Westbound Boarder

Danielle already summed the season pass prices of the PacNW so take a gander if you are in the market. Lookin for a resort in California? Well look no further! We have the most popular resorts season pass prices summarized right here. Take a look for yourself:

Southern California Mountain Resorts

• Mt. Baldy – $699 (Adult), $375 (13 – 21)
• Mountain High – $299 through Oct. 31
• Big Bear (Bear Mountain and Snow Summit) – Ride at 2 resorts for the price of one.  Season passes range in price depending on what type you get.  Options include:

• Midweek (M – F) – $299 (Adult), $249 (13 – 21) through Nov. 29
• Midweek plus Sunday – $399 (Adult), $319 (13 – 21) through Nov. 29
• Anytime – $699 (Adult), $599 (13 – 21) through Nov. 29
• Night – $149 (Adult), $79 (13 – 21) through Nov. 29

Central and Northern California Mountain Resorts

• Mammoth Mountain – $576 (Adult), $432 (13 – 18)
• Sierra Summit – $369 (Adult), $329 (13 – 18) before Nov. 30
• Badger Pass – $229 (Adult), $199 (13 – 18) through Oct. 31

Lake Tahoe

• Heavenly – $369 (Adult), $299 (13 – 18) (Not valid blackout dates)
• Diamond Peak – $454 (Adult), $209 (College), $188 (15 – 17) plus midweek and beginner separate pricing
• Mt. Rose – $333 before Oct. 1
• Northstar-at-Tahoe – $699 (Adult), $399 (13 – 22), $259 (College) Pass also valid at Sierra-at-Tahoe
• Alpine Meadows – $799 (Adult), $499 (Adult with blackout dates), $299 (13 – 18) before Sept. 30
• Squaw Valley – A variety of different packages, from $649 (Adult) and $499 (13 – 22)

Do you ride somewhere in California not mentioned here? Let us know, we would love to hear about what mountain you call home.

Still haven’t picked up your season pass?  If you live in SoCal, now’s the time to buy.  Mt. High is offering their season pass for $299 (less than the cost of five visits) and $179 for children ages 7 – 12, and the offer’s good through Oct. 31.  It also includes a few other perks, like a free Transworld subscription and 10% off non-sale retail merchandise.  Check out the deets here.

In other SoCal Season Pass news, you can also pick up one at Big Bear (though at nearly $700 a pop, you might want to consider how much you’d actually be going).

I’ve been somewhat putting off this post for quite some time due to a flurry of other fun events to write about, however, I’m finally getting to it!  About a month ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to try out and review Mt. High ski resort.  Being one of the only relatively close resorts to Los Angeles, I talk about Mt. High quite frequently in blog posts, so I jumped at the opportunity to visit and review the hill.  Man oh man, where to begin…

Mt. High is the closest mountain to Los Angeles, taking only about 1.5 hrs. to get there.  I was kind of bummed because when I originally mapquested directions, I noticed the resort was only a 45 minute drive from my Sherman Oaks apartment.  However, as I began my journey to the mountain – and got about 10 miles up Highway 2 – I noticed a sign that said the Wrightwood pass was closed.  Well, apparently, people used to be able to go this way, however, a bridge collapsed 3 years ago that was never replaced.  I guess it’s a lesson for me to check directions on resort Web sites and NOT on mapquest   Anyway, minus the whole getting lost part, it probably took me about 1.5 hours to get up to the mountain (the back way – 134/210 to the 15) from the Valley, which is still pretty decent.

Now, as I was driving along the highway nearing Wrightwood, I was sitting there thinking, “there’s no way a resort is anywhere close to here!”  The roads were completely bare and there was no snow anywhere in sight.  Not to mention the fact that I was basically on a small Freeway!  Then, all of a sudden, on my left a ski resort appeared out of nowhere!  It was like one of those dreams where you’re trekking through a hot desert and all of a sudden your sand mirage turns into a mound of snow… OK, you get the point.  Needless to say, I was a bit skeptical of this strange, rather large mound of snow to my left; but hey, can’t complain!

