February 14, 2019 – Willamette Pass

I wanted to get some February turns in outside of ski patrol and Dan was game to take a half day off of work to head to the Pass for a little out-of-area play. The weather was looking iffy after a few days of decent snow, but we decided to head up anyway to see what we could find. When we arrived around 1:00, we were happy to see it was “snowing” although the flakes were pretty wet.

We donned our gear in the patrol room and chatted a bit with Laurie and Kip, who confirmed the snow was pretty sticky. After a quick bite of lunch, we headed out to catch the lift, and made a quick run down Peak 2 before heading out to the sidecountry. The snow on Peak 2 was decent, and soon we found ourselves on the skin track. It didn’t take long and soon we were standing at the top of our first objective of the afternoon.

Dan wanted to dig a quick pit to check out the conditions, so we did that and didn’t really find anything too interesting in the snowpack. With our curiosity satisfied, it was time to step into the bindings and make a few turns. The sun came out as we descended, and I snapped a few photos of Dan skiing….

The snow actually skied really well, compliments of the steep slope we had chosen. Lower down, we eventually worked our way back to the resort boundary and down to the bottom of the lift. The snow became super sticky at the base, to the point of barely being able to slide, so we went in for a quick hot wax before heading back out. With a freshly waxed base, it was time to hit the lift again and make another run.  Within minutes, we were on the skin track again, and soon dropped in for lap number two. At the bottom, it was time to enjoy a well deserved cold beverage…

The snow was holding well, so we skinned back up for another lap, with the hope of maybe hitting the Peak 2 lift before it closed at 3:30. This time on the descent, Dan grabbed the camera and snapped a few photos of me ripping down the slope…

Our second run was pretty sweet. At the bottom, we drank the rest of our beers we left from the previous run, then skinned up and out. Looking at our watches confirmed we wouldn’t make the final chair at Peak 2, but another run was still in the cards. We phoned Mindy, the P4 Hill Chief, to let her know we’d be down late and not to worry, then set out for one more run.

Before we dropped in for our last run, the skies cleared just as the sun was setting above the clouds. I snapped the below shot of Dan before we headed down…

Our final run down through the trees was really nice, as the snow was starting to sublimate as the temps cooled down. We worked our way back to the ski area, and headed down the empty runs towards the base. Skiing in a ski area after it’s closed is always a great treat. At the base, we headed back into the warmth of the patrol room, and found a couple of beers courtesy of P4 waiting for us. As we enjoyed our brews and snacked on some chips and salsa, both Dan and I agreed that taking the afternoon off from work was the right call!