Splitboard Oregon

April 11, 2022 – Willamette Pass Dusk Patrol

For the second Monday in a row in April, I headed out from work around noon and headed to the Pass, looking to score some fresh snow. The wild April weather was continuing, and this time my plan was to meet up with Joe to see what we could come up with. My drive up highway 58 was uneventful, and and I stopped off at the Waldo road to gear up before heading up to the area. Several inches of fresh snow greeted me, and unlike the previous week, the temperatures were quite a bit cooler as well.

A few minutes later, I made my way to the Pass and had to spend about 30 minutes shoveling out a spot to park. Joe’s rig was already there, so I pulled in beside him once I had a space cleared out. With all the shoveling, I was plenty warm by the time I hit the skin track. Looking up at ByGeorge, the mountain was looking really nice, especially given how it looked a few weeks prior during closing.

I worked my way up KP, and then up to Eagle’s. Joe’s track was hard to follow, and whenever I fell off of it I could tell. On the frontside there was probably 18 inches of fresh snow, and I knew it was going to be deep on Peak 2. After topping out on Eagle’s, I worked my way up to the top and then over to Peak 2 where Joe was waiting. The snow stake was at 72 inches — considerably more than the 45 inches on closing weekend. After chatting with Joe for a few minutes, I ripped skins and we dropped in.

Northern to Down Under was our first choice, since Joe had skied Northern proper once before I arrived, and it did not disappoint. The snow was pretty blower, about 24 inches deep, and we ripped it to the intersection of June’s. A few more fun turns were had before we switched back over to skins, and headed up Joe’s previously established track, which was mostly filled in.

At the top of June’s, we decided to peel the skins and ski the run instead of heading all the way back to the top shack. It proved to be a good choice, and was easily my best run on June’s this season. Below are a couple of shots of the action…

Back at the bottom of the run, we transitioned back to skins and headed back to the top, following our established track which was pretty much mostly filled in from the new snow and wind. At the top, we headed over to the shack and it was time to enjoy a well earned beer. My beer of choice for the afternoon was a tasty Pale Ale from Buoy Beer Company.

For our next lap, we decided to ski the trees between Down Under and June’s, and it proved to be an excellent choice. The snow was blower and the fact shots plentiful, and at the bottom, both of us were stoked on some of the best conditions of the year. I snapped several shots of Joe, including the two below…

After exiting the trees, we worked our way down the rest of Down Under, and then partway down June’s, before heading back up to do it again. The skiing in the trees was so fine that we decided it was definitely worth another run, so once up top, we ripped skins and dropped in for one more lap on the backside.

We milked turns down through trees to our skin track below, and a quick check of the watch indicated we should probably head back to the front before it got dark. Joe led the way, and we headed up our filled in track one last time…

Once back at the top of Peak 2, we skinned over to EPA for one last run on the day. The amount of snow up top along the ridge and on Southbound was amazing, and the cornice buildup was impressive. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen quite so much snow up top after the lifts closed down for the season.

Once at the top of EPA, we wasted little time getting ready to drop in, and within a few minutes were making turns down towards RTS to check it out. The wind was really hammering — Joe and I estimated gusts of 45-50mph, and RTS was pretty scoured. Success however was looking pretty filled in, which was awesome since just a few days earlier it was nearly bare. We decided to drop in cautiously, and the turns were really nice. A bit lower down, we were able to open it up, and it turn after turn in the white room.

After skiing Success, we continued on down ByGeorge, and were able to ski right to the parking lot. Both of us were stoked on how good the coverage was, as well as the snow quality. This was easily one of the best dusk patrol ski days post-closing both of us could remember.

Once down to the parking lot, we made the short walk back to the trucks through a bunch of fresh snow, and it was time to enjoy another cold one. This time I had a super tasty and aptly named Big Swell from Maui Brewing. The swell in the Oregon Cascades was definitely rising, and it was awesome to be able to get to surf it.

After changing out of snowboard boots and into snow boots, it was time to enjoy my beer and spend another 20 minutes digging the truck out. Even though it’s a bunch of work, there’s nothing better than digging the truck out at the end of a good day! My only regret is that I couldn’t get out of work the next day and wouldn’t get to join Joe and Dan for some more epic turns the following morning.

After digging and clearing the truck of snow, I bid Joe farewell, and hit the road, fully satisfied with one of my best powder days of the year. “Apruary” as Joe called it, was continuing to deliver, and it was a pleasure to be able to experience it. Here’s a parting shot from the day of Joe ripping at the Pass.

