Journeys›Photograph

A Few Quiet Days on the Mountain at Home

·California, United States·#winter#california#tahoe#skiing#landscape
Snowy mountain range under a blue sky, with a wooden fence casting long shadows on the snow.

The days leading up to Christmas this year were clear and cold. I spent a good amount of time at home on the mountain, making the most of the visibility. The mornings were crisp, with long shadows from the fences stretching across the freshly groomed corduroy runs. It was quiet, just the sound of skis on hard-packed snow.

From the upper runs, the views across the Sierra were sharp against the deep blue sky. Some interesting lenticular clouds formed one afternoon, but otherwise the weather held steady. You can see the whole range laid out, covered in a solid base of snow.

Down among the trees, the low winter sun cut through the branches, lighting up the snow on the pines. It’s a familiar landscape, but always feels a little different depending on the light. The runs that look out over the lake were especially clear, the water a dark blue against the snowy forests. Just a typical week here, getting some turns in before the holidays.

A groomed ski slope between wooden fences and bare trees, leading to distant snow-covered mountains under a blue sky.A snowy mountain landscape with ski slopes, a dense pine forest, and snow-capped peaks under a blue sky.A snow-covered ski slope overlooks a vast valley, evergreen forests, distant mountains, and a large lake under a blue sky.A wide snowy ski slope leads into a dense pine forest, with snow-capped mountains and a blue sky above.Snow-covered mountains and forested rocky hills under a blue sky with thin white clouds.Tall, snow-covered trees in a forest, with bright sunlight filtering through branches and a clear blue sky.Vast snowy evergreen forest and a dark blue lake under a clear blue sky, with distant snow-capped mountains.Vast snowy mountain ski slope with pine trees, a clear blue sky, and a large lake with distant snow-capped mountains.

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