How the trip went down as our live blog recorded it
Every day the ATA team added live updates to the site as it flew up and down the California mountains. A Spot Unit satellite device tracked our position on Google Maps, and our fearless leader, Pietro, chronicled our story in daily postings.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
The team is finally together in Sacramento. The adventure has begun... stay tuned for the update from Shasta.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Can’t ski ‘em all if you don’t ski the first one. Three hours north of Sacramento, and here comes majestic Shasta! Beautiful. Really looking forward to skiing this mountain. The resort is waiting for us, and can’t wait to officially kick off the trip.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Well, it was pretty epic, and we spent over an hour at Shasta. Jesse broke his bindings, but was able to get it fixed. Mike did an awesome job on his snowbike. Fritz and Pietro flew down the mountain, and Kelly did a nice 180. All in all a wonderful day. Stay tuned for more updates.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Wow, what a cool resort, especially at night, with Norm the owner greeting us in a cold, starless sky. We all rode the poma lift to the top, and skied down the front face with the help of flashlights. Mike did a wonderful job on his snow bike. Fritz the Viking wore his Viking helmet, and the rest found their way downhill. Absolutely awesome. On our way to South Lake Tahoe now.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Here we are again. Four full hours of sleep and the team is ready for more action. Granlibakken opened early for us and we had a wonderful “short” run with the sunrise in front of us. Homewood is still closed and we’re headed to Alpine next.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
We met Sarah Marks and her parents, Steve and Laura. Sarah is the disabled skier that we are raising funds for. It was an honor to ski with her, and she was excellent on the mono ski. Mike was denied the use of his snow bike, and had to follow us up and down the mountain on short skis. Mike has only skied twice before, and last time he did it he was 11 years old. Amazingly he did an awesome job coming down. The rest of the team enjoyed first run on a perfectly groomed slope. Fantastic! Heading back to Homewood now, hoping that the resort is finally open.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
It took a while to do Homewood, but it was definitely worth the wait. Another great resort, and what a view from the top. Best lake view in our opinion. Mike was back on the snowbike and the rest of the team cruised down the mountain. Squaw Valley is next.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
We’re definitely running a bit behind, but we’re not bummed. Everything is going well…it’s a beautiful day and they’re expecting up to 10 feet of snow in this area between Friday and Saturday. Squaw Valley is a huge mountain. Really good terrain up on top, and a long run all the way back down to the van. 2,700 vertical feet in total.
Boreal #7
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The guys at Boreal were awesome. They greeted us at the parking lot and escorted us to the front of the line. It looks like a super fun resort with lots of terrain parks, half-pipes and more. We wish that we had more time to play here.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
What a fun little resort with the only powder that we’ve found so far in California. Mike P did the first face plant on short skis and Fritz, Kelly and Pietro all jumped a cool rock. Last resort skied with Brian from the Sacramento Bee Newspaper. The article should be out tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
WOW, every resort keeps getting better and better. This was so far the team’s favorite mountain. Lots of rock formations to jump from and a ton of sketchy terrain to have fun with. Next on the list is Donner Ranch, just next door.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
A big thank you to the Ski Patrol at Donner Ski Ranch. They were super cool and helped us big time on the mountain. Good view of the surrounding mountains and lakes from the top. A short run, but that’s exactly what we need to make up some of the time lost in the morning. Donner at Tahoe is next on the agenda.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
We had to blitz Tahoe Donner, and the team did just that. The sun was on its way down, and Jesse took some unbelievable photos with the snow spraying up in the air. They never saw us coming, and then we were gone.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