The snow ended up being a lot better than I expected.  Although I’m used to the cooler weather at Mt. Hood, when the temperature at Hood is anything above 32 degrees it either rains or the snow is so sticky anytime past noon that its practically worthless.  Mt. High, on the other hand, was nothing of the sort.  It was about 40 degrees out and perfectly sunny (I sported my fleece all day because it was “too hot” to wear my jacket – aka, I forgot it) and the snow was actually decent.  I love spring skiing, and with spring skiing-like conditions all year round, Mt. High was made for me.

When I arrived, I parked at the lower lot because the main lot was already full, but it was only a 5-minute or so bus ride to the main lodge.  Mt. High is split into two completely separate resorts – the East Resort, which has a few chair lifts and freeride runs, and the West Resort, which is the snowboarders haven, and also considered the main resort.  I’ll talk about this one first, since its the first part I hit.

The East Resort of Mt. High really reminded me of a smaller version of Big Bear – it was basically one big park.  The entire hill.  The park, dubbed Faultline (check out the layout here; they’re on MySpace too!) was rad – it had rails and jibs I’ve never seen anywhere else!  I now see why pros come in nationwide to ride at this SoCal mountain.  The jumps were great too; it had a few different slopestyle parks, each one a different level.  It had a small one, great for beginners, two medium sized parks, and a gigantic one, where they hold many of their comps.  The one thing I didn’t like, though, was that (similar to Big Bear) the parks weren’t marked off from the rest of the hill.  There were so many times when I saw a beginner just sitting on the edge of a lip taking a quick break (really?!) or a reckless rider cut in mid park.  Despite this minor nuisance, though, I still had a blast (the East resort has a super fun atmosphere, with a lot of young, but not overly annoying, riders); so much so that I didn’t want to leave to go to the West Resort!

But I was SO glad I did.  Its funny, the two resorts are part of the same mountain, but carry completely different vibes.  While the East side is fun, crazy and crowded, the West side is relaxed and calm, and there really aren’t big crowds or long lines.  The runs are much longer (the West peak’s elevation is about 200 feet greater) and there are less people on the hill.  Though there wasn’t a wide variety of runs to choose from, they were the perfect steepness and it was fun to straightline the entire run from top to bottom.

The only couple drawbacks about Mt. High are a) It tends to get pretty crowded (I’ve heard you should either arrive early in the morning, about a half hour before the mountain opens, or after 2pm; and b) Well, its small.  To be completely honest, though, the size didn’t really bother me.  There are definitely days when I’m in the mood to freeride, scope out new tree runs, or build kickers in fresh pow, and on these days Mt. High wouldn’t be the best pick, but there are also days where I’d be perfectly happy spending 8 full hours in the park, and for these days Mt. High is perfect.  In fact, its home to probably one of the best parks I’ve ever ridden through.

Another thing that’s great about Mt. High is the number of fun events they have catered to the college-aged demographic.  For example, they have frequent concerts, events such as ‘College Night,’ competitions like ‘A Snowboard Contest,’ and a solid happy hour (dollar hot dogs!)  They are also very technically integrated, with fun programs like weekly podcasts riders can subscribe to so that people can continue to think snow even when they’re not on the slopes.

All in all, Mt. High’s a great time!  If you live in SoCaland are looking for a close weekend getaway, I’d give this one a three thumbs up.

And you know what that means – massive snow at the mountains!  Light snow flurries are expected to hit Mt. High and Bear all week through Saturday.

If you’re looking for an event to hit up this weekend, check out “A Snowboard Contest” presented by Active and Signal Sports Saturday at Mt. High; registration begins at 8am.  Additionally, Bear Mountain will be home to USASA’s boardercross competition on Sunday, March 8.  Great events + dank snow = awesome time at the mountain this weekend.

March is usually the snowiest month at California mountains?  I had no idea!  I thought for sure the season would be done by March 1.  (Thanks, Bear Blog, for that tid bit of info.)

