Splitboard Oregon

October 21, 2023 – Cutting at the Pass

Summer like weather was holding into late October, and conditions were looking favorable for a day of cutting at the Pass, so I made plans with Dan, Joe and John to head up for some saw time. The plan was to meet early at the Pass and work on the RTS area. Laurie, Matt and Austin were also planning on coming, so we left early from Dan’s house and made our way up Highway 58.

After a quick pit stop at Gold Lake, Dan and I pulled in and opened the gate. A few minutes later, the rest of the crew showed up and we drove our way up the haul road to the top of Twilight. At the top Twilight we scoped out the approach via Lois Lane but decided that Amber’s would be the better choice. There were some fresh elk tracks at the top of Duck Soup, and after cutting a couple of logs out of the way were parked the rigs and were ready to go.

The plan for the day