This was as close as it gets... we showed up at the gondola at 3:58 PM, just two minutes before closing. But our case was convincing and the liftees were awesome to let us through not only once, but all the way to the summit. We’re still in the hunt for the record, and it was crucial to do Northstar. How fun to have a run all to yourself. Kirkwood is just as important, and we’re still planning to do it this evening. A monster storm is on its way, with up to 10 feet of snow predicted for Friday and Saturday. Scared…and excited.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Got to Kirkwood early, and the resort was super to kick on the lift early for us. Big winds up on the ridge, and the storm looming in the background. We’re headed south to the Central Sierra.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The team cruised down to Bear Valley, but it was not a fast cruising. Got lost in some backcountry roads in the middle of nowhere, and arrived at Bear three hours later. We’re definitely behind schedule now, but all the remaining resorts are super accommodating and we’re still planning to finish the day as planned. The storm is approaching fast, and we’re trying to keep going south, hopefully avoiding the worst of it.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
It’s a big race against time now ... trying to stay ahead of the storm and hit as many resorts as possible. Dodge Ridge was the best turnaround time yet... 24 minutes from door to door. But Dodge Ridge marks a big turn of events for the team. Mike P, Julia and Candy Andy decided that the approaching storm is too dangerous to deal with and asked to be dropped off at Angel Camp. It was sad to see them depart, but there was nothing we could say to convince them otherwise. The rest of the team is going on. A nice article came out in the Sacramento Bee today.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Nobody said this was going to be easy... and it’s not. We had the wrong address punched in the GPS, and just discovered that instead of 30 minutes away, we are actually two hours away from this resort. Looking at a long night of hiking... Badger Pass in Yosemite and Sierra Summit left. Cool article in the Sacramento Bee though.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The storm approaching, the night falling, the wrong address in the GPS.... the team reached a low point in Mariposa and seriously started doubting that this record is really achievable... then the breakthrough! A cry spontaneously burst out of each person’s soul: “Let’s go guys! We’re not going to quit now!” Against all odds we pushed through and luckily the guys at the resort were still waiting for us. A huge thank you to Colin, the marketing manager, and Tom, the groomer. An unbelievable ride up the mountain in the snowcat ... and an epic run in the dark. Absolutely incredible. It’s now close to 8 PM and we still have one resort to go before we call it a night. Sierra Summit is next.
Friday, January 4, 2008
A huge thank you to Lyndsie and the employees of Sierra Summit. We arrived 3-1/2 hours later than we anticipated, and at 10:15 PM we didn’t have much hope we’d find someone willing to take us to the top of the mountain. But the guys at Sierra Summit were waiting for us, and the snowcat took two quick trips to the peak. The heavy snow started falling as we were climbing to the summit, and in a few minutes we already had an inch of fresh powder under our edges. This was by far the sweetest run so far. The night wasn’t over yet, and after a quick beer at the bar we headed south to Alta Vista at Shirley Meadows. Predicted arrival time is 4:30 AM. Stay tuned for more updates from the road.
Friday, January 4, 2008
The van and its sleepy passengers roll in the parking lot at 4:30 AM. A full 30 minutes before Channel 29 Fox—Bakersfield is scheduled to arrive and conduct an interview about the feat. We‘ve stayed ahead of the storm somehow, and apart from a bit of sketchy driving down from Sierra Summit, we really haven’t had much trouble. Brian, the Alta Vista owner, is there to greet us, and Rick does a great job taking the riders up the mountain with the snowmobile. I probably should mention that this is the first time that Rick drove one. Next on the agenda is Mountain High in the San Bernardino area. Blue sky above us at 7 AM.
Friday, January 4, 2008
It feels like a never-ending day since we skipped sleeping last night ... but the scenery is pretty amazing and the Joshua trees are super cool. Kelly was a maniac on the phone and arranged all the last few stops. Not an easy task with the cell signal coming and going, but I think that we’re set for all the Southern California resorts. A few clouds are rolling in, and the winds are high, but still no snow so far. Mountain High West is the only resort riding on Steezy Style.
