Bored? 'To West, Young Man' Is Advice to Embryonic Pro

If Tuckerman's Ravine and the Suicide Six bore you, if you Nosedive no longer holds that old charm, then salt away you Lake Placid folders and take the next train west.

The Sierra Nevadas will unfold countless new types of ski runs before the eyes of the Harvard parallel slat addict, much-traveled members of the Crimson ski team aver. He will be confronted with fabulously long runs, deep snow, steeper grades, and, in many instances, frustrating and maniacally devised slalom courses marked by 150 pines.

Skier's Bane

Vertical, tree-studded slopes are the bane of western skiers from Seattle to San Bernardino along the Pacific side of the Sierras. Further inland, however, the mountain tops rise above the timber line, providing countless open runs for the energetic skier.

Six busy ambulances are on constant lookout along the Angeles Crest highway, from which Southern California's most perilous ski slopes are easily available to both duffers and experts; their job, to aid the overly-eager novices to the local infirmaries.

Mount Baldy and the Lake Arrowhead region have long been popular ski spots for Los Angeles greased hickory experts, but even the best of these can't match grades or open slopes with northern California's Lake Tahoe.

Tahoe Tops

Of Tahoe's seven skiable peaks, Mount Rose is the only one over to witness an appreciable turnout of parallel enthusiasts, because Rose alone can be reached from the road. There are a wealth of virgin mountain-sides in Tahoe's environs, the most notable of which is Freel's Peak, a two-mile bowl with a possible descent of 3000 feet.

Yosemite National Park heads the list of most frequented California ski re-Dome stems the five-mile Bishop Creek run, five shorter trails, and an excellent slope downhill run descending 700 feet in little over a half mile. Badger Pass sports a ski life and three rope tows.

California's rugged, sequoia-covered mountain-sides are not, however, entirely characteristic of Western skiing. The treeless walls of the Sugar Bowl near Norden, Nevada, have stamped a far brighter mark on U.S. skiing annals than even the fabled San Gorgonio region, predicted by many ski experts to be among the most fruitful prospects for American sportsmen.

Sugar Bowl has produced many Olympic skiers, the latest begin Dodie Post, a participant in this year's meet at Saint Mortiz, and is famed for its fast, steep runs.

Deep Snow

Aspen, Alta, and Sun Valley dominate western slope sliding with their fast, dry snow, bare mountain-sides, and long runs, Sun Valley even goes so far as to offer outdoor swimming all year around, and both Aspen and Alta are also blessed with mild weather.

Oregon, not to be forgotten, boasts of Mount Hood with a mile-long chair lift, several rope tows, the Golden Rose tournament, and countless choice fast open slopes. Also in Oregon is Crater Lake, largely for natives and those who seek fresh, unpacked snow.

Open Slopes

Mt. Ranier, Washington, prides itself on both open slopes and trails, and is the annual scene of the Silver Skis race, second only to Mt. Washington's Grand Inferno race in length. Mt. Baker, north-west of Ranier, will vie for Washington's First Mountain when its development, now underway, is completed.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the western section of Yellowstone National Park are made to order for those who prefer powder snow and tree-lined trails, while Colorado's Berthoud Pass and Winter Park offer open slopes varying from 40 degrees to five degrees and skiing late into May.