Cheers!

 

[socalgal]

Thanks so much, @Rostapher ! I had a strong hunch along the ways of what you are saying. Which is why I thought of asking before any serious planning. It seems like a much more viable option would be to split, say, 9 to 10 days around springbreak, spend a few days in Mammoth, then complete the drive to the beach, spend a few, and then drive back. Mammoth does seem like the ticket (never been there, but it's been in the bucket list for a few years now). Cheers!

That sounds like a better plan!

 

[Rostapher]

Thanks so much, @Rostapher ! I had a strong hunch along the ways of what you are saying. Which is why I thought of asking before any serious planning. It seems like a much more viable option would be to split, say, 9 to 10 days around springbreak, spend a few days in Mammoth, then complete the drive to the beach, spend a few, and then drive back. Mammoth does seem like the ticket (never been there, but it's been in the bucket list for a few years now). Cheers!

That sounds like a better plan!

+1 @socalgal! Mammoth is almost infinitely the better option, skiing wise. Lots of fun off-piste, trees, steeps and nooks to explore. Of the places I’ve been, it reminds me the most of Breck, if that’s helpful. You could even check out June for a day, I’ve never been, but heard it’s more laid back w/ fewer crowds.

Plus I think there’s more to do for non-skiers. The village & old mammoth downtown, lakes in the area and even a drive down to bishop isn’t out of the question. I’m sure there’s more but I don’t really know, I go to ski!

It is a 6 hour (surprisingly desolate) drive to SoCal & beaches, but you only have to do it once vs. driving everyday to both skiing and beaches. Good luck with your plans! Plenty of people with loads of mammoth experience here & way more than me.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

I’m going to throw another thought out there. Since you have a non skiing spouse, and are looking at splitting your time, consider San Diego. If this season turns out to be a good long term year, in April you will get full winter in Mammoth and lovely clear beach days in San Diego. May at the beach is iffy… May Gray and June gloom are a real thing. Alternatively, you. Can have spring skiing in Tahoe and spring weather in San Diego late April. It depends whether you want spring skiing or winter skiing. Mammoth is a late developer.

ETA: in my younger years … we surfed and had breakfast at the beach (Pacific Beach), drove to the mountains for lunch and skiing (BB) and went clubbing in the desert (Palm Springs) at night. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone over 50 but it’s definitely do-able!

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

We skied this morning (though I forgot my phone and missed @Larry). It was good. Upper lot parking filled up early but the runs never got crowded. Other than pay parking for holiday hours all week, it should be good. I have dentist for two days (ack!) but we’re hitting Bear on Thursday and Summit on Friday. Then we’re off to Reno for the rest of the winter.

 

[Larry]

Yes, last second decision for me but made it up there. Not sure, but I think the lifts spin at 8:30 this week. Snow was pretty good. Ego trip was really nice. I rolled at 2 when the lunch time and late arrivers showed up and lines started to build up especially chair 1-2. Also, if going home, think about 38. I took the 330 and slowest drive was from SS to the Artic circle due to families playing in the snow. MAYBE the 38 would be quicker?

 

[MountainMonster]

Fun day yesterday, half the crowds of Monday, even by noon it was tolerable on upper mountain.
Even had the rare @Mothertucker sighting , but he disappeared as fast as he appeared.

 

[Mothertucker]

Fun day yesterday, half the crowds of Monday, even by noon it was tolerable on upper mountain.
Even had the rare @Mothertucker sighting , but he disappeared as fast as he appeared.

It was very good yesterday, I saw WOW and heard you were out from the MOAC crew.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

I feel so unloved! I have never been invited to join the MOAC crew! We are hitting Bear tomorrow if anyone is going. Other than that, it's back to Reno for the winter. Feel free To DM us if you head to Palisades Tahoe. We have 2 guest rooms!

 

[Mothertucker]

I feel so unloved! I have never been invited to join the MOAC crew! We are hitting Bear tomorrow if anyone is going. Other than that, it's back to Reno for the winter. Feel free To DM us if you head to Palisades Tahoe. We have 2 guest rooms!

It's certainly not exclusive, pretty much just show up and tell 'em your shirt size.