Backcountry
Conditions Report
Report from May 25, 2025
I woke up at 1 am last night and everything was so clear.
I’d wake up at 5:45 am, drive to Palisades Tahoe, land the D-Spin 720, and roll back down to Mammoth for Tall Carl’s party.
Tahoe had been off the table because highway 395 had been closed due to the “Inn Fire” but it unexpectedly reopened Saturday at 8 pm.
Yesterday was the day for my D-Spin 720.
I’d been trying to make it work at Mammoth this month, but their jumps are either too big and scary or too small.
So I made the pilgrimage back to Palisades Tahoe, where I haven’t been since March.
The drive up to Tahoe – The “Ice Cream Highway” – was stunning.
- Mammoth
- Yosemite
- Mono Lake
- Antelope Valley
- Carson Valley
- Lake Tahoe
- Palisades Tahoe
As I drove past Topaz Lake, NV/CA, I saw 5 white pelicans, which always remind me of my late grandparents.
I then looked to my right and realized a huge bald eagle was flying parallel to me and at my same speed.
He eventually veered off over the lake in search of trout.
I took it as a good omen for the day.
I was on snow by 10:15 am.
My normal progression for the D-Spin is simple:
- 2 straight airs
- 2 360s
- 2 backflips
- Go for the D-Spin 720
As I rolled up the the jump the first thing I thought was “Damn, these are almost too big also…”
I wasn’t sure on the speed, so I asked some local park kids, “It’s pretty much straight on this first one, right?”
They said yes and I went for it.
I knuckled the jump hard…
Fortunately, the knuckle was already softened in the blazing spring sun and my bad knee didn’t freak out.
Back up for another.
This time I landed over the knuckle and the jump felt huge to me…
Honestly, I wasn’t ready for a 360 yet, but I forced it.
I threw a hideous 3, barely landed it, and felt like a baby giraffe on roller skates.
My second three was perfect (for me).
I popped, spun slow, landed right in the sweet spot of the landing, and it didn’t feel like I left the ground at all.
I hooted, smiled, and felt the vibe.
I went for the first backflip without really thinking…
I just try to remember Coach Connery telling me: “Pop!”
The backflip went swimmingly, but I only barely cleared the knuckle.
The second backflip was a carbon copy of the first.
Now, it was time for the D-Spin.
Again, I wasn’t ready, but I forced it.
I wound up and practiced my set over and over as I waited for my turn in a sea of about 20 park rats.
I even heard people asking each other what I was doing.
“Is he gonna rodeo?”
The trick I was about to throw is a dinosaur fossil of a trick that isn’t thrown anymore.
They could tell from my wind-up that I was old school.
Hell, they could tell from my over-the-top big mountain, all yellow outfit that I was out of place.
Since I’d barely cleared the knuckle on the 2 backflip, I took no carves or turns rolling into the ramp.
I unconsciously set the trick, popped, and cranked my head straining for a view of the landing.
I spotted it, realized I’d over-rotated, and did everything I could to slow things down.
I landed backseat and all on my right ski, which sent me flying and twisting onto my left ski, and I was just about to fall when everything flashed through my eyes:
- The 3.5-hour drive
- 395 opening
- My burning desire to keep this trick alive
- The fear of having to throw this thing again…
I focused, unwound my twist, and somehow skied out of it.
“Whoo, whooo, whooooo!”
I skied out of the park, past the lifts, down the Mountain Run, and directly to my car.
I was off snow by 11:45.
I was only on snow for 90 minutes…
I felt like I’d gotten away with something and rather than push my luck, I was quitting whilst I was ahead.
I drove straight to Moon Dune Beach and had a quick swim in Lake Tahoe’s blue, shimmering, leg-numbing waters.
I felt ecstatic.
The traffic and mayhem of the first unofficial summer holiday in Tahoe phased me not.
I watched tourists run across the road and drive erratically, and watched as it affected me not.
I watched all the roadside beauty unfold in reverse.
I arrived at Tall Carl’s at 4 p.m. and ate all of their food.
After a jolly social stint, I jumped into the Lazy River and paddled for 30 minutes in preparation for my surf trip to Africa next week.
The entire paddle all I could think about is how amazing this place is, how special these people are, and satisfied I felt.
My season is now complete.
Today was the last day of the season at Palisades Tahoe and what a season they had.
Thank you, California!
