In a week defined by one concussion, five stitches, 102 degree fever, and one less wisdom tooth, not to mention the fact that every time I turn on the damn TV I only catch the tail end of Christmas Vacation, some goodness finally came my way on Saturday with the opening of June Mountain.

It’s been a long time coming, watching storms roll in and layer June with fresh snow only to have the opener seem all to distant. Riding Mammoth has been cool but the drive has become tiresome and I am just ready to step out the door and walk to the hill. So at 8:30 Saturday morning you can bet your batwings I was on the first chair.

My Turbo Dream was to give me some moments of righteous glory.

If you don’t know much about June it is basically a pretty mellow little mountain outside of Mammoth that is primarily defined by a pretty sick snowboard park and halfpipe. On the other hand there is some fantastic freeriding on the lower mountain, or The Face when conditions permit. Unfortunately, ski patrol didn’t think conditions were “permitable.” I however, did. Not to say the rest of the mountain wasn’t worth riding, it was, and it was fun, it’s just that I like my tea a little spicy. Basically what I am saying is, I was looking for some core shots. So with The Face not an option I had an idea.

The Face of June from a meadow below.

Inversion layer over Mono Lake.

After chewing up all the powder the lifts could afford my good friend Scott Hoffer and I met up with Dawn True’s kid Odin (Dawn along with Torry Cook is the driving force behind the hugely successful I AM SNOWBOARDING art shows that have premiered around the west this fall). The last time I saw this kid he was pretty much all about the lego’s and Bioncle’s… five years down the line, he is pretty much all about blowing my mind as a badass little ripper more concerned with hunting out powder than spending time in the park. So we went on a little adventure.

Scotty surfs June's famous trees.

Odin Wier was loving his Forum Youngblood.

If you know where to go and don’t mind a little effort, the out of bounds area accessible from any number of June’s lifts will get you into some zone’s that rival any number of cat boarding operations I have been to in BC. Granted it’s still early season and it wasn’t wide open by any means, it was still a fun day of exploring some pillows and gullies that in a week or two are going to be firing harder than your next herpes outbreak–seriously, don’t borrow chapstick this holiday season, I’ve seen dude’s land in the ICU because they thought it was chill to lube up with some strangers Carmex.

Scotty rides some pillows.

Odin with the town of June Lake below.

We popped out behind someone's house in town.

Back home looking at Carson Peak from the living room.

A few hours later I was back home with a long overdue smile on my face, plopped in front of the TV thinking that winter may have finally arrived when I heard Uncle Eddie usher in the Yule Tide spirit with a phrase we all know signals the season is upon us –“Shitter’s full”.

Now it’s official.