June Mountain 12/21/11

After the madness at Mammoth yesterday, I opted to take a 15 minute drive down to the highway to June Mountain. Termed “California’s best kept secret,” it really is a hidden gem of a mountain. Last season I had my best powder days at June, so deep and never tracked out so you had endless runs to yourself. This year June’s been working hard to make snow and get the mountain up and running, they only opened last weekend.

When I pulled up to the parking lot at 11am, I had front row parking. I grabbed my gear, took the J1 chairlift up to the base of the lodge and smiled in amazement. I was starting at no lines in front of the J2 chairlift and barely anyone on the slopes. It was a dream come true, I had to pinch myself. Sure there’s only one run open but you have that one run to yourself. I’d rather have that than 30 runs packed to the masses of people.

I went to June alone for the day but met up with Sam and Bobby from June Mountain’s park crew. We got in a couple laps together, trying out the features and enjoying the open run on the mountain. Here’s a shot I took of Sam cruising from my iPhone.

After riding June last year, I was pretty stoked with their terrain parks and they got the recognition they deserved with a high placement in the TWS Resort Poll. Last season I could lap the bigger park with the skier and still hit features for my skill level. This season, they opened with a mini park that’s totally my level and something fun to hit on each lap. Three boxes, two rails and a tube are in the park right now.

Looking forward to riding June more often and hopefully some powder days in the future.