Snow Summit 4.18.2009 -- Closing Day

Resorts in Colorado are slowly shutting down so it's about time that Southern California called it quits. I managed to get up to Bear for the last day of their season. Bear Mountain closed last Sunday and after a really great week, Snow Summit followed suit today.

I couldn't get any friends to come up with me; either for work shit or because they didn't want to "sully their snowboarding abilities with the crappy leftover snow of a resort's last day". Since I was alone it was a reasonably mellow day... not mellow to where I didn't test some limits and learn some new tricks.


What can I say about the conditions? The picture says it all. The runs were literally just lanes of snow. This is my favorite part of late season shred. Late season goes through phases where it stays icy in the morning and softens later in the day, then it transitions to being soft and nice in the morning and turns to slush water by the end of the day. Today was a slush water kind of day...

Top of one of Summit's Late Season Jib Parks


2 Boarders, 1 Rail

Late season shredding pretty much becomes a jibfest. Summit had two park runs open with a few fun features. They had the big kicker up still and that always hits nice since it's always salted and rarely ridden. Otherwise they had some trademark Bear features: a few rails, a lift tower, a down corrugated tube, etc. HUGE PROPS TO THE PARK STAFF AND LIFTIES FOR KEEPING UP THE FEATURES AND RAMPS ALL DAY! It's awesome that they were still busting ass, even with only a few hours left until closing.

This was my first "closing day". It's cool to have absolutely no regrets. Everything I wanted to try I tried, and occassionally landed. I have to give closing day at Snow Summit two thumbs and two big toes up; today was a perfect day.

Mt. High is open tomorrow and then Southern California's resorts officially close the 2008.2009 season.

Signs I'm an Angry Snowboarder

Now the goal is to shred Mammoth in two weeks... I'm not anywhere near calling my season; there's still snow to shred and I'm on a mission to get to it! I just hope my Swindle can make it through the rock jibbing to come...

Stay tuned.