Los Padres N.F. Snowboard Session

This past Tuesday I had a little free time so I decided to take advantage of the nice snow mother nature had brought us. Mt. Pinos was the location, in the far eastern part of the LPNF. Great place to bike in the Summer also as the mountain has a great 6 mile single track that goes from top to bottom. That single track, also known as the McGill trail was my starting point. My weapon of choice was my Burton Omen split snowboard. For those of you unfamiliar, this is a snowboard that splits into skis that enable you to climb up hill, then click back into a snowboard for the fun ride home.

Unlike many previous adventures in the snow, someone else had already "broken trail". Breaking trail is difficult and much more work than just following where others have already skied. I followed the McGill Trail uphill for about 2 miles and approximately 1500 ft before deciding to head back down. The area I dropped into is known as the Signature Bowls. These bowls are really steep and provide some excellent terrain but are a huge avalanche danger as well. The views all along this trail were spectacular down into neighboring valleys. The weather was perfect, clear and in the 30's, and very little wind. The snow could have been a little deeper in spots, but who's complaining. I have to say I probably like backcountry snowboarding better than resort boarding because the crowds are nil and the effort makes it so much sweeter. The trip was successful and as always I snapped a couple of shots to remember the adventure.

McGill Trail Head

No Yielding Today

Sig. Bowl/ My Trail

The Views

Me Right Before Unsplitting