fstopandsee

A ridge at Alpine Meadows. A beautiful day and a great place to ski.

A pleasant slope with some windswept powder available for the taking. All you have to do is jump in and poach that line.

The cable car at Squaw Valley as it approaches its landing spot at the top. This is taken from the restaurant at High Camp, a perfect vantage point to see the magnificent cable car coming up the mountain.

Brightly colored yellow and orange moss covers the rocks on top of Round Top in the Sierra Nevadas. Not exactly what I was expecting to find at the end of this long winter hike, but it certainly made the cold rocks more interesting.

The radio towers on top of Alpine Meadows. This scene is a short hike from the top of the Cornice Six lift, and is on your way to much of the better terrain that the mountain has to offer.

These gulls look pretty happy by Lake Tahoe. I would be too if I had this view every day!

Taken from a cold and windy resting spot during a day of back country skiing. I was hiking Round Top in the Sierras with some friends, and saw this impressive view. This spot was particularly exposed and windy, but that is what made the patterns in the drifting snow so dramatic.

We were on our way to a warm land with pristine beaches. First, we had to fly over the beautiful snow-capped mountains. I’m not sure which I like better.

The hike to Round Top starts by going through a wooded area. You eventually break out to where you can finally see the top of the peak, your destination for the day, off in the distance. From this point it felt pretty far away but we all knew it would be worth it! I really like the way the trail and string of skiers extends out toward the peak, reaching out for it.

I had a great weekend. I spent one day back country skiing on a peak called Round Top in the Sierras with a great group of friends. I spent the next day skiing at a resort. There wasn’t much new snow which is uncharacteristic for this time of year around here, but the hike, view and overall experience were amazing. This was one of my favorite views from the hike. It was taken from the top of Round Top just before we began our descent. The true Kirkwood fans out there will recognize the backside of the resort in the right third of the image.