The Campbell Reporter
News
Snowboarding in San Jose: Who'd ever imagine?
By Emilie Crofton
The rain may have kept a number of residents indoors, but for Morgan McGuire of Campbell, Dan Venegas of Almaden Valley and Charlie Mann, who lives in the Willow Glen area, the storms provided the experience of a lifetime.
On Jan. 24, the three men spent the afternoon snowboarding on Mount Umunhum, part of the Santa Cruz Mountains, which was covered in about 2 feet of snow.
"That was one of the most unique ski expeditions any of us has ever had," said Venegas, 38. "It was a dream come true for me."
The men parked their car at the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve and hiked 11Ž2 hours up Mount Umunhum. It was a cloudy day and hard to determine how much snow had fallen.
The men had expected to find 4 to 5 inches of snow and brought their tools and gear hoping to build a snow jump and play in the snow.
Instead, to their surprise, the men say the mountain had a 2-foot base perfect for snowboarding.
"We couldn't believe what we were seeing," Mann, 37, said. "I grew up in San Jose, and I'd never seen snow like this before. It was like we were in Tahoe."
With downtown San Jose below them and Santa Cruz behind them, the men spent the rest of the afternoon snowboarding up and down the mountain.
McGuire, 30, had brought his mountain bike as well, not thinking the men would find so much snow.
"It was so awesome," he said. "Who can say they rode their mountain bike and snowboarded in San Jose on the same day? It was surreal."
Cousins Venegas and McGuire have known Mann since high school and have been snowboarding together for years. The sport has been an integral part of the their lives, the men say.
"There's a freedom in snowboarding. It takes you away and you don't have to think about anything," said Venegas, who has been snowboarding for the past 18 years. "Plus, it's the only sport I can think of where you can fall hard on your back and still get up laughing."
The three men have traveled together on snowboarding trips to places such as Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Tahoe, California; and Whistler, British Columbia. They all agree that on Jan. 24, San Jose compared to the best.
"It was just another world up there," McGuire said. "When we were coming down and saw the city lights, it was such a weird feeling."
Most of Mount Umunhum is located in Santa Clara County in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Its 3,486-foot summit is the site of the former Almaden Air Force Station that operated until 1980.
The summit is closed to the public due to lead and asbestos contamination. Venegas, Mann and McGuire steered clear of the area closed to public.
The men recently returned from Whistler, where they did a heli-boarding trip. A helicopter dropped them off in a remote area and picked them up at the bottom of the mountain. This experience is one of the best for any ski and snowboard lover, the men say.
"It's like you're at the best playground ever and there are no lines to wait in," Mann said.
Although their experience in San Jose may not have compared to Whistler, the men say snowboarding in the mountains of San Jose was the opportunity of a lifetime.
When Venegas returned to the same spot on Saturday, all the snow had already melted.
"I don't know if we'll ever get an opportunity like that again," he said.