Johnny Law
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Posts posted by Johnny Law
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On 4/11/2024 at 12:42 PM, Ski2Live Live2Ski said:
Learned that folks with passes to other mts will be able to get $25 tix this Sat or Sun at Belleayre
Its impressive they are still open and that's not a terrible deal but snowbowl is 17$.
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16 hours ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:
I agree I thought by this age I’d be doing stuff like that but I’m bad at saving money and I really can’t take off much time from work right now it’s all gas no brakes…
You did the same in CO for a bunch of years and being busy at work is a good problem to have
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3 hours ago, RidgeRacer said:
What a trip dude. Skiing at 4 different mountains in 3 different states and, oh by the way, throw in Death Valley and Las Vegas while your at it. That's how you see / ski the west. WTGAI!!
Thanks for the kind words and beta on snowbowl, I really like the exploration part of skiing and seeing new hills or places I don't remember. This country is super safe and has endless incredible shit so might as well see it. Skiing i feel like why the hell do I want to know where I am and where I'm going all the time? Snowbowl was super surprising and with the upper bowl is a big sleeper.
Idaho/Montucky are up for next season but I keep saying that about revelstoke and then something happens so who knows.
2 hours ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:Nice reports..JLaw was it just you and your brother skiing or some solo skiing?
Just me for the skiing, my brother citing extreme business could only make the bachelor party. Skiing at June was the only time it was a bit weird, like summer school or something where it felt odd no one was there but I make friends fast.
A Japanese lady at Mammoth was my favorite, I think she was literally insane. She was lost at cloud 9 lift and absolutely interrogating the lifties about getting to eagle and I made the mistake of saying I could take her. 10 mins later she's still talking to me about her crystals and shakras and how the eclipse is the start of a new celestial era and all that jazz.
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Sorry after I left june I went Vegas, Phoenix, Newark, its like I'm on the run from the mob and need some time to cloister and chill.
Day 4 - June
June is the sister hill to Mammoth where the later is gigantic and mostly newish June is smaller and old. Mammoth has some bro brah too where June is hyper chill.
I rolled up a little before 8 mad at myself for not getting out of bed. June is two blue mtns stacked on top of eachother. The lower is all ungroomed blacks that with the freeze thaw are not skiable until the afternoon and are served by a awesome ancient double chair with a custom Jerry rigged safety bar. Because of this nobody skis the bottom mountain so I didn't think it strange I saw absolutely no one out.
When I reach mid mtn, all the lifts are running, workers are out but I see no other customers. Fuck man did I get on the lift early or something ? J6 is running so I get on but even from the lift I can't see anyone, not a single other person. Wtf is going on where is everyone ???
I go Silverado a long blue that looks down on lake June which is absolutely perfect cord top to bottom and I still don't see anyone even down at the mid base.
I take another faster even more perfect groomer down Bodie and I almost can't believe that I have still yet to see another single customer on the trails, lifts, base area like did I take peyote last night wtf is going on ? It's not until my 4th run I see another person coming up the lift and I'm 1000% serious I think I was the only one there for like the first half hour.
Now it's starting to click no one is home and I can do whatever the fuck I want and j7 just opened. J7 hosts the good shit in the upper mtn and they've groomed a wicked steep groomer into deer bowl. All the way up I can see not a single person and decide I'm going to set the afterburner to 1000. From the top of the lift I do 5 massive arcs down the hill at absolutely maximum speed, I lied when I said Mammoth is fast I'm doing 10mph faster as a 1000 vert goes by in seconds. Matterhorn and Schatzi is exactly the same how fucking fast can you go taking up the entire trail jumping off anything because I'm still skiing alone.
I've skied like 1000+ days at alot of hills and normally when I say it's empty it's relative to a normal day but I've never seen something like this, ever and not even close. I'm farming cord as I'm crossing only my tracks and while I can now see two groups out from the lift there's maybe 10 people out total on the entire upper mtn.
All morning run after run after run I had the whole trail to myself, free to paint without rules I went ape just doing full width full speed arcs under perfect blue skies and sun, Sierra's hulking steep faces lurking in the background, June lake below it was absolutely perfect. It wasn't t-ride/Silverton or other trips where it snowed everyday but top 50 day ever skiing for sure.
People did show up but I'd say at max maybe 200 people at most around 1pm. I rode the lift with someone only twice and only because I wanted to talk to this dude that ripped about where the fuck everyone was. Apparently it's almost always low crowds so Iow they don't have enough loot to replace j1 which while super cool is also super slow.
After lunch I alternated between empty groomers and working lines up on the upper face. It's a moderate pitch of trees and rocks and while fun the snow never really got right off trail. The groomers though continued to deliver empty perfection.
