March 15-16th, 2014

Location: Kirkwood Mountain Resort, California

Weather: Absolutely perfect!

Riders: Slaythegnar, LPH, Aaron Miller, Mrs. Slaythegnar, Miss Parker, Loren & Holden

Photographers: Slaythegnar, LPH & Loren

POV VIDEO Winter Lurks Amid Searing Sun @KirkwoodMtn – 03/16/14

Winter Lurks Amid Searing Sun @KirkwoodMtn – 03/16/14 from SlayTheGnar on Vimeo.

Music: LSB – FABRICLIVE Promo Mix

Java Porn: Need some fast drip? Head to Peets…but you already knew that!

Synopsis:

With temperatures approaching 55F at the 7,800ft base of Kirkwood Mountain Resort expectations were extremely low for finding decent winter snow. Given the lackluster snow this season, coverage is actually quite good on the mountain. Areas such as Oops n Poops, Chamoix, Thunder Saddle, Hells along slackcountry zones of Corner Zone, Broadway and Boulevard all held onto a hint of winter even in the searing temps.

Skiing with a 5 and 2 year old at the same time isn’t easy, but I know I’ll cherish these moments in a few years. However, as soon as my wife took over after spending most of my day bent over in a snowplow training a 2 year old, I straightlined to maximization of vertical and snow quality…and was blown away on what I encountered.

Alt, Control, Delete – quit all programs and just read this…in a dark place:

Friday arrival on an epic late afternoon on the shores of Lake Tahoe…

Time to tune the DEATHWISH!!!!

How many sticks of Ptex can a single ski hold anyway?

LENZ CHANGE FOR THE SUN!!!!!

Parker and Boo are ready to slay! While Holden takes a nap…

Miss Parker examines her DIN before the first descent…

Look at that determination…

Cirque looking better and better each week…

Not sure how many 2 year olds have skied chair 4 at Kirkwood (with assistance) but here’s one…

LPH run over to Fawn Ridge to search for winter snow…

Standard low-tide procedure is Corner Zone to Broadway (Diagonal)…

Looks and feels like winter to me…

Slaythegnar jets around the corner…

California Chute, Pipeline, etc could use some snowmaking…

We heard a yell from above and Aaron Miller chalks up a line…

55F and powdery snow…welcome to California!

Broadway Chute has a bit more snow than my last visit…

So much fun…to ski this stuff in a flannel…

LPH made the happy descent as well…

Back with the family, I took the kids on a laps on the mighty ‘IRON HORSE’ (chair 3)

No lift lines…lets do this!

Baby Rocker and Deathwish = a happy family…

My wife and I decided to grab a few laps on Chair 6. Here, she rails sunny perfect piste on Sentinel…

Meanwhile, I took the Chamoix to Oops route…

Oops face is always untouched for me for some magical reason…

Why not an apres ski SUP on the lake?

Heavenly from a surfboard…

With Holden in his last Mini-Jets for the season, and the wife and Loren railing laps on Chair 6, Parker and I had some great bonding time on Bunny and Timber Creek Express…

Yes, she comes to Kirkwood for the snow…

Bunny Gully was extreme and she can almost ride it solo!

SHE’S DOING IT!!!!

Paker and headed over to take some Snowkirk gnar laps with mom and dad…

But Dad lost the race…

And she knows it!

On my break, Aaron Miller, LPH and headed over to backside via THE WALL!

Fingers over on 6 saying hello…coverage is not too shabby!

Aaron Miller slices an inverted slope…

EXTREMELY extreme…

Slaythegnar gives it a whirl…

Aaron rails a line down Norm’s Nose…

I follow suit…

Aaron finds one of the deepest stashes of the season…

Now headed to West Shore…a view of Bear Valley and beyond.

Yep, Boulevard is looking prime…

Aaron shows what skiing in a California drought is all about…

Slaythegnar rides the shoulder down in the crux…

Time to avoid the slough…

I’m having a good time with gravity…

Aaron Miller rips a left-hander above Emigrant Lake…

Slaythegnar getting deep in 2014…

WEST SHORE SLAYED!

Piggy back skiing the youngest to the car? why not…

Nice cool temps in the valley on the way back to SF…isn’t it March 16th???

Yep, those are my kids in Starbucks…long underwear and all…

I have a feeling winter will be back…