My 2010 Christmas was spent up at the Pass for a day of Patrolling, which actually worked out well since my family and I celebrated the weekend before and on Christmas Eve since my sister was heading across the state to visit in-laws.
The morning started out by carpooling up to the Pass with a few other patrollers, and though rain was in the forecast, the weather was sunny w/blue skies when we pulled into the parking lot. After our morning meeting, we headed out at 8:00 to open the hill. The first chair to the top early in the morning is always fun…….
Once at the top of the EPA, we unloaded to heavy winds, with gusts near 30 mph. Looking out across the southern Oregon cascades is always a treat when the weather is nice, and today was no exception. Mt Scott and Mt Bailey were plainly visible, and Diamond Peak and Odell Lake were looking good as usual…
I opened Eagle’s Flight which was nicely groomed. On the next run down High Lead, I snapped this shot of Todd w/Diamond Peak in the background…..
After making a few runs on the frontside, it was time to check out the back of the mountain. Even though it hadn’t snowed in a few days, there was still some soft snow to be found in the trees. Just before heading in for lunch, I decided to make a run down RTS and then Swoosh. I ended up riding up on my first incident of the year, where a snowboarder caught their frontside edge and wrecked in front of me. It turned out he had hurt his shoulder, so we cared for him on the hill before giving him a sled ride to the aid room. After lunch, I sat bump on EPA for an hour, before making a few runs on Peak 2. Closing time came for Peak 2 at 3:30, and after sweep, we all headed in for the day’s recap before downing a beer and heading home. Overall, it wasn’t a bad way to spend Christmas (though spending Christmas w/family would always trump riding!). Here’s a parting shot from below the Dragon’s Back…….