It was a super cool day and one of my favorite groomer days ever. I have written alot of words but if you read anything GO TO JUNE MTN !!
PS. In keeping with tradition I saw these, fruit booting with snow board boots interesting.
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Day 3 - Mammoth
About a half inch of surprise snow overnight and lifts that spin at 830 and I was up and out early.
Cold and up top it was hyper windy but super sun kept it from being uncomfortable.
Mammoth is obviously gigantic with almost 30 lifts and 200 trails, like Sunday river it's mostly pods of 2k vert or so. As a big fan of weird lifts they have some great ones, 3 older fix grips, a two part gondy that you load in the lodge like a train station and my favorite chair 23, where it's so windy they built a hut to off load with directional tunnels depending on how you wish to unload.
Where taos jams more steep on steep, Mammoth rolls over though it does have endless steeps and tech skiing. Personally I think CA skiing absolutely murders in the terrain, particularly playground terrain that is super playful tech but not actively trying to kill you at any moment and Mammoth has endless amounts of that.
I went up 9 first to get the bit o fresh in the dragons back zone 2 which was good until you hit the wind scour and then it got spicy af. The groomers were perfection with low crowds and superb views.
The gondy to the summit was on wind hold but I noticed they groomed a run down cornice bowl that looked like Kitzbuel. Chair 23 was absolutely rocking, the wind up top was blue like but I wanted to ski dropout chutes which are kinda famous that held decent chalky turns and the cornice groomer to st Anton. It was one of the best groomed runs ever, the steepness was perfect and it's the fastest I've gone on skis in forever. It was so good I ran it three times in a row at hyper speed
Chair after chair, run after run of just perfect sunny groomers. Lower mtn I foolishly tried off trail and found deadly punch through crust that tried to send me to the shadow realm but everything else was mint and my God the scale of the place. You could ski here for a month and not get all the steeps lines.
Reds Lake run, solitude, white bark bowl there were so many runs where you can absolutely fly but my favorite run in the whole place was rooster tail to dry creek. It was a steepish bowl of chalk to a choke with a monster rock wall backdrop. The line was perfect chocolate chip and once charted you could air between and over and come out the other side 1000% club super sex.
The sheer amount of terrain and the amount of fun and creativity you can have is absurd. I don't know what it is but CA kills fun flowy super fast terrain and I did my best to ski as many and as much of the place as possible but I just scratched the surface. I don't think PASR does alot of golden state skiing but Mammoth is up there with the super resorts like Vail, Snowmass, etc etc where the scale alone is impressive.
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On 4/6/2024 at 4:47 AM, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:Sweet report JLaw, you’re such a road warrior where I’m wondering if it’s worth driving to montgomeryville for a corned beef Sando…have fun in Vegas.
Sometimes I don't want to go to the store which is less than 4 actual minutes down the road but then today I did 600 miles and since last Friday something like 3k.
I got up as early as I could muster after 3 days of maximum shenanigans, its a bachelor party so to the grave but I highly recommend the boulders golf course and cake on the strip in Scottsdale. You make your own fun but some of the rowdiest shit in my life.
I'm just getting to Mammoth, I scored a sweet ski in/out condo but I'm posting because my path took me about 30mins from death valley and I almost didn't make the detour. I've been lucky enough to go alot of places and drive alot of cool drives but Holy fucking shit death valley was absolutely stunning.
Massive vistas in an almost alien landscape it was maybe the best drive I've ever been on. If your nearby don't miss it, it's as close as you can get to being on mars and except for the main area I saw almost no one for 50 miles.
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2 hours ago, DiMe said:
Some more footy from the storm. Stratton has some really really good tree riding when it's fresh.
It's a rare day to ski Stratton trees, super dope stuff
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On 4/4/2024 at 3:18 AM, RidgeRacer said:Hell yeah. looks incredible. recent snowfall appears to have made things real nice for you guys. Upper bowl is open at SB and another round on snow is supposed to hit on Friday. Hopefully you timed it perfectly. Enjoy!
I got up there today super good groomers but no upper mtn though I might have been late.
On 4/4/2024 at 3:21 AM, NMSKI said:La Luna Mystica! I’ve always wanted to stay in one of those trailers! Did they reopen the brewery next door? It was closed for a while after Covid.
Awesome report, so glad you had a great time!
It was a super cool spot and apparently the air port is there but I never heard it. The brewery is open again Thurs to Sat and they built some kind of stage thing for music and what not. I got the best nap with the door open and a super view out of the door.
Day 2 - Snowbowl
I had to rally straight from the bowl to the party so sorry for the delay but I got moderate wastey pants in the craziest house I've ever seen.
