Only an hour's drive up the Angeles Crest Higway, out of the LA Basin and into the San Gabriel Mountains, lies Mt. Waterman ski area. The ridges and bowls adjacent to the ski area offer some fantastic backcountry skiing.
The terrain is indeed quite spectacular, offering smooth open stretches of untracked snow, tight tree skiing, and narrow chutes. Pitches range from about 20 to 45 degrees.
View of the chutes dropping from the Mt. Waterman ski area boundary.
The views are also quite amazing, especially in the twilight light illuminating our trip.
View of Palmdale and the high desert.
After a forty-five minute hike, the skiing began...
Al on the inrun to a log jump.
Al completing the log jump.
Al rips it up.
Mark skiing some untracked powder. The Angeles Crest Highway highway can be seen below.
Mark making a few more turns.
Unfortunately, towards the bottom of the runs, the cover was a bit thin.
Al doing some bushwacking.
Nonetheless, we managed to return safely.
Mark by the car, with a good view of the terrain behind.
All in all, the trip was a success. But it left us longing to return to Mt. Waterman when conditions improved .