For the first time in 7 weeks reality caught up with us and the fresh-O-meter was put on hold, no new snow in Squaw. Instead, we sessioned the best spring skiing conditions ever to occur under the California sun. The powder express couldn't have come to an end in a more luxurious fashion, soft and fast corn snow, long, leisurely mornings, and the company of some of the most accommodating locals anywhere.
We were lucky enough to be staying at Jessica Sobolowski's pad. She was gone, but her friend Jeff McKitterick was there in full force. There isn't a person alive that could have been better suited to lead us around the mountain. McKitterick has been in the Tahoe area for 20 years and he knows Squaw like the back of his hand. He charged at everything in front of him whether it was sloppy, crusty, steep, or bumped

When the conditions got good in the sunny afternoons it was game on. Squaw didn't disappoint with it's many straightlines, cliffs, and steeps that awaited us on Jeff's magical tour of the mountain. I was telling Gabe that I hope I'll be ripping like Jeff when I turn 41. Then I realized that I couldn't ski that well when I was 21. Skiing with Jeff is truly inspirational. There may be higher profile athletes that live in Squaw, but I can't imagine that they ski any harder than Jeff. He is a true ambassador of the sport. Aside from showing us all of Squaw's legendary lines, McKitterick was a perfect guide to Squaw’s apres scene. It may be 20 years since Hot Dog…The Movie, but trust us, this place still rages. Due to the spring conditions, there was no need to wake up for first tracks, so there were no holds barred during the evening.
After a sunny day on the slopes there is nothing more relaxing than an apres ski brew on the deck of Le Chamois. The tightly knit group of friends that make up the Squaw posse normally convince each other that it is a good idea to extend the first beverage into an all night affair. It isn't abnormal to find yourself in full ski gear at 10:00 P.M. surrounded by a host of ski-lebrities in similar attire. It was pretty fun being able to talk to McConkey about his latest base jumping or mono-skiing adventures, discuss the gnarl factor of the Hanenkahm downhill with Daron Rahlves, or ask Aaron McGovern what went wrong on his latest Alaskan ragdoll. Squallywood lived up to its reputation of fantastic skiing with amazing nightlife. This of course boded well for our PTTP party at Bar One.