I left Taos at 4am to get to the bowl around 11, mostly because I planned this trip totally ass backwards but I was stoked to ride as I've heard so much about it.
First thing I went for the bowl as you can see it from the lot and it calls to come ride. Sadly it was closed, not sure if I was too late but it looked like super sweet terrain and a reason to come back.
The promenance of the hill is redic and the views are high class particularly for its size. I went white lightening or whatever the one is off the catwalk first about a half a dozen times. The sun side was super soft perfect but the shade was super slick which made for a dope challenge.
Groomers were most excellent, super soft with relatively low crowds. I ran Sundance to logjam like 1000 times, its just a perfect hoot of a trail to put the hammer down. I ran super groomer after super groomer in the sun with mostly no crowds.
Two days in a row of superb skiing, I'm on to some other stuff for a few days but I want to keep this train going. The question is back to taos or over to mammoth and June ? Thoughts?
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I don't understand the thing with eating by yourself especially on a ski trip where it's likely you'll never see any of those people again nor will they remember you.
Humans must eat, you sell food, I have money that's really as far as the transaction goes but to each their own.
I always have snacks in my pockets at legit hills, gummy bears at very least but pocket meat and pocket bread are the best.
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Day 1 ---- Taos
I don't remember when I first heard about Taos but it has always held a shangri-la like reputation so when I was going to roughly be in the area it was saddle up buckaroo.
I found a cool place to stay that is basically an rv park where they've setup 60's airstreams and such, update the interior kinda plus it has next level views. I highly recommend it if you're in the area and dig that kinda thing.
I woke up early and hit up Leonels for tamales, NM knows what's good but I thought they were delicious and was in the lot by 815. There were negative people around and I was getting all the good omens. The moon could just be seen right over Al's, not a cloud in the sky and two gigantic Crows were dicking around by the ski racks.
It was in the 20s last night so shit was firm to start but the groomers had super nice grip and I ran the sunny blues off lifts 4 and 8. Shakalaka or whatever was just perfect set it and forget it super high speed with barely another soul on the trails.
Around 10 or so I wanted to up the wager and went up Kachina. I had my eyes set on k3 but stayed up on the ridge too long and ended up in cabin chute which held surprisingly soft super nice steep jump turns with a slush bump apron. I ran main st which was better bumps but not as interesting and then k3 which held super nice buttery bumps.
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NM had told me about a secret dope bathroom and with the tamales in the chamber I checked it out and followed some patrolers into Hondos for lunch. I had the green chili burger and mussels both were dope and a much needed respite after 12k shenanigans.
After lunch I tried to find some lines on west basin I had seen from lift 8. Like an old man getting into the bathtub kinda speed I walked and traversed my way out there twice, both times not to end up where I wanted but took two nice ramps of taters on a plate as consulation. I don't know what the names are, it may be called thunderbird but it's tight entrance called to me from the lift but I couldn't find it.
By now my legs where telling me to fuck off hard just about every 10 turns so I ran Hunziker which was absolutely perfect spring super fast falling down the hill carving. I thought it appropriate to end the day on Al's and by the end it was a bit rough but you gotta pour one out for your homies.
I cannot say enough good things about today, some places you ski and it's like a religious experience. Alta/Bird, JH, etc, you'll remember the way the turns made you feel your whole life. In my opinion Taos absolutely has to be on that list. Better groomers than DV no lie, I ran so many I don't know the name of with perfect snow almost alone and the steeps absolutely kick your ass.
Sitting up top Kachina, behind you massive faces and ramps absolutely sparkling packed full of snow, looking out you can see as far as CO and it's like your on the top of the world. I could have sat there forever, I was fucking Ghandi on Valium.
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My weekend turned into a bit of a landmine that blew up in my face so I could only ride with the crew on Saturday but it was just perfect.
It started firm af but as the sun came out the super soft started coming through. We went in search of the steep bumps and the bush delivered with super soft blasters. NM put the pedal to 150 and was channeling his inner plake at ludicrous speed.
Under sunny skies and warm temps we ran castle Rock, heavens gate and north links until they closed.
Celebrations for such a day were in order and Lawsons Castlerock and headys went down easy, for at least a moment I'd wager there was no better place to be.
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I'll be up Sunday at the very least, tomorrow if it's not absolutely terrible but booked solid for today.
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In Ferris Buehlerian style I postponed work and hit the road for a super exclusive xxxlub in the Skills.
Somehow it's winder than Blue, like every trash can must be in the Hudson windy but the bright sun makes it warm. While technically snowing it's so light it evaporates as quickly as it appears.
For an exclusive xxxxluub the lodge looks like the first class lounge at the Scranton Wilkes-Barre international Airport circa 1973.....which I kinda love.