April 4, 2022 – Willamette Pass

Eight days after the Pass had closed for the season, it looked like a storm would be rolling through that had a chance to produce a few fun turns. I made plans to head up with Dan in the afternoon to see if we could get lucky, and left work around noon and headed to his place. After loading gear in his Tesla, we headed up the highway. As we pulled off on the Waldo Road to gear up, we were greeted by a few inches of wet, heavy snow with the temperature hovering around 34 degrees.

We made the short drive to the Pass, and found a parking spot, only having to do a minimal amount of shoveling. The Pass was looking a whole lot better than closing day just over a week earlier as we grabbed our gear and headed out.

We started skinning up ByGeorge, and the run, which was completely bare a few days earlier, had about 6 inches of new snow on it. We continued on up the hill, and soon made our way to the top of KP where we enjoyed a quick stop in the patrol shack before heading on over towards Peak 2 to check out the conditions.

At the top of Peak 2, there was about 10-12 inches of new snow, and we wasted little time before dropping into Northern to sample the goods. The snow didn’t disappoint, and it really felt nice to rip a few powder turns after such an abnormally dry winter.

At the bottom, we were both pretty stoked on the conditions, and quickly changed over to skins and set a track back up. A short time later, we arrived back at Peak 2, and enjoyed a quick break and a cold beverage before readying for another lap. My beer of choice for the day was an excellent Nebula Stout from Block 15 Brewing Co.

Nebula Oatmeal Stout from Block 15 Brewing

As we were preparing to drop in for our second run, Dan offered to grab the camera and I was happy to give it to him so he could get a few shots of me enjoying the snow. We elected to ski right near the trees at the top of Down Under, and then headed over skiers left to sample the snow there.

The snow here was awesome, and after Dan handed me the camera back, we worked our way down Down Under and then onto lower Junes. Below are a few shots of Dan enjoying the skiing.

We worked over towards the lift line, and then I spooned Dan’s tracks down over the roll over under the chair. From there it was a short ski back through the trees, and then we set a skin track back to our existing track and worked our way back to the top.

Back at the top, I enjoyed a few more swigs of my cold beer, and after a quick break, we headed over to June’s to sample the snow there. By now the depth was pushing closer to 14 inches of new snow, and the turns just kept getting better and better. Below are a couple of shots from our third run of the afternoon…

Matt enjoying a turn below the chair line

We worked our way back over to our skin track at the bottom, and put the skins back on as it continued to puke snow. On the track back up, the wind started howling, snow was blowing everywhere, and both of us agreed it felt awesome to experience winter again!

On the way up, we ditched our packs at the top of Escalator for one more run because the snow was just too good to pass up. We dropped in around 6:20 pm, and it was definitely a good call. I snapped several pics of Dan on the way down, and enjoyed my share of face shots as well on what was probably one of my best powder runs of the season.

The final skin up went quickly, and we punched in a new track back to the front, and spent a few minutes in the patrol shack before dropping in to check out RTS. The top of RTS was a bit scratchy, but once we were in the turns were excellent. The snow was baby butt smooth and we ripped the run top to bottom.

At the bottom of the run, I snapped a picture looking back up the run, and it looked better than it had since early January.

From the bottom of RTS, we skied Lois Lane out, and then cruised over to Swoosh for the final turns of the day. Swoosh skied awesome, with about 12 inches of new on the run, and we worked our way down skiers left. At the bottom, what was bare dirt only a day or two earlier skied really nicely, and we hit the haul road over to George and made turns right to the parking lot. Neither of us could believe how good the turns were, especially given the fact that everything was bare only a couple days earlier!

The walk to the car was a short one, and we loaded our gear while it continued to snow. Unfortunately the Tesla’s fronk (front trunk) was frozen shut and we couldn’t get it open, and that’s where the grill was so there would be no brats on this day. Even so, we celebrated with another beer before we hit the road. My second offering for the day was a tasty Hazy Falls Pale Ale from Three Creeks Brewing.

The drive back down to the valley went smoothly, and although we got home late and both had to work the next morning, it was definitely worth it for the excellent turns and the satisfaction of getting to experience winter again. Hopefully the cold, wet spring weather continues. Until then, here’s a couple of parting shots from the day.

March 27, 2022 – Closing day at the Pass

As hard as it was to believe, Sunday, March 27th was the last day of the season at the Pass, with the closing day having been announced earlier in the week. Like many of the other day’s this season, I grabbed Shaun in the early am, and we headed out, stopping to pick up John at LCC before heading up Highway 58 to the mountain. As we pulled into the patrol lot to park, we were all quite amazed at the lack of snow on the frontside of the mountain.

