California skiers hit slopes in September, and all summer

In the last week of summer in California, I went skiing. Twice, actually. And to be honest, it was pretty good.

Both sessions were off Carson Pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Kirkwood, and the conditions were a nod to last season's monster winter. For those with a mind to join the turns-all-year club, the Golden State hasn't had it this good in several years. Believe it or not, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Lassen, and other spots throughout the Sierra Nevada all have various panels, patches, and bowls that are still very skiable.

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Since there are so many prime summer activities in the Sierra, it's fair to ask why someone might choose to go skiing in September. I think most people who do it would simply say, "Because we can." But it's possible even more skiers and riders would state their intent to join the so-called turns-all-year club. When my then-girlfriend and I decided we should try and ski every month of the year, I didn't know such a club existed. We simply figured that as long as we went skiing somewhere in each month of the year, ideally in California, it would be a fun way to keep the season going — at least, sort of. That was in November of 2003.

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Skiing conditions in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness off Highway 4, near Bear Valley, Calif., July 24, 2017. Skiing conditions in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness off Highway 4, near Bear Valley, Calif., July 24, 2017. Photo: Brennan Lagasse/Instagram (@stateofthebackcountry) Photo: Brennan Lagasse/Instagram (@stateofthebackcountry) Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close California skiers hit slopes in September, and all summer 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

The past week marked my 167th month in a row. I have skied once a month now for almost 14 years. September is usually the trickiest month. My partner Jillian and I have found that there tends to be reasonable snow to ski well into June, and often even into early July. It isn't too hard to seek something out in August, for a nice hike, and by October it's usually snowed somewhere in the Sierra. September is usually the most questionable month, when the least amount of snow is around. That was not the case this year.

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We started doing this because we thought it'd be cool to do for a year. We forgot to stop because it's been so fun. Our ski adventures have taken us all over the world. When you've gone from August powder in Chile to a few hundred feet of old September snow in California, it's all relative. Skiing is fun whether you're riding a lift in January or hiking for a few hours in the middle of summer, just to glide back down. If you missed out on this season, who knows, maybe we'll see another good season this year. Either way, if the itch strikes as we welcome fall later this week, there's a still few places to ski – if you're willing to go for a beautiful mountain walk to get there.