Appropriate for the greater Winkle area the upper mtn pod has been asleep foprp a bit and it's the lower quad and the sixer thatmnemonic goes to the other nipple top.
The quad pod had 3 legit ways down all pretty much variations of lazy mile. While excellent look out the window skiing probably not the thrill your looking for.
The sixer pod though was the star of the show with 9 or 10 legit ways down, all good smooth super grippy snow. A short shot called the wall held soft moguls but I thought the best was one called like maverick and wheelchair, trail maps don't concern me. Long razors like straight shots with nobody home I mostly ran those.
Around 230 being the good worker I am, I decided it best to get to work and now I'm driving past the scenic lamington River.
Super good day and worth checking out during the week, particularly if you have an ikon.
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On 3/14/2024 at 9:52 AM, RidgeRacer said:
@Barb thinking about an AZ / CO trip next year. Durango is only 5 hours from Flagstaff. Purgatory is on the same pass as Snowbowl and Telluride is 5:45. Not sure how close that is to you.
I did that trip years ago, purg is worth a visit and Durango has a super dope Nepalese place called Himalayan Kitchen. Get the yak shi momo for sure.
The drive from Silverton to Quray is redonk redonk, like pull over every 10 mins and look at shit. Telluride is soooooo pretty and by setup one of the coolest ski towns.
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Vista or something is no problem but mad impressive they have called Razors and Nightmare already.
Fucking dope show, blue is back on the menu
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Majestic day, closing is always the worst and the best but I did soooooo much laughing.
Johnny Utah, mutes daisy dukes, gss spitting bars, Enjo's redonk feast, chute rebel run, jfdan with a killer French toast, etc etc etc
I got home at 730 but if it was up to me I would have stayed and kicked the keg, I just so did not want the day to end........ no crew does it better, it was an honor and if someone goes past the lot help dirty finish the keg
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11 minutes ago, PSUFrankenstein said:
I got 3 different kinds of ring bologna (jalapeno cheese, garlic, and honey), irish beer cheddar and old bay cheddar cheese, and I'll bring stuff for bloody Mary's and I made some iced coffee with peanut butter and caramel bourbon. I have cups too
Anyone bringing ice?
I can grab some ice
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Today was an awesome appetizer to tomorrow. They did an absolute spectacular job putting that crap back together enough to ski.
Chute was actually pretty ok and mbike brought the sausage. Pretty sweet day for equal parts dirt and snow.
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Skied with Edge, benm, lady M and Ridge....holy fuck is it getting interesting, lots of mandatories or your in the dirt.
The water bar on dis has made an all snow passage impossible and everything has at least a spot of oh shit. Twice while route finding I ran out of snow.
In all my years I've never seen it so thin and accordingly so technical. It was an absolute hootenany trying to ponce DeLeon your way down the hill without losing your ship to the rocks. Hyper fun, absolutely stellar night to be out.
I'll run my shit straight through the shark teeth to get the goods but even by my standards I would highly advise the usage of your rock boards.
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1 minute ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:
They’re still selling tickets for the 22nd, 23rd and 24th including night tickets for this Sunday and those three days.
They are drunk, Sunday will be Vista and razors
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2 hours ago, AirheadD8 said:
The bumpers started another line on the west side below the end of current line. It extends about to the dogleg .
Only opening I had was from 1-3 and by then they had bumps all the way to the bottom.
Super nice day out, everything you can ski was a dream of super soft. The sun was full Miami Beach and nobody was home.
It will be interesting this weekend as its just Vista, razors, nmdw and maybe lazy but even they have issues getting there or getting back to the lift.
Such a nice afternoon to ski but too hot for mid march
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Rode with the wolf of Palmerton and c1er, otherwise nobody was home.
Pdis and lazy were soft and fast from the start, good speed turns and smooth.
Challenge was not so great, word is the winch cat was broken and they used a normal groomer but it was refrozen bowling lanes.
Razors was a bit hard but pretty ok, sadly coming soon is done for the season so no more shitty rowdy.
Le chute continues to deliver and with quad only lower main is a ghost town.
Going to be an interesting weekend with maybe alot of Vista.
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Word is indy has signed something crazy and is guaranteing 200 places for next year's pass.
Pow Mow is definitely gone but they are still upping their numbers.
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6 minutes ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:
I saw you on Nightmare dreamweaver maybe 830..you were 1/3 of a lap ahead of me especially with Skytop or whatever out of commission.
Touch the Sky Mont Bleu
I stopped and waited at the top twice which I figured would cancel the offset but I never saw you guys
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Belleayre 02/09/2022
in Other Mountains
Posted
When I checked pricing was $17 but then dropped to 11$ during the week.
That's old school cheap and I spent more on lunch