The 'S' Word

YubaNet

DONNER SUMMIT, July 10, 2010 - Boreal Mountain Resort is spinning a chairlift in July 10th and 11th for skiers and snowboarders to enjoy summer snow.

This weekend Boreal Mountain Resort will run the Castle Peak Quad chairlift granting access to a ribbon of snow left behind after the record setting snowfall Boreal saw this spring. "Almost 500 inches of snow fell this winter, with several feet falling after Boreal closed. We decided since all this snow was on the mountain, it would be fun to enjoy it for a couple days in July," said Jon Slaughter, Boreal Marketing Director. "It's a novelty to be able to ski in the summer. Something worth celebrating," Slaughter added. Boreal will provide a terrain park on one trail. Barbeque and beverages are available. Bring sunscreen and a hearty appetite for snow.

If you could see through the mountain in the photo, you'd see where I participated in the motorcycle trial last weekend. You can plainly see the snow on the next mountain range south in this video. Nobody bulldozed it into a strip for publicity, though. It worked for Boreal. Quite a few people showed up yesterday, most of 'em in T-shirts and shorts. Or TV satellite trucks.

Donner Summit has the highest average annual snowfall of any year 'round inhabited place in the United States. A lot of the homes up there have exterior doors on the second floor with no stairways to them. Heh.

A last gasp for last winter. 80° and snow on the ground. Winter will start again on August 1st when Orion begins to appear on the eastern horizon at dawn.

Ya might call this crazy. I call it home.