Category: Ski Patrol

After taking a reign check the last couple of years, I decided it was finally time to head up to Mt Hood and check out the Nuts and Bolts clinic sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Division of the National Ski Patrol. Plans were made to head to Gresham with my wife and boys on Friday night, ride on Saturday, and then visit with family Saturday night and Sunday. Conditions looked good on Friday, as several friends who were at the mountain confirmed with pictures posted on Facebook of sunshine and fresh snow. On Saturday morning, I left early and headed up Highway 26 after a hasty breakfast. Being a bit early, I stopped along the highway prior to Government Camp and snapped a few photos of the mountain in the early morning light. The below photo in black and white proved to be my favorite….

By 7:15 I was sitting in the Timberline parking lot watching a lenticular cloud on the mountain’s upper slopes flirt with numerous climbers coming down off the Hogsback. By 7:30, I was geared up and ready to go, heading for the Wy’East day lodge to listen to a brief presentation on the day’s events. There was a morning raffle, highlighted by the Fuxi rep giving away a number of different items. Then, it was time to get on the slopes and have a little fun. I ended up in the instructor tool kit for sleds and toboggans, along with fellow Willamette Pass ski patrollers Ian, Jeremy & Jim. One thing I noticed initially as we rode up the Mile Chairlift was the crown face and associated debris in the west crater route from the previous snowfall….

The morning started off with a number of drills related to sled handling, including much discussion about proper stance, weight distribution for running sleds, etc. We also discussed learning styles a bit, which I found interesting. The upper mountain became enshrouded in clouds from the mid-Palmer level up, and at one point it even rained on up for a few minutes, but for most of the day the weather was pleasant and sunny like the below photo shows….

One interesting drill we did involved laying 6 or 7 ski poles perpendicular to the slope about 15 feet apart and then jumping over them in succession. On a board, this is easier said than done, but doable. The first few poles are easy to ollie over, but the last couple much more difficult due to the speed one builds up without being able to speed check!

After drills, we pulled out the Edge sled for a bit of play time before wrapping up the clinic by 12:30 so we could head off and free ride for the remainder of the day. Next year I think I’ll spend a couple of days on the mountain during the clinic, and take advantage of the easy access to the southside routes with lift assist from the Palmer. The upper slopes around Crater Rock and Illumination Rock were looking pretty tasty. Unfortunately for me my day came to an end shortly after the training was over, as I broke my carbon fiber highback on my binding. It wasn’t all for not though, as I’d already had a good day and was able to spend a few more hours with the family. Here’s a parting shot of Willamette Pass ski patrollers Joe and Kevin enjoying a day of lift served riding at Timberline in June!

Warmer weather was in the forecast, and the 2012-2013 ski patrol season was winding down at Willamette Pass, but I knew given the recent weather and snowfall that Saturday would provide one more chance for powder turns. It had snowed about a foot or so on Thursday/Friday with substantial wind, and though the area was open during the week, Peak 2 hadn’t turned since the previous weekend. The temperature in the parking lot was 12 degrees when we pulled in, and a few of us set out early before the morning meeting to head to Peak 2 for avy control work. The morning was beautifully sunny, and I could tell we’d be in for a good day when we unloaded at the top of EPA.  As we hiked along the top of Peak 2, Peter kicked off a few of the overhanging cornices looming near the lift.

John, Dan and Steve skied out and to do the high avy route along Dragon’s Back, while Dusty, Peter and I held back and would do the lower route. Getting nothing to slide along the top of the runs, we had a bit of time to wait until the upper group was clear for us to begin, which provided some time to snap a few photos, including the one below looking out over the area with Mt Bachelor and Broken Top in the background…..

Once John, Dan & Steve were clear of the nose, our group was set to begin on the lower route. Peter and Dusty went out one by one, and set a track out towards Gravity Chute. Skiing down the very top of June’s Run, we encountered about 8-10 inches of settled powder not effected by the wind. It clearly had been windy however, and reports over the radio indicated that Destiny and Escalator were swept clean of fresh snow. Doing morning avy work means missing out on a bit of skiing, but the views and weather more than made up for it on this day….

Once out to the top of Gravity, we knocked the loose snow down the chute without results. Looking out across the meadow however, I could tell the group on the upper route had gotten a few things to go and was able to see some debris sliding down towards the trees. A few minutes later, Dan radioed that we were clear on their end, and we started down….