Other news from SoCal…

• Bear Mountain’s Superpipe is currently under construction.
• Sick (and free) concert at Mt. High Friday the 27th – Shiny Toy Guns.
• The Active BroDown ShowDown, a slopestyle competition for amateur and pro riders, is coming up this Saturday at Bear Mountain.
• Later that night, the Hot Dawgz and Handrails Qualifier will take place also at Bear. The top two competitors will get an invitation to the Main Event in September.

Have nothing to do on Wednesday?  Now you do – grab a bud and head on up to Mt. High, because they have an awesome deal going on.  Buy one lift ticket, get a second for free!

One thing I love about this mountain is the number of awesome deals you can find on tickets and passes (price wise, this hill knocks Bear out of the park).  Mt. High knows its audience, and it knows how to make the mountain fun (and affordable) for everyone.  Check out my review of the resort coming later this week!

This one will be a quickie, but if you’re thinking about hitting the slopes this weekend… don’t think; do it!  The storm that brushed through LA Sunday through Tuesday definitely left more than just mud.  Bear Mountain is reporting 18 inches of fresh powder this week, while Mt. High has received 17 to 19 inches since Sunday.  The even better news?  Blue-bird skies and spring weather all weekend!  If the bare-backed mountain has deterred you from hitting the slopes as of late, now’s the perfect weekend to head to the hill just in time to finish up the season strong.

Is your home mountain also experiencing massive pow?  Let’s hear it in the comments!  Oh, and please… go snowboarding already!

Last Saturday at Mt. High, 75 riders from around the country jumped for their shot at $25,000 in the 11th annual Cholula Triple Air Show.  Presented by Monster Energy, Powder & Sun Boardshop, Jarritos Soda, and Cholula Hot Sauce, the Triple Air Show is one of California’s biggest competitions of the season, and the richest single day triple air contest in the nation.

This year, Danny Toumarkine smoked the men’s comp. taking home $10,000, and Tahoe native Stacie Anderson won $4,000 in the women’s category.  Toumarkine threw down a back rodeo seven melon over the hip, to back seven indy, to front nine lien in his run.  (Watch his sponsorship video on YouTube; he’s a pretty sick rider.)  Anderson went for a nose grab over the hip, to indy nose poke, to front three mute. 

Missed the show?  Watch the finals here!  Could this be you next year?

There’s one thing I love even more than the two words ‘free’ and ‘snowboarding’ – when the words are used together!  Throw the word ‘birthday’ in the mix, and you’re set.  (Got your attention yet?)

Well yes, it’s true.  Head to Mt. High in Southern California on your birthday, present a valid ID, and get a free lift ticket! (The Web site makes sure to mention that cake is not included; you know, in case that would be the deciding factor).  Bear Mountain and Snow Summit also have the same deal.  I discovered this nugget on the sites a few days ago and am already planning to take a trip up in April   My biggest problem now – deciding which mountain to go to!

If you’re in college and in the LA area, definitely add this to your winter To Do list… Today, Mt. High announced its new program College Night at Mountain High.  College Night is a series of three Thursday night parties where college students can come get half-off beer, half-off appetizers, dollar hot dogs, and $20 lift tickets with a valid student ID.  There will be live DJs and tons of free stuff, including passes to live tapings of Fuel TV’s The Daily Habit, T-shirts, and gear from the event sponsors.  Events will take place 5 – 10pm at the Bullwheel Bar and Grill at Mt. High West January 15, February 12 and March 12.  I’ve never been to Mt. High so I can’t attest to the quality of the riding quite yet (I’ve heard mixed reviews, though being the closest mountain to LA it is definitely the most convienent) but this event does sound like a good time; makes me wish I was still in college!

Also, random side note, Mt. High has a pretty neat podcast; check it out (open up iTunes and search for “mountain high resort;” it should come up).  If you like, you can subscribe via iTunes and have new episodes sent straight to your podcast folder as soon as they are released.  One thing I love about this mountain is their focus on digital and social tools to engage riders.  Wonder if they’ll live stream College Night?

Danielle and I plan to publish an events calendar to Westbound Boarder soon, highlighting events at all resorts on the West Coast, so stay tuned for that.

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