The morning meeting went quickly, and we chatted about what activities we’d need to take care of during the day. Given that many of the upper mountain frontside runs were already closed, we decided to close Success just after opening to facilitate getting tower pads off the upper part of EPA early. In addition to needing to clear the mountain of all gear, we were also doing ski testing, which would add to the day’s activities. After the morning meeting, we headed out to open the hill, and I dropped into RTS to see how it was holding up. The conditions were firm until the breakable crust at the very bottom, but even so it was nice to ski my favorite run on the mountain.

A few minutes before 9:00 am, I headed to the car to get Shaun, with the goal of doing a couple of runs with him before having to devote the rest of the day to work activities. Dave was nice enough to snap a picture of us at the base, and then we headed to Peak 2 to spin a couple of laps before I had to help out with ski testing.

Before heading over to give them a hand however, I grabbed the saddle tube sled and took it down to the base, then rode the chair back up to EPA to head to Peak 2. At the bottom of Peak 2, while waiting for the ski testing group to arrive, I walked into the woods to take a leak, and then snapped a few shots of the base area from a different vantage point than normal. Awhile later, after waiting for a much longer time than it takes to ski Waldo, I radioed Hutch and he told me to just meet them on the run; one of the members was having a wardrobe malfunction which was really slowing them down. When I finally arrived on scene, they were just wrapping the issue up and were ready to go.

After doing some controlled turns down Waldo, we spent a little time doing drills down Northern and then skiing crud snow in the Meadow, before ultimately finishing up with some snowplow drills on Boundary. Generally what we are looking for is folks that can ski in control, can follow direction, and have the foundational skills that will enable them to pull a rescue toboggan.

Hutch demonstrating a skill drill on Boundary

After several runs and several drills, we talked it over and agreed that the five folks that tested on this day were strong enough to pass and take the next step and interview with the patrol in the fall. Given that we’ve lost a few patrollers over the last couple of years, I’m looking forward to welcoming a few more members onto our team!

After the ski testing was done, I headed down to get a quick bite to eat, and then it was time to start getting gear loaded and down to the base for closing. I worked my way back up to Peak 2, and helped Tyler and Anna get the evacuation gear and medical gear loaded onto the sleds that were at the top of Peak 2 so they would be ready to take down at the appropriate time. The next order of business was, in coordination with area management, to take down the tower pads on Peak 2. We closed Northern at 2:00 pm, and a cadre of patrollers headed down to pull the pads and ski them to the base of the lift.

Getting the pads down to the base of Peak 2 was the first order of business, and then getting them back up to the top of the lift and down to the base of EPA was another. I captured a few pictures of the pads being skied down, as well as coming back up the lift, including the two shots below of Dan.

Dan skiing a tower pad to the base of Peak 2

Bringing the tower pads up the Peak 2 chairlift

Skiing the pads down KP was a bit interesting, but we managed to get across the flats in the sticky snow without coming to a stop (or getting blown off the run on the steeper sections due to the pads acting like a giant sail), and finally got them to the base to put away. Then it was back up to Peak 2 for sweep and to take the sleds down to the base. I managed to sneak a run in on (closed) Good Time Charlie, and was able to slide the whole thing without taking my board off, but had to enter in through the trees and then slide over dirt sections in three or four places.

A few minutes before 4:00pm, we were gathered at the top of EPA for sweep, and once the final chair unloaded we took the remaining sleds/gear down, and swept the upper runs. Of course Dan and I had to “sweep” RTS, even though it was closed for the day, since we were needed at Twilight, and Patrick joined us as well. The snow was quite nice by the time we hit it, having softened significantly since the morning. The upper part of the run was pretty burned, and we had to avoid the rocks, trees and stumps, but once we got in, the turns were fun.

Once down at the top of Twilight, it was time to sweep the lower mountain. Dan and I each grabbed a sled to take to the base, and I ended up sweeping George. The snow was sticky, but I thoroughly enjoyed my last lift assisted run of the season with the sled in tow, dodging bare patches of dirt on my way down the hill. As I worked my way down the hill, I reflected back on the season, and although it wasn’t a really epic season by any measure, I was grateful to be able to have had so many good days at an area I love with a great group of people on patrol. At the bottom, I stopped to roll up some fencing, and Craig skied up with a load of ‘boo, and we skied together down to the base with our loads of gear.