We cleared the backside for opening before 9:00, and headed down, enjoying the great snow in the meadow. We reached the bottom of the Peak 2 lift about the same time some of the public who were there, which is always a good feeling, since getting the backside open by 9:00 with avy work completed isn’t always possible. The snow was so good on the backside that I made several more runs before heading back to the patrol room to drop off the avy gear.

After a great lunch of spicy sausage dogs prepared by Dewey, I headed out and there was still some good snow to be found, though the weather was warming considerably. The snow in the lower half of White Russian and RTS was still soft, but it started to get sticky everywhere after my bump on the Twilight lift around 2:00.  After a bit of other work, the day came to an end by sweeping Peak 2, followed by upper mountain and lower mountain sweep on the frontside. The evening meeting went by quickly, with a recap of a few of the day’s injuries and incidents, then it was time for my favorite part of patrolling on Saturdays – beer from Oakshire Brewing Co. Hopefully we’ll get another powder patrol day this season, but if not, this one would be a good one to end on! Here’s a parting shot of Raleigh skiing through the meadow with style!

 

On the 9th of February, I had the pleasure of attending the first National Ski Patrol Women’s Clinic held at Willamette Pass. It was a regular patrol day for me, and after our morning meeting we opened the mountain prior to the clinic beginning. The runs on Peak two skied really well, given that 6 inches of snow had fallen a few days prior and the lifts hadn’t turned until Saturday morning. After getting a good dose of new snow and several runs, I grabbed my camera and joined the ladies, who were doing drills with the 350 sleds on Where’s Waldo…

Most of the ladies at the clinic were from Willamette Pass, but there were several women from Mt Hood and at least one from Mt Bachelor. After skill drills on Waldo, we headed in for lunch. I grabbed some food in the lodge for the first time in several years, not having time to pack a lunch after getting home late the night before from a great tour at Mt Hood. The mini pizza I ordered was actually pretty tasty. After lunch, we headed out again for some more training with loaded sleds.

The women were killing it running the loaded sleds.  I was impressed with the way they handled the 350 as we cruised down Waldo for a few more runs, with each lady taking turns in both the front and rear handles.

After several runs on Waldo, the group headed over to June’s Run to step it up a notch. Just like on Waldo, the ladies cruised down the run with loaded sled like they did it every day, looking strong in the handles. I was able to snap a few photos on June’s but ended up getting called to a few incidents, including three separate ones for a bloody chin, a hurt shoulder and a twisted ankle. The twisted ankle and hurt shoulder both ended up in sled rides, and I was able to tail rope on both.

After the sled rides, I coordinated sweep on EPA and enjoyed the solitude of being alone up top while everyone closed the frontside runs.  Once the top was clear, Dan and I vacated via RTS to help sweep the lower mountain. Cold beer hit the spot a bit later after our evening meeting, and it was the end of another good day of patrolling at Willamette Pass. Here’s a parting shot from the day…..

One of the many enjoyable parts of being a ski patroller is the opportunity to run sleds and toboggans around the hill, which takes a fair amount of practice to become proficient at. On Sunday, a group of patrollers, myself included, spent the morning running sleds and preparing for upcoming sled clinics to refresh the patrol. Though it hadn’t snowed in a week, the weather was beautiful and sunny all day, affording awesome views of the surrounding mountains. Riding up on the first chair, I could tell it was going to be an excellent day.

After unloading at the top of EPA, we set out to open runs on the mountain and account for all necessary equipment. Before heading down to open Timburr, which was pretty icy due to the warm weather the day before, I pulled out my camera and snapped several photos of the early morning, including the one of Raleigh below. With early January providing the latest sunrises of the year, the opportunity to catch a few good pictures was too much to pass up….

After opening all the runs on the hill, the group of sled trainers met in the patrol room to go over the events of the upcoming clinics. After that, it was time to run some sleds and have a little fun. Most of the morning was spent on Eagles Flight, and I always forget how much work running a loaded sled is! I had the opportunity to run the new Edge sled, which runs much faster than our Cascade 100’s. Running loaded back down to the base of the EPA lift, I was able to cruise pretty quickly in the front handles and glide easily through some of the flatter spots! After a few runs, the group got together for a quick photo at the top of EPA. The sun was still out, but Diamond Peak was hiding behind the clouds…..

