ChrisC
Well-known member
I skied June Mountain for the first time on my way to Mammoth.
My thoughts....
Setting: June is in a beautiful location in the Eastern Sierra. Really nice. Lake with beautiful mountains - the backside of Yosemite.
Crowds: Skied a half day. There was NO ONE there. No one. Staring at 1pm, we skied fresh courdoroy all day. No tracks. I actually wanted other skier to break up the groomers lines.
Conditions: The snow is now hard. Unless it has been groomed, it's no good. Basically, nice hard-pack powder on the groomers. Exception was above 9,500...still soft off-trail.
Coverage: Probably a 2-4ft base. No snow on South faces. Not enough snow on THE FACE.
Thoughts on June: June has a steep face that suffers from poor trail maintenance -- there were bushes and scrub trees everywhere (do they really want to open this? ever?) Meanwhile, they have 2 half-pipes and 5 terrain parks. Hmmmm....priorities.
The J1 access lift sucks. It is an old double. They cannot download you with your skis on. There are no safety bars. The old gondola/tram lifti is gone -- too bad. Access is poor.
Who is June for?
People who do not want crowds. Anyone who wants to cruise. Skiers/boarders who like terrain parks.
Who should avoid June?
Experts. The Face probably was cruddy snow for most of the year. People who like open spaces. Everything is tree-lined.
My thoughts....
Setting: June is in a beautiful location in the Eastern Sierra. Really nice. Lake with beautiful mountains - the backside of Yosemite.
Crowds: Skied a half day. There was NO ONE there. No one. Staring at 1pm, we skied fresh courdoroy all day. No tracks. I actually wanted other skier to break up the groomers lines.
Conditions: The snow is now hard. Unless it has been groomed, it's no good. Basically, nice hard-pack powder on the groomers. Exception was above 9,500...still soft off-trail.
Coverage: Probably a 2-4ft base. No snow on South faces. Not enough snow on THE FACE.
Thoughts on June: June has a steep face that suffers from poor trail maintenance -- there were bushes and scrub trees everywhere (do they really want to open this? ever?) Meanwhile, they have 2 half-pipes and 5 terrain parks. Hmmmm....priorities.
The J1 access lift sucks. It is an old double. They cannot download you with your skis on. There are no safety bars. The old gondola/tram lifti is gone -- too bad. Access is poor.
Who is June for?
People who do not want crowds. Anyone who wants to cruise. Skiers/boarders who like terrain parks.
Who should avoid June?
Experts. The Face probably was cruddy snow for most of the year. People who like open spaces. Everything is tree-lined.
