Random cool things you see on the ski trail

[Tricia]

I have taken a page from @Andy Mink 's book and have started to stop on ski trails while I'm skiing to take pictures of interesting things I see.

Instead of skiing by and thinking, "That was cool" I'm capturing it on my lens.

Yesterday it was this cool tree at mt Rose

Share photos of cool things you see while you're skiing

 

[Andy Mink]

I don't know if this is cool but it is kind of neat. I was skiing some trees with @Tricia and @Philpug at Mt. Rose when I stopped to make sure I still had eyes on Tricia. This sign was on the downhill side of the tree. Sometimes you have to look where you've been, not necessarily where you're going.

 

[fatbob]

Nearly skied over a stoat once if that counts.

Regularly see marmots sunning themselves in spring.

 

[Tricia]

Nearly skied over a stoat once if that counts.

Regularly see marmots sunning themselves in spring.

Pics or it didn't happen

 

[SBrown]

This tree was cool.

 

[Lauren]

At the end of the day I was walking the pup around the mountain. The sun was setting, and reflected off of this house, making it look like it was on fire. I thought it was cool.

 

[SSSdave]

@Tricia >>>" Yesterday it was this cool tree at mt Rose ".

That is a western white pine , pinus monticola, aka "little sugar pine", that has needle bundles in groups of 5, 2 to 5 inches long, cones 5 to 12 inches long, and deeply fissured trunk bar in checkerboard patterns . There is a similar striking bent trunk specimen at Heavenly along the lower Orion trail at 8990 feet near the stopping rest banner. Maybe I'll start a thread with information and photos about the short list of different conifers we frequently see at Tahoe resorts. None difficult to identify given needle bundles, needle lengths, trunk bark, cone size.

Pines:
ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, sugar pine, lodgepole pine, mountain white pine, whitebark pine

Firs:
white fir, douglas-fir, red fir,

else:
Sierra juniper, incense cedar, mountain hemlock

 

[graham418]

Sometimes you have to look where you've been, not necessarily where you're going.

That is the truth!

 

[Posaune]

Firs:
white fir, douglas-fir, red fir,
else:
Sierra juniper, incense cedar, mountain hemlock

Douglas-fir needs to go on your "else" list. It is not really a fir, it's a Douglas-fir. Notice the hyphen. Douglas thought it was a fir when he named it after himself, but it isn't a true fir, it's its own species.

 

[Tricia]

@Tricia >>>" Yesterday it was this cool tree at mt Rose ".

That is a western white pine , pinus monticola, aka "little sugar pine", that has needle bundles in groups of 5, 2 to 5 inches long, cones 5 to 12 inches long, and deeply fissured trunk bar in checkerboard patterns . There is a similar striking bent trunk specimen at Heavenly along the lower Orion trail at 8990 feet near the stopping rest banner. Maybe I'll start a thread with information and photos about the short list of different conifers we frequently see at Tahoe resorts. None difficult to identify given needle bundles, needle lengths, trunk bark, cone size.

Pines:
ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, sugar pine, lodgepole pine, mountain white pine, whitebark pine

Firs:
white fir, douglas-fir, red fir,

else:
Sierra juniper, incense cedar, mountain hemlock

I'm quite aware of the species of the tree. I was more interested in how wind and other factors in its life had affected it with its twisted poise.

 

[Bill Miles]

I don't have a picture, but late season at Snowbird, I have seen ground squirrels of some sort (told they were nicknamed popchucks), pop their head out of a hole in the snow right in the middle of the run,

 

[Andy Mink]

I don't have a picture, but late season at Snowbird, I have seen ground squirrels of some sort (told they were nicknamed popchucks), pop their head out of a hole in the snow right in the middle of the run,

I had that happen at Northstar. It's a dangerous way to live for a wee critter!

 

[SSSdave]

At timberlines especially atop windy ridge lines are many interesting trees and a few especially incredible flagged trees. Close-ups of the exposed to windy elements white barkless wood can also be natural works of art. In the summer, a good Tahoe place to explore is up Glen Alpine Creek behind Fallen Leaf Lake in Desolation Wilderness where Sierra juniper grow on metavolcanic outcrops. Good places for easy summer backpacking where one can easily find reasonable solitude by going just a little ways from trails or lake edges. Above from June 18, 2016 as a late spring storm with some snow breezily moved out.

 

[Bad Bob]

Look hard at the 1st tree on the left. That is a much loved bell on 49° North. Have never met anyone here who doesn't remember it not being here. It was on a different tree in previous years, but the tree fell over the summer. It was rehung here. The kids of all ages love that thing.

It is hung about 7' up from the base of the tree. We have good snow cover right now.

Look slightly above the sign and on the crappy cell phone picture, you can see some white fingers on a distant mountain. That is the North side of Mount Spokane as seen from 49° North. Bottom of the sign is about 8' above ground level.

 

[SBrown]

I did make sure it wasn’t attached to anyone.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Ptarmigan. It was a snowy, foggy day.

 

[David Chaus]

Rime build up on trees at the top of the Outback chair at Bachelor. Kind of 1/2 a snow ghost, the full snow ghosts are at the top of Northwest chair.

 

[newboots]

Porcupine atop Snowdon Mtn. at Killington. Probably on Chute or Bunny Buster, can't recall.

The best part is the guy who told me authoritatively that it was a beaver. Me: "But there's no water around here." Guy: "It's definitely a beaver."

 

[Wilhelmson]

My group dropped into the woods but i kept going and took my first left. I refound this sign that i had forgot about.

 

[Wilhelmson]

And an old lift hut off the beaten path. We call it blueberry hill because in July you can get a handful

of berries in one scoop.