A PA28-181 DEPARTS FROM TRK; CA; AND FLIES LOW SO A FASTER SMA MIGHT PASS HIM AT A SAFE CLRING ALT AND DISTANCE. THIS HAPPENED IN ZOA; CA; AIRSPACE.

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I DEPARTED TRUCKEE; CA; WBOUND TOWARD DONNER PASS; ELEVATION APPROX 8000 FT. UPON DEP THERE WAS AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION BARON INBOUND TO TRUCKEE WHO DISCUSSED USING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION RWY FROM WHICH I HAD JUST DEPARTED. HE DECIDED TO USE THE SAME DIRECTION RWY AND FLY A NORMAL PATTERN AFTER REALIZING THERE WAS OTHER TFC. THERE WAS ALSO A TWIN WHO DEPARTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER ME. I STAYED LOWER RATHER THAN CLBING UNTIL I SPOTTED THE BARON ABOUT A MI N OF MY POS. I THEN RESUMED CLBING TOWARD THE SUMMIT. AT THIS TIME I WAS BEING OVERTAKEN BY THE TWIN WHICH DEPARTED BEHIND ME. AS HE WAS FASTER; CLBING; AND NOT IN SIGHT; I ELECTED TO STAY LOWER THAN I WOULD HAVE NORMALLY UNTIL I COULD SEE HIM OR HE PASSED ME. I WAS FLYING A HDG OF ABOUT 260 DEGS AND THE SUN WAS AT A LOW ANGLE IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS ALSO 'RUBBER NECKING' LOOKING FOR THE TWIN. JUST PRIOR TO THE TWIN PASSING ME (SAME DIRECTION; SAME ALT; ABOUT 1 MI TO THE S OF ME) I PASSED TO THE R AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE A SKI HILL. I BELIEVE I WAS CLOSER THAN THE DISTANCES SPECIFIED IN FAR 91.79(C). I DID NOT SEE ANY PEOPLE PRESENT. I WAS AWARE OF THE SKI HILL BEING IN THE AREA BUT NOT THAT I WAS AS CLOSE TO IT AS I WAS. I CLBED IMMEDIATELY WHEN I REALIZED MY PROX. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE PREOCCUPATION WITH LOOKING FOR THE OVERTAKING ACFT AND THE LOW SUN ANGLE.