At the base, we spent a few minutes unloading the sleds and getting the gear put away before it was time for the evening meeting. Folks were pretty happy with how smoothly closing went, and we shared a few of our favorite stories from the season before it was time to enjoy a beer. To celebrate closing, I had brought up a 12-pack of mixed IPA’s from Deschutes Brewing, and there were several Oakshire pounders left over from the day before, so we had plenty of beer to go around. My beer of choice for the afternoon was a Grower Direct IPA, and it hit the spot.

Grower Direct IPA from Deschutes Brewing

We hung around the patrol room for a half hour or so enjoying the company and the beer, and then Joe, Dan, John, Shaun and I headed to Gold Lake to cook up some brats and enjoy another beer to commemorate a good season. Hanging out at Gold Lake reminded me of several good trips the previous spring (and more to come this year I hope). I enjoyed another Deschutes IPA, this time a Symphonic Chronic, and soon the brats were cooked up to perfection.

Enjoying brats in the parking lot at Gold Lake

A little while later, with both the food and the beers gone, it was time to hit the road, and it was hard to believe the season was over. All in all, it was another good year at the Pass, and though we’ve seen better snow years, I’m thankful that we were able to be open as long as we were. Hopefully next season will be even better, and deliver fresh snow early and often!

March 19, 2022 – A brief return to winter

It was a welcome sight to see a coating of fresh snow on the mountain as we pulled in for a lazy Saturday patrol day towards the end of March. Around 3-4 inches of snow had fallen the night before, and the forecast was calling for snow showers throughout the day. After getting parked in the patrol lot and making sure Shaun was set for an hour or so before opening, I headed over to the patrol room to get ready for the day.

The mountain was looking like it was in much better shape than the previous few weeks, even if the new snow was only a thin coat. Morale was high with patrol based on the conditions, and after a quick morning meeting we headed out to open the hill. I opened RTS and it was in pretty good shape, so we pulled the closure so the public could get back on it as well. Once back at the base, I grabbed Shaun, and we headed out.

Since there wasn’t any training on the schedule, nor were there many people at the Pass so incidents were minimal, I was able to spend some time skiing with Shaun, which was a real treat. He also didn’t have any friends up for the day, so he didn’t mind getting a few runs in with dad.

We skied a few laps on the back, and then he wanted to go to the front and do RTS. He hadn’t been on RTS all season since it was pretty icy and closed most, if not all, of the days he had been up this year. Nevertheless, he was excited to ski it. I was a bit nervous when he dropped in, but he did great and wanted to do it again.

I suggested we head over to High Lead and sneak in through Timburr to see if we could find some fresh snow, and then maybe head back to RTS. It was tough getting in (we had to cross over some rocks and dirt), but once in the snow was nice and it was cool to see Shaun get to ski some untracked snow.

Back at the bottom, we met up with Dan, and headed back over to RTS for some more runs. Shaun skied it over and over again, and ended up doing it 9 times throughout the day (including closing). Dan gave him a few pointers about form, and by the end of the day he was skiing it a little more smoothly.

With light radio traffic and no training, the day went quickly as we pounded out run after run, and soon it was time to head over to Peak 2 for closing. We skied Destiny down to the Peak 2 chair, and when we got to the top, patrollers were gathering to assign closing runs.

Julie, Anna and Aimee ready to close Peak 2

Peak 2 sweep went smoothly, and soon everyone was gathered at the base and ready for one last chair ride back to the top. Tim was at the bottom bumping chairs, and Shaun and I got the last chair of the day for the ride back up. It had been snowing a little during sweep, but as we rode the lift up, the snow really started to come down and it felt like winter.

At the top of Peak 2, it was dumping snow. Everyone made the ride/hike back over to the top of EPA, and gathered for upper mountain sweep. I pulled out my camera to take a few pictures while the storm continued to puke snow.

Patrick and Julie enjoying the storm before upper mountain sweep

John and crew waiting for sweep to begin

Once last chair had unloaded, Patrick called upper mountain sweep on, and it we headed down for the day. Shaun and I cleared RTS, and then headed down ByGeorge while the rest of patrol covered lower mountain sweep.

Patrol right before upper mountain sweep

At the bottom, Shaun headed for the car and I took care of some paperwork in the patrol room before we gathered for our evening meeting debrief. The meeting went quickly, and everyone was pretty stoked on the day, the conditions, and the fresh snow. Given it was Saturday, everyone enjoyed a cold beer after the meeting, and it was somewhat bittersweet because we knew the end of the season was approaching. My beer of choice for the day as a tasty Pop Demand Haxy IPA from Sunriver Brewing Company, and it hit the spot.

