The great debate

Several years ago we went to Mammoth with the great Megan and Lars (we also went snow camping that trip, but that's a whole different story), and ever since I have been fairly well indoctrinated with the opinion that Mammoth has the best skiing in California. Steve grew up skiing at Mammoth, and as a native southern Californian, he is biased to Mammoth as well. Like many things, there is a deep rift somewhere between NorCal and SoCal on this subject, and our NorCal friends have always told us there is no way Mammoth could be better. So, we had to find out for ourselves (well, actually we didn't have time to make the trip to Mammoth but we'll say we were trying to get our own data).

At the last minute (after my poor mother's house flooded so she couldn't make the trip to stay with Grace), the Greats, my Aunt Kristie and Uncle Hilary, came to the rescue, and Steve and I were able to get away for two of the three days we had planned to ski. THANK YOU, HILARY AND KRISTIE!

We drove up to South Lake Tahoe on Friday afternoon, getting there in time to check out Heavenly Village and have dinner. We stayed at the most fantastically campy place; our studio room had a murphy bed and breakfast of lots of donuts and hardboiled eggs, but it was right across the street from the Heavenly gondola. Saturday morning we slept in (till 7:40! first time in 20 months and 2 weeks for me, but who's counting?) and still loaded the gondola an hour later.

We were amazed by the view when we got to the peak. We had two days of spring skiing weather - gorgeous sun, blue skies with incredible views of the lake, and relatively warm weather. However, there hadn't been any snow in several weeks, so there was a lot of ice and "packed powder" (aka, more ice). The resort straddles the California/Nevada border so it was wild to ski back and forth between the two - the signs actually say "to California" or "to Nevada" and people have definite opinions about which state has the better terrain/snow/weather.

Despite the iffy snow conditions, we had a blast. We managed to find some good snow, worked on our technique and came away very sore (did I mention the last time we skied was 3 years ago?). After two days of skiing, no schedules, adult conversation and lots of sleep, here's the verdict:

Overall, Mammoth. I think we preferred the terrain there and it had the best snow I have ever skied (and yes, I know I have to concede that there are many other places at Tahoe). Nevertheless, given Tahoe's proximity to SF and how hard it is to get to Mammoth, I see its appeal. It definitely wins on feasibility. And scenery.

All in all, we had a great time and are trying to figure out if we can go back this season. We also love our new helmets (how times have changed! Everyone wears helmets now, not just 8 year old boys). I am thinking I should replace the goggles I've had since I was 10.

The rest of the pictures are here.

Grace had a wonderful weekend, too. When we called to check in, she was always laughing in the background. She might have been laughing because she slept until 8AM for her dear great aunt and uncle. Another giant thank you to the fabulous Greats!