After a couple more runs, we broke for lunch at the base. When lunch was over, I ran a sled back to the Twilight lift before joining Cyndy, Kevin and Greg to snap a few afternoon pictures while they continued working with the sleds on Timbur. The firm snow of the morning was giving way to softer corn in the afternoon, and made for some fun sledding conditions….

 

Back up top, everyone took a few minutes to enjoy the views and catch a breath or two in the warm sunshine. It seemed like a good opportunity to snap a few photos, which I did. One of the shots I captured was of Cyndy, Greg & Kevin, and is shown below….

I spent one more run shooting photos with the sled runners before sitting bump for the last hour of the day. Sweep went off without a hitch, and I thoroughly enjoyed being the last person sitting atop Eagle Peak watching the sunset over Diamond Peak while the runs were cleared. Eventually I vacated via RTS, and the snow was great even though the moguls were monstrous! Lower mountain sweep went quickly, and soon another patrol day was in the books! Here’s a parting shot of Cyndy reflecting on a great day!

 

 

After several warmer fronts moved through the Oregon cascades in late November & early December, Willamette Pass was hit with a series of cooler storms producing several feet of light blower powder, making for one of the best opening weeks of skiing and riding in recent memory. The 2012-13 ski patrol season started on December 16th, when the Pass fired up the lifts for a few hours to allow patrol to get all necessary gear out of the aid room and onto the hill. Sleds, tower pads, first aid equipment, evacuation gear, avalanche packs – you name it, all was put into it’s respective places on the mountain. Along with the work of opening however, came the reward of getting the first lift served turns of the season. And, as usual on the first day, fresh snow was in abundance. I was lucky enough to open several runs on the backside with Dan since both of us had avy gear, including Northern, Escalator & Destiny. All three runs were pretty close to perfect.

Around 9:30, I was called to the base to help lead the chairlift evacuation training for the makeup refresher. Although it was hard to leave Peak 2 with such good snow, Eagle’s Flight skied perfectly on the way down to the base with excellent coverage. After a couple of hours of chairlift evacuation in the books, Dan and I gathered some more gear to take out on the hill and were able to sneak a run in on RTS before the EPA lift shut down for the afternoon. Catching the last chair to the top at 1:30, we found plenty of good snow on Peak 2 for the remainder of the day before sweep.

On Friday the 21st, I took the day off work and headed up to the Pass with Dan and Cindy for a full day of fresh powder runs. Dan and I helped out with avalanche control on Dragon’s Back before making run after run in the deep powder. We were able to get Gravity Chute to slide to the trees, and the team on the high route was able to get the snow to slide as well. The area had received about a foot overnight, with more than three and a half feet since we’d been there the previous Sunday so it really wasn’t that surprising. During one of many runs on the backside, I tagged a tree branch from a fallen snow covered log right above my boot which left me with a nice bone bruise – a good reminder that though there was over six feet of snow on the backside it was still an early season snowpack!

On Saturday the 22nd, I was back up at the Pass for my second patrol day of the season. Another 6 – 8 inches of snow had fallen overnight, and there was plenty of powder on the mountain. After the morning meeting, I headed out to do avy work for the second day in a row due to the fresh snow and winds the night before. It felt good to get back on the EPA chair for the start of what will hopefully be a long and deep season!

At the top of EPA, the skies started to clear for the first time in several days, and it looked like it might be a bluebird day as a few of us headed out towards Peak 2 for avalanche work while other patrollers opened runs on the frontside. With all the new snow during the week and the sunshine, it made for some cool pictures to start off the season…..

 

As quickly as it came out however, the sun tucked itself back under the clouds as it started to spit snow while we worked our way out Dragon’s Back kicking cornices onto the windloaded slopes. Unlike the previous day, the work went quickly and we weren’t successful in producing any slides, which left time to get a couple of powder runs in before taking the avy gear back down to the base.

 

The remainder of the day was spent enjoying powder turns in the morning and packed powder runs in the afternoon. There were a couple of minor incidents, but nothing too interesting. RTS was in prime shape and skied like it was the middle of the season. By the end of the day, my legs were pretty much toast from two straight days of deep powder riding. After sweep, I think all of patrol was looking forward to the evening meeting and cold beer in the patrol room. All in all, it was definitely nice to be back at the Pass and (at least for me) will go down as one of the best opening weeks in recent memory.