Mammoth: February 2024 - the Continuum

Mammoth

February 2024

Chris is very excited to be at Mahogany Smoked Meats again.

2nd gen Tacomas, lifted (maybe a 2009 TRD Sport?) on left, stock (2012?) on right.

I won't ask why BOTH bathrooms are closed.

Looks a bit ordinary from this angle.

The cut side reveals the true majesty of The Rodeo. Roast beef and smoked bacon with pepper jack, lettuce, tomato.

Tesla Cybertruck next to a 2023 Audi Q8.

Chris working the grill.

Galbi, sweet potato, corn, garlic, shishito peppers.

Same Tesla Cybertruck as yesterday.

223.7 inches long, aka about 10 inches shorter than a Ford F-150 Lightning.

Makes the Toyota Corolla Cross it's parked next to look like a Hot Wheels.

The bed, with its finger-chopping tonneau cover.

Goodyear Wrangler Territory RT 285/65/20.

Fit and finish is... not great, but have seen a lot worse.

Foundation series, aka one of the very first production models.

Fit and finish is... again not great, but have seen a lot worse.

Straight angles easily reveal misalignment.

Front end fit panel alignment check.

Angled view.

Front wheel and tire, and yes, all the wheelwells are felt-lined.

This ginormous F-250 Platinum dually just barely fit into the garage.

Hooke Road door hinge steps on this Jeep Wrangler.

Chris' pancit.

Lan Lan scooping dinner.

Lucas chowing down.

Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.

Old Comeback trail as seen from Gold Rush Express (chair 10).

Old men thinking it's selfie time.

The Limelight Hotel and Residences under construction.

Inside of a 2 bedroom penthouse unit at the Westin Monache.

Tuesday was a bluebird day.

Father teaching his son chess.

Unsure if Lucas is resetting the chess board or just making a mess.

Chris made Japanese curry.

40-60mph winds and snow flurries at the top on Wednesday morning.

Freezing cold.

Race day.

Dehaze filter to the rescue.

Westin Monache welcome bear.

Not the best upkeep.

Not enough bread.

2023 Mitsubishi Outlander has a GPS status display. Cool.

Spicy McChicken and a McDouble for dinner. aka 2 for $3.99 deal.

Second trip of the 2023-2024 season to Mammoth. Stopped at Mahogany Smoked Meats on the way up, their higher-end double-decker sandwiches are still pretty good, and unlike Erick Schat's Baakery down the street, they rarely have a wait. Weather on the trip was mostly okay too, fresh bits of snow two days made for mostly great skiing, although wind was most definitely an issue, as was visibility the morning of last day...

... and while there was some fresh snow, a lot is still packed powder-- had a great run down Lower Dry Creek til I saw a frozen bottle of water or something in the middle of the run, and couldn't setup properly for the massive dip still near the end, which of course is now hard packed snow and not soft and fluffy like the last trip (ouch). A packed schedule made it tough to get out to the top, but did so two days and despite the wind, cold, and visibility, had some amazing snow down Cornice. Wish there was time for Scotty's or Dave's or one of the harder runs, or at least a few more runs down Cornice to work on turns. Next time.

Some crazy car sightings too. First a lifted version of Chris' truck in the parking lot at Mahogany Smoked Meats, then an absurd douchebag who managed to cram his/her Ford F-250 Super Duty Dually Platinum into the parking garage at the hotel, and finally, what must be one of the first Tesla Cybertrucks in consumer hands. The Cybertruck in particular is still a weird*** creation that only an eccentric ***hole could produce, but to Tesla's credit, the fit and finish are not as bad as I expected. The size is about 10 inches shorter than the Ford F-150 Lightning, so while massive, it's actually not as big as it could be.

The Limelight Hotel looks like it's well underway, and as always Chris' cooking left everyone happily full every day. Pancit, galbi, shishito peppers, seafood curry... too much! Did not get to help with leftovers the last night, as I instead found myself on the road back to Los Angeles. At least the rental, a 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander, was a decent drive, and the 2 for $3.99 deal at McDonald's in Lone Pine was at least an affordable meal for the return.