The access and East Fork Loop trails had been broken by Tom and Louise Broadbent a few days before, and there had been no new snow since. It WAS pretty - on the south leg of the loop, looking east:

From that same location - the view south - the pumice mine restoration area is in the foreground, and Los Griegos is beyond. Upper Road is visible coming into the burned area on LG.

By noon, all sun-exposed snow was very sticky, and maxiglide was frequently applied. At the EFL/East Fork Ridge Trail intersection, I turned south into the restoration area. I don't understand, but in spite of its continuous sun exposure, the snow coverage was complete and very skiable! There's enough of a grade going down that I was able to get in a few turns. Here's a view of the area looking east, with the moon in the sky upper left:

After crossing NM4, I followed the road that the foresters had graded up to a location above Big Pine Canyon and the point where Elk Ridge Trail goes under the power line. The photo shows Elk Ridge Trail is seen center left, coming down from Lower Road near Griegos Junction. The herringbone track of earlier skier is visible.

I followed that skier's track up to the intersection with Lower Road. I was hoping for a nice downhill powder run, but there were ~10 trees blocking Elk Ridge Trail on the way up, so I hoped for better conditions on Lower Road. Others have correctly described what a mess that is, with berms and many down trees. I won't continue the whining, but I had difficulty finding a good route, and did some post-holing on the way down to Ladera. 

Temperatures are predicted to rise this week, so if it was the end of my season, it was a good, and frequently enjoyable, adventure.

Happy trails,

Mike Meier