Friday, January 4, 2008
We found some colorful ladies at Mountain High East. The resort, though it’s lacking some serious snow, offered a long groomed run that was quite fun. The team had the most efficient turnaround recorded so far. In and out of the mountain in less than 15 minutes. High winds and clouds closing in. But still no snow. Next is Baldy.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Mount Baldy had great customer relations, and horrible weather. A mix of rain, sleet and strong winds. To make things worse the lower section of the resort didn’t have enough snow, so we had to ride the first chair up, and ride it again on the way down. Once on top we endured the cold, took two more chairs and called it DONE. We were happy to see the warm van again after one hour on the mountain, but we definitely want to come back here once the resort is packed with snow. Next on the agenda is Snow Summit.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
We had zero time to waste at Snow Valley—why we zipped through the resort. It was our best turnaround time so far, clocking in at 14 minutes from door to door. I don’t think that the riders made a single turn down the mountain. Next in line are the Big Bear Mountains.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
This was a mountain that we had wished we had more time for. We caught two chairlifts to the highest ski point in Southern California (8,800 feet). The top section was super with good snow. The lower section was wet with rain. We piled back in the van, soaked from head to boot.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
The team got to Snow Summit, tired but excited. We knew that this was the last resort in Southern California. For the first time in the whole trip, we got there within business hours, and could end the day without asking for any special favors. (That reminds me—a shout out to Rio, who was so helpful on Bear Mountain.) Rain, unfortunately, was the story of this resort, and we got down to the car wet as fish. But happy as clams. Snow Summit had night skiing, so that’s why we finished during regular business hours.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
We discovered late that we had the wrong size of chains for the van. Fritz and Kelly did a super job driving through scary conditions, and luckily our van—Proud Mary—carried us safely to Mammoth where we bought some heavy-duty chains. There’s three feet of snow on the ground, and more coming. It’s so sweet here.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Arrived in Mammoth at 1:32 AM, wound our way to the lodge through three feet of fresh snow on top of another three feet of old... plus buried cars and impassable staircases. We hit the slopes after four full hours of sleep. Big thanks to Laura Johnson for arranging lodging and passes at Mammoth. The run this morning was epic. The snow was soft like butter, and the tree skiing was out of this world. We didn’t want to leave but June Mountain was calling. We’re hoping our new chains will survive the storm.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Best powder on the trip. Period. Well, so far at least. It’s sad to leave this great resort, but we’re anxious to get back on the road. The bottom section of the mountain is still closed because of avalanche danger, but the top portion was open and sick! The only consolation is that there is FOUR FEET of snow in the Tahoe area, our next stop. Two resorts left.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
The team is now delayed at the junction of 395 and 167 as the pass is currently closed. We’re not discouraged though, and find a way to stay focused on the task. We’re now back on the road, looking to knock off Heavenly.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
The team stays fit for the last two resorts.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
To celebrate the reopening of the road, we celebrate the fact that we’re still in the hunt to set the record
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Rolling into Heavenly now... went over Kingsbury Grade Pass... sketchy, but still opened. The falling snow is really heavy, but we’re here... can’t stop now. Just crossed back into California. What a way to finish the record. Beautiful.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Crazy snow in South Lake Tahoe. We lost one of the chains and Fritz sprained—or maybe broke—his ankle on the last run... we’re hoping he can limp with us into the record book. It’s late; we don’t know if the pass is open, and the van might be done without the chain. Complete craziness, but we’re going to attempt it. In the dark, in the storm, with a crippled vehicle. It would not be a record any other way.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
They’ve been blasting snow on Echo Pass for the last few hours. We’re waiting at the base of the pass as the snow keeps coming. We might spend the night here and hit Sierra at Tahoe first thing in the morning. As long as we do it before 2:15 PM, it would still be in the 4-day window. We would have liked to finish it tonight, but there’s no way now. They’re expecting another foot of snow tonight, and the powder tomorrow should be incredible. Stay tuned for the last update tomorrow morning to see how we did.
Sierra at Tahoe #28 - LAST and FINAL
Sunday, January 6, 2008
The pass opened at 9:30 PM, and though our minds were set to get up early the next morning and finish the last resort, a thought went through our heads... Why not go up right now? It sounded insane, the snow still coming, pitch dark around us and cold. But this is what this adventure was about ... doing the extraordinary
.
We switched vehicles, and up the pass we went. The excitement wasn’t over, as our four-wheel drive pickup got stuck in the Sierra at Tahoe parking lot, but we were now too close to be worried about that. Mike the security guy greeted us, and then Laura and Ken—the snowcat drivers—gave us a huge lift to the top of the mountain.
The ride down was a thing of dark beauty. The snow flying in all directions, five feet of snow under our edges, and the feeling that this adventure was almost over. We rode hard in the deep powder. Even the snowcats followed us to light up the black descent.
We arrived at the bottom of the mountain at exactly 12:22 AM. The new official record for skiing all 28 California resorts is four days, 10 hours and seven minutes. WELL DONE TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!