This dead tree at Squaw Valley marks a shoot and rock garden area off of KT-22. It is an imposing tree as you are approaching it, which is appropriate as so is the entrance to the shoot and surrounding area. There are lots of granite rocks to hit if you aren’t careful, but the snow below makes it all worth it.
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.
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.
Not today anyway. The snow was too good where I was without hiking to go for these lines, but they sure did look pretty from down below.
This is my lucky 200th post! Why is it lucky? It is because if I’m lucky, by posting a picture of snow for such a milestone for my blog, I will get more snow in Tahoe! Happy 200th post to me!
This was taken on one of those amazing days at Squaw Valley. The cloud level kept rising and falling. Sometimes we were in the clouds, sometimes they were just above us and everything seemed perfectly clear.
I took this shot while skiing at Powder Mountain in Utah. Obviously there was some fresh snow to be had on this blue bird day!
This was taken on the way up Mt. Tallac in Tahoe on a day I spent backcountry skiing last season. The snow has been falling big time in California so my attention has been turning back to the mountains in Tahoe. This was a beautiful day, you can see some tracks in the center of the frame, and that is what kept us going on this long hike up!
This is the view from the hike up Granite Chief at Squaw Valley. This isn’t the typical spot at the top where you would take in the view of what you will ski down, but I liked the way these trees were windblown on the backside. The whole image has a very cold and snowy feel to it. We have been getting some fantastic early snow here the last few days and I’ve been dreaming of skiing, so I had to post a snow pic!
