CalActive.com Activities Blog

Man it’s shaping up to be an epic ski season in California! It’s only February and Mammoth already has a 100″ base, with more dumping! This is what I love about California. In a mere 5 hours you can drive from sunny SoCal to the Sierras where there’s some of the highest snowfall accumulation in these here United States. Whoa! You might even start with a surf or a kayak before hitting the slopes. How cool. And what else do I love about Mammoth? Let me recite the many things. First, the drive. While tedious, it’s also mind expanding as you travel the eastern Sierras through the Owens Valley. It’s vast and open and beautiful, with the mighty Sierras on one side, and the impressive White Mountains on the other. You’ll pass the true cowboy towns of Olancha (gateway to Death Valley), Lone Pine (gateway to Mt. Whitney), Independence (home to the ignominious Manzanar Japanese internment camp from WWII), Big Pine (gateway to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, home to the oldest living things on Planet Earth - a 4,000 year-old tree??? Come on), Bishop (home to crazy wilderness outback mountaineers), and finally Mammoth, home of the the LA powder cowboys. How does Mammoth stack up against world class mountains like Vail, Aspen, Park City, Jackson Hole and Whistler? Well, it may not have the light, fluffy powder of Utah, or the swanky private jets of Aspen, or the sheer size of Vail, or the steeps of Jackson, but it has more annual snowfall than any of them, more sunny California days, more ski days (usually staying open through June and sometimes July), less crowds (see 5 hour drive), a gracious layout that allows you to traverse the mountain without skiing the same run twice, modest pricing, cheap accommodations, lots of high speed lifts, and, oh yes, thermal hot springs that are free (if you know where to look). They can be the highlight of your holiday. Imagine skiing all day, getting that major thigh burn, then driving 20 minutes into the Owens Valley where you will discover a perfect tub in the wilderness with 110 degree mineral water for soaking those tires bones. You’ll have a 360 degree view of the Sierras and Whites just as the sun drops behind them. Ahhh. Life is good!

Today I was up at the crack, grinding some breakfast watching the rains pour in. Come ocho I headed over to the back bay for a mysto morning kayak. Tricked out in my grande blue backpacking pancho, I pushed off just as the bands of showers were pushing through. Only minutes into the paddle the wind switched and I was sailing towards jamboree with a stiff wind at my back. It was nice to be cruising at such a brisk pace, doing very little work and enjoying the scenery. However, what goes up must come down, and what leaves the beach must come back eventually, and I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty fighting the wind for a mile or two. My sit on top is great on calm days, but tracking upwind is a bitch. Letting the work ahead of me slide, I leaned back cozy in the seat and checked out the water fowl. Lots of Egrets and Tall Herons. After it rains, all the trash gets washed out of storm drains and ends up in the bay before making its way to the ocean. It’s a sickening feeling to be in a tranquil place observing majestic creatures stepping over styrofoam cups and plastic bags. Yeah, it’s only bad like this on the first big rain of the year, but that’s still unacceptable. Let’s keep the bay clean. dig.

So I flipped the yak around and decided to start heading back. Luckily, there was a waterway between the reeds and the cliffs that provided a slight wind break from the chop of the main channel. Not only was it mellow paddling against the cliffs, but I was able to spot a little cave in the rocks that I never noticed before. I definetly want to get in there, but I’m not sure I could scale down the cliff and get in. Definetly a challenge to come back to. I finally fought my way back to shore and was relieved to get on my feet again. Another day on the bay.

How many waves must a man surf down, before you can call him a man.  The answer my friend, is blowin in the wind, the answer is blowin in the wind.  offshore wind. Straight offshore wind. Howling. Burning. Blowing mini emerald tubers straight out the back. Maybe too small. I’m going kayaking.