Headed up to Covelo/Round Valley with snowblasta on Friday.
We were heading into the storm.
Low snow levels were expected on Friday night
and we were going to be at Mendocino Pass
to experience some snow camping
and lapping some of the lower slopes.

Pulling into Willits Friday afternoon.


Willits is a funky town.
Think Berkeley/Mt. Shasta City with some trailer trash thrown in.
We took the 162 into Covelo and on up the FH7(still the 162)
up to Mendocino Pass.
Seven miles up from the Eel River Work Station
- the local Forest Service -
and the Black Butte Store,
we found where the plows had stopped plowing.
We turned around and found a parking spot.




We set up our tents on the flat spot just behind the Jeep.
We were right next to Jumpoff Creek.



It was puking snow and we took heater breaks in the Jeep to keep warm.
snowblasta enjoying the sauna.


Then it really started snowing.
Soon some rednecks drove up and one of them proceeded to get stuck. We crawled from our tents to lend a hand and watch the free entertainment.





They were able to handle the situation themselves and we were soon back in the tent kicking back.
snowblasta chillin'


The entertainment was far from over however.
snowblasta had brought his portable dvd player and we watched
a few movies in the tent.


Shortly after midnight, the snow turned to RAIN!!! :roll:
This was not good.
The rain was pounding down and Jumpoff Creek
lulled us into a deep sleep.

Check this video out for the sound only
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... &plindex=0
I have never slept better.

We awoke in the early morning to find most of the new snow gone.
So we slept in.
By noon we were skinning our way up the open meadows.

snowblasta jibbin' his way across a drainage.




We had parked the Jeep at 3800' right where the road
crosses Jumpoff Creek. What was 2+ feet of fresh yesterday
was now just patches of snow skinning up from the road.
We found a way to connect the patches and found
more coverage near 5000'.
This is where the open meadows close up and the woods start
just before the upper ridge where the M4
heads up towards Anthony Peak.
This is also where the freeze line was and the dense fog started.

The storm had warmed up and screwed us.
I wasn't planning on summiting Anthony Peak or Black Butte
in the storm. The visibility would not have been good up there.
I was hoping to do some sweet open bowl skiing
down lower by the road where there are some nice, steep lines.
Both above and below the road.
I have scoped out these lines before, but was always
too focused on getting to Anthony Peak or Black Butte
to give these lines much attention.
Hence the reason for going to Mendocino Pass in a storm.
If the snow had held, we would have had some epic skiing.

snowblasta approaching the top of the meadows.
Round Valley/Covelo in the background


Looking south out over Twin Rocks Ridge.


The only thing that saved the day,
was that we had visibility under the fog layer
and it was not raining.
The snow was uber glop. With no overnight freeze
the snow had not corned up and the skiing was slow going.
These would be excellent slopes to ski if they were corned up.
We made a few calls from the satellite phone
we borrowed from jibC and skied on down to the road.

These are the best turns I had all day. snowblasta thinking about it...


Some locals from Willits
taking advantage of the warmer temps
to get farther up the road than we did.


We were soon down by the Jeep cookin' up.


The truck in the background is some other folks
that had hiked up the road
about the same time we did
and were toting some kind of jib toys that were like
skateboards with a leash or something.

Aaahh! Dinner!


Jumpoff Creek helps me wash the dishes.


We were camped about a 2 minute walk up the road
from Surveyor Camp
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lon=-12 ... atum=nad83
just north and to the west of the "N" in "Mendocino National Forest" on this map


We had wanted to camp at Surveyor Camp
because of the toilets and picnic table.
The ranger had told me on the phone earlier that they were open.
We did not see it on the way up because it was snowing so heavily.
But we found it later and were happy to use the facilities.

Some pics of night two.



We were soon back in the tent watching movies.


It rained even harder that night. We stayed up late and
slept in the next morning.
Taking our losses with the ski conditions
and simply being happy to spend the weekend
in the great outdoors,
we broke camp and prepared to make our exit.

About this time, a red pickup truck pulls up behind us
and two guys get out and approach my driver window.
I open the door to talk to them and discover
that we are camping on his property.

Now I have always known, in the 7 or 8 times I've been here,
that this is all private property.
I have spoken with the rangers about camping and skiing up here
and they have said that they didn't think it woud be a problem.
Most of the homes up here are deserted in the winter.
But sticking to the main roads would prevent me from tresspassing.