Before too long, it was time to hit the road and head home, after another enjoyable day on the mountain. After loading the gear in the car, we said goodbye to the parking lot crowd, and headed down Highway 58, and another good patrol day was in the books.

March 6, 2022 – Eagles on Eagle Peak

After a fun trip to Tam McArthur Rim, it was time to head back to the Pass for my first day of patrolling in March. With all the rain in the previous week, expectations for the day weren’t high, but at least the sun was shining when I pulled into the parking lot a little before 7:30 am. After donning gear and getting the assignments put up on the white board outside the patrol room, it was time for our morning meeting. Dan and Patrick did a good job leading the medical minute on the proper use and installation of the beach chair, and then it was time to head out and open the mountain.

Patrick and Dan leading a beach chair demo

I headed up to EPA to help with opening, and it was nice to see Odell Lake again after being away from the Pass for a couple of weeks.

I spun a lap or two on the lift before heading down to check in on Shaun and Tanner, who had come up with me and were planning on skiing together during the day. The snow was quite firm, but it was apparent the rain had really put the hurt on the front side of the mountain, and there was quite a bit of dirt showing on the big four. By the time I came back up to the top, we were ready to open Peak 2, and I grabbed a quick pic before dropping the rope and heading back.

Around 10:00 am, I met up the SPY at the base, and we headed out to show them a few of the out of the way areas to help get them familiar with them in the event we ever had incidents that needed responding to. We spun a few laps on the backside, and skied through Obvious Choice, Lighthouse, Cherokee, and the Meadow. The snow was pretty terrible, but it was still fun to visit the out of the way spots and show Cesca, Calvin and Silas around.

P2 SPY – Silas, Calvin and Cesca in the Meadow

By the time we were done exploring, it was nearing 11:30 am and I headed back down to the base to get an early lunch. Once finished, I headed back up to the top of EPA and found Dan sitting bump.

I waited around up top and bit, and soon Shaun and Tanner arrived, and I was able to have Dan grab a picture of me with them. They didn’t want to wait long though, since they were skiing with some other friends. Before long I wonder if I’ll even be able to keep up with them!

After Shawn and Tanner took off, I decided to check out RTS to see how the conditions were. It had been closed for quite awhile, but I wanted to give it a go. Dropping in, it was pretty firm. I made my way to the bottom, and headed out via Lois Lane. Spinning around back to the top of EPA, I snapped a quick pic of Andy and Craig with their matching skis.

Even though it wasn’t that great, I decided to drop into RTS for another lap, and before I got to the top of Twilight, I got a call regarding a courtesy ride there. I dispatched Patrick to respond, and when I showed up he took me up on my offer to provide a tail rope. We ended up doing a double, in more ways than one, in that the courtesy ride was for two small girls who were sisters and not older than probably 6 or 7. The other part of the double was that as soon as we got to the base, we got a call for another courtesy ride for a snowboarder with a broken binding. We made a quick turnaround with the sled, and headed down again with the snowboarder in tow.

After a couple of courtesy rides, I was ready to get away from Twilight, and headed back up to the top of EPA. I chatted with Buz for a few minutes, and then Dan and I headed down and worked our way over to Swoosh, which was skiing quite nicely.

We headed back to the top of EPA again, and it was time to start getting ready for sweep. While I was talking to a few patrollers at the top of EPA, we noticed a couple of bald eagles circling above us. I quickly put on my telephoto lens, and was able to take a few pics that turned out when one of them landed on a dead snag in the tree farm.

By the time I was done taking pictures, I noticed I was a little late for Peak 2 sweep. It turned out not to matter however, since there were plenty of others that had it covered. So instead of sweeping, I hung out with Greg at the top of EPA and monitored the radio traffic while we waited for everyone to come our way to start upper mountain sweep.

Patrollers done with Peak 2 sweep and heading to EPA

Soon, everyone was back at the top of EPA, and we swept the upper mountain after the final chair unloaded. Both upper and lower mountain sweep went off without a hitch, and everyone was happy for the day to come to a close because it meant it was time to crack open a beer after our evening meeting. Since it was a Sunday, I had brought up a mixed 12-pack from Pelican Brewing, and we also had a 12-pack from Ninkasi Brewing that was given to us from a visiting patroller earlier in the day.

My beer of choice for the evening was a Cape Crasher IPA from Pelican, and it definitely hit the spot while hanging out with fellow patrollers after a long day. Eventually, after the beers disappeared and everyone was through with the BS, it was time to call it a day and head home. I did a quick look through of the day’s incident reports, locked up the patrol room, grabbed Shaun, Tanner and our gear, and we hit the road, satisfied with another good day at the Pass.