Wooly Mammoth...here I come!

I got the skiing itch during March so I kicked off planning a trip with Sheryl who gathered a few companions. So, with five folks in hand I searched online for a condo for $50 each - I recommend Homeaway and VRBO (vacation rentals by owners.)

Our place was compact and bijou and didn't quite sleep five, but we made do. And Sheryl's Mexican food made us feel like we were still in LA :) The slopes were a 10 minute walk up the hill...quite a shock to the system. The chest tightens and the breathes get shallow as the legs get tired. And that was before we even hit the slopes! But as the landlord said, "it's a good work out..."

Not cheap I rented my boots, skis and poles for two days and it came to $65, but add the two-day ski lift pass and it totaled $223. Gulp. You have to get your money's worth when you come and 1/2 day skiing (aka cheaper) only starts at 12.30pm.

Skiing at Mammoth Mountain, CA 2009 from stevio on Vimeo.

Road trip The drive up the CA-14 takes you past some spectacular scenery that makes you feel like you're exploring. We past two small towns, Lone Pine and Independence which were both swarming with police pests. I saw the Red Rock State Park and from the freeway I think you pass some of those red rocks.

Mammoth skiing courtesy of Facebook?!

I sent out a note to my network asking if anyone wanted to go skiing. In reply, this week I got a call from Ryan. I was excited 'cause he said there was a group going skiing in Mammoth this President’s Day weekend. Cool! Especially, as Ryan's a pro who organized a couple of trips to Mammoth when we were at USC.

But this trip was different...In fact, Ryan couldn't make it, but wanted to introduce me to the group of people who were planning on going in case I wanted to join then. The intriguingly odd thing about this group was the fact that no one knew each other. No one! The only connection was that they were all members of Facebook’s winter sports group. At the time it didn't seem such an odd prospect...but with hindsight I can see why it's a bit freaky!

Suzanne was the organizer and a law student and USC alum. She was my contact and “she likes English accents”, Ryan offered up. So, after I juggled a few things I agreed that I'd join these strangers to go skiing. I wanted to leave on Friday so I could ride up with Paul and Lummee.

This could've been an episode of MTV's Real World or a Mammoth Big Brother!