So I wasn't surprised that we got busted.
He introduced himself as Corey. I think.
Anyway, I apologized for tresspassing and his response was very positive.
He told us that he was a skier and liked the fact that we were there. What he didn't like was all the traffic on the road.
He was friends with the guy that plows the road
and had arranged for the plow guy to stop plowing
lower down than normal to discourage
all the snowmachines, 4wheelers, 4X4 enthusiasts
and sledders - of which there were many this weekend.
He said that he respected
our mode of transportation (human powered).



...Thanks Corey!

_________________
Coastal Crest Snow Patrol
http://www.zazzle.com/jibmaster
http://www.earnyourturns.com/3878/ccsp-guide-2-mendocino/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

I had no idea you rocked such a sweet one piece jibmaster! Do you still tour in your SX-91's? That combo is quite the gettup.

I think I drove near there this summer when I went from Willits to Fort Bragg. Pretty remote, but the scenery is nice.

:lol:
Yeah, that is one Hulluva one piece for sure! I got that thing back in 1989.
I used it skiing for the season at Jackson Hole. I have graduated from my beloved SX-91's to a pair of Scarpa Matrix.
The one piece goes with me for car camping. Nothing is warmer.
I double down for the night in my down one piece and slip inside my down -30 degree Camp7 Frenchroast sleeping bag.
Toasty!

_________________
Coastal Crest Snow Patrol
http://www.zazzle.com/jibmaster
http://www.earnyourturns.com/3878/ccsp-guide-2-mendocino/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

you rock jibmaster

_________________
Mike Schwartz
www.thebackcountry.net
mike@thebackcountry.net

Just got back from Mendo. Pass.
:D
It was very good. Both days!
Betcha can't wait to hear the story...

_________________
Coastal Crest Snow Patrol
http://www.zazzle.com/jibmaster
http://www.earnyourturns.com/3878/ccsp-guide-2-mendocino/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

Well, the original plan was to go to Hull. By the time I got halfway up the 33 switchbacks
on Elk Mountain I hit snow. The plows had given up on the Elk.
Only deep tire ruts all the way to the top. Once on top,
I found 3-4 feet of snow. The most I've ever seen on this mountian. They hadn't even attempted to plow it.
This is when I noticed I had forgotten to bring my camera.
Global warming has been good to the Coast Range.
The snow just keeps getting deeper up here every winter!
And lower.
One of the first things I thought of when I saw all the snow on Elk Mountain, was Mendocino Pass.
Back down the 33 switchbacks I went. Picked up a disposable camera
in Upper Lake and I was soon on the 101 heading north.

I'll put up the pics as soon as I can get them developed.

Only patches of snow in Covelo this time. The FH7 (Forest Highway 7) was plowed and I easily
got to the pullout right at Jumpoff Creek.
The snow was DEEP. The time was 10:30am. Not to worry.
I was right on time. I was skinning by 10:45. Skinned up the road
for fifteen minutes and decided to drop a line right off the road.
Everything looked so tempting. Above the road, below the road.
The snow was absolutely, perfectly smooth.
Cranked out some lovely smeared corn turns and skinned back up
to the road.
From Jumpoff Creek to the Pass is about 5 miles.
The first 2-3 miles offer the best skiing above the road.
I skinned directly across the road and up for about 1000'.
These slopes face south and west, with a little north-facing aspect
if you drop into any skier-right drainages. So I got soft butter on
my left and firmer conditions on my right.
The snow was perfect. My timing flawless. The corn window
was lasting all afternoon. I skied down to the road and back up I went
for another run.
This was Tuesday afternoon. I was going to be here the
next day as well. I skied down to the Jeep. When I got there I met Beth.
She lives at Coreys' place and was out for a walk.
Hi Beth!

Later that evening, two boarder girls come walking up the road
carrying their snowboards. Glad to meet you Jessie and Kate!
We chatted for a few minutes and found them to
be locals living at Coreys' place as well.
Then a little while later a new FJ Cruiser drives by towing a snowmachine.
Slept very well in the Jeep with Jumpoff Creek's gurgling waters.

The next day, I decided to summit out on a peak that I
had scoped out before. Weather Station Peak. Little did I know,
I was to be denied virgin snow on this peak.

It took me about an hour to skin up the road to the base of this peak.
When I got above the snowmachine highmarking tracks, I discovered
the western ridge, that I had planned on skiing, to be littered with
snowboard tracks.
Those sneaky ladies had snaked my line! I tried to figure out how many
runs they got. It looked like two.
But when I got to the top, I noticed the snowmachine tracks up top as well and figured they had gotten a ride
up the road to the Pass and backtracked up the M4 to the summit
of Weather Station Peak.
There was actually plenty of untracked lines to be had
and I found the snow to be identical to yesterday. Perfect corn.
As firm or soft as you desired. The snowmachine tracks and the snowboarder tracks
didn't bother me. I was stoked to see other people making good use
of all the snow.

I drove down to Covelo and stopped at the only gas station in
town where I met Jeremy. The guy with the FJ Cruiser and the
snowmachine. What's up Jeremy?!
He was helping the two snowboard girls lap Weather Station Peak.
Way to go! I'll be sure to have some goodies from town to offer
in exchange for a tow up next time!

I reluctantly left on Wed. afternoon and drove into Willits.
I highly recommend the Shanachie Pub, right behind The Purple Thistle
restaurant. Very cool folks indeed. Met another Jeremy - the bartender.
He said he knew about the Corey clan up in the "hinterlands".
What's up Jeremy the bartender?!

Had a great dinner at The Purple Thistle. Tempura battered prawns
and the balsamic glazed strawberry salmon was out control!
Very tasty indeed.

Word up to Chuck at The Locals Board Shop.

Pics coming soon.

_________________
Coastal Crest Snow Patrol
http://www.zazzle.com/jibmaster
http://www.earnyourturns.com/3878/ccsp-guide-2-mendocino/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

Wow. These pictures really suck. I'm never forgetting my
digital camera again. Sorry for the lack of pics,
but most of them were so bad, it was simply pointless
to post them.

The summit ridge of Anthony Peak from the meadows
-looking north


Looking south from the meadows to Weather Station Peak




Here is a view from a ways down the FH7.
The meadows can be seen on the left.
Weather Station Peak just right of center.
And the snow-covered north facing
Twin Rocks Ridge on far right.

_________________
Coastal Crest Snow Patrol
http://www.zazzle.com/jibmaster
http://www.earnyourturns.com/3878/ccsp-guide-2-mendocino/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

IMPORTANT MESSAGE!:

Corey, Beth, or Jeremy with the FJ7 and the snowmachine:
I believe I lost my dark, olive green Marmot shell jacket
on Weather Station Peak.
Did you see it when you went up Wednesday afternoon?

DAMN!!! :evil:

_________________
Coastal Crest Snow Patrol
http://www.zazzle.com/jibmaster
http://www.earnyourturns.com/3878/ccsp-guide-2-mendocino/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

So I went back to Mendo. Pass to look for my jacket.
Pretty sure it must have fallen off the top
of my pack as it was strapped on.

I did remember to bring my digital camera.
I'll try and make up for the horrible shots of last week.

Hammerhorn Mountain above Round Valley
on the way in.


Anthony Peak


Looking north to the Indian Reservation


When I got up to the snow, the locals were out playing
with their toys, clearing the rest of the road.




I was heading for Weather Station Peak.
The western ridge - on the skyline - was my ski line
of last week. The plan was to repeat the run
and experience the .00000000001% chance that
I might just happen to find my jacket...


I took my time on the way up. Zigzagging around retracing
my ski run, scanning everything.
When I got to the top I checked out the views.

To the north - Anthony Peak




Looking south - Black Butte lurking behind
the enormous ridge




These next two shots are out of chronological order.
These were taken on the drive in.

The western slopes on Black Butte


The meadows as they start just past Jumpoff Creek.


Anyways, the snow was really good for it being so warm.
It was 75 degrees at my house in Napa Valley the day before.
I was skiing down Weather Station Peak around noon.
Anything with a southern aspect was rotted out 5-6 feet
to the ground. Directly west was perfect corn and
the aspects facing north were frozen solid.

I was too focused on looking for my jacket and ended up
skiing too far into some of the southern slopes.
On a right turn, my left leg suddenly dropped into oblivion
and was immediately buried up to my crotch. I couldn't move.
Then my huge snap-on basket came off my right pole as it
sank up to my armpit.

This is the only scenario in the Coast Range that would cause
a slope to slide. Luckily for me the angle of the slope was too
mellow to go anywhere. I spent the next 45 minutes digging
my leg and ski out of the massively heavy snow and searching
for my ski pole basket.
:lol:

The rest of the run was uneventful. The more solid snow was
only 30 or so feet to the skiers right. From super slush
to bullet proof ice on the same run within throwing distance.
You gotta pay attention.

No jacket.

I enjoyed the evening views and spent the night in the Jeep.











The next day I explored a different approach to Anthony Peak
that I will not be speaking about.

I will never forget the good people of the Hinterlands.
THANKYOU so much for everything.
You have no idea how impressed I was with your
hospitality, trust and kindness.
I was absolutely floored by the pure joy of your everyday lives.
Thankyou for allowing me a glimpse into your world.
I will never be the same.

_________________
Coastal Crest Snow Patrol
http://www.zazzle.com/jibmaster
http://www.earnyourturns.com/3878/ccsp-guide-2-mendocino/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

The last picture of my - now lost - beloved ski jacket.
Feb. 1, 2008 at the summit of Anthony Peak.
Picture taken by janzalo

_________________
Coastal Crest Snow Patrol
http://www.zazzle.com/jibmaster
http://www.earnyourturns.com/3878/ccsp-guide-2-mendocino/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

jibmaster, should you encounter Cory in the red Toyota again, mention that you know "cooper". Cory is very for people in the national forest by human transportation (Skis snowshoes, or mountaineering). and VERY against atv's and snow machines. they break up the peace of the mountain, are destructive, and when a person archives the goal of reaching the top of Anthony on a machine, they do not appreciate it like you do when you had to work to get up there.

Headed up to the Coastal Crest at Mendocino Pass above Covelo.
Wed. Feb. 23.
Called the Black Butte Store
http://www.blackbutteriverranch.com/store.htm
They reported snow on the ground
above The Hinterlands.
Just past Jumpoff Creek, the open meadows start.
That's where the skiing begins.

Didn't find much snow at first.
But there appeared to be good coverage
farther up the road.

Drove to the base of weather station peak.
Just enough snow.
Thought there'd be more.

It was pretty chilly, but clear.
The fog from the valley was just starting to rise.
I was super tired. Didn't get much sleep the past few days.
I drove up in the morning after 3.5 hours of sleep.
So I took a nap for about an hour.

Started skinning around 10:30.
Firm, icy snow.
I had to slam my skis into the snow for traction.
Was barely able to break the surface.
The snow under the south sides of the trees was
covered in ice chunks from the trees branchalanching,
probably the day before.
The north sides of the trees were still covered.

Didn't see any critters this time.
They were around though.

I thought I was trippin' - the snow was sparkling
like a trillion diamonds.
Coyote tracks


Found my way through the miniature forest maze to the summit.


Looking south to Black Butte hiding in the background




North to Anthony Peak




Not much skiable terrain off the summit down the north side.
Too many trees. Those miniature oak-looking elf trees.
That's where the pow was. Any snow that had not seen the sun
hadn't consolidated yet. I found patches of pow all the way up
on the north sides of the trees.

So I headed on down the west face.
Had to fight my may through the maze of elf trees.
Snowmachine tracks up top and snowboard tracks
down the west face proved that the locals
Jeremy, Cory and Beth had beat me to the goods.

http://www.vimeo.com/20347160

Was too tired to lap it. Wasn't even sure it would soften up.
Stiff breeze, low sun angle, must go to sleep...

Heading out, looking back to weather station peak

_________________
Coastal Crest Snow Patrol
http://www.zazzle.com/jibmaster
http://www.earnyourturns.com/3878/ccsp-guide-2-mendocino/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

Wonderful photographs, jibmaster! Absolutely beautiful! I know I'm on here a tad late, but I happened to stumble upon these images via a Google image search for skiing spots. I've never gone skiing before, so I'm just scaring myself. HA! Although I'll admit it DOES look like quite a bit of fun! Definitely the definition of roughing it. . . especially in the winter. ;)

Thanks for letting me gab, folks. Take care!

_________________
Linda
Are snowboard pants good any all sorts of snowy weather?

Thanks WooshKitteh! The Coast Range is beautiful. Skiing it is surreal.
I'm glad you enjoyed the photographs. Please feel free to browse my Flickr page.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

:hint: the 'Hullin' it' thread on this site is the shiznit. :wink:

Have a great day!

:D

_________________
Coastal Crest Snow Patrol
http://www.zazzle.com/jibmaster
http://www.earnyourturns.com/3878/ccsp-guide-2-mendocino/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jibmaster/

WooshKitteh was one of those people paid to post advertisements on random discussion boards... notice the weird grammar and site link in her sig. :?

We usually delete those but at least this one had something nice (and relevant) to say. Ordinarily they just copy word for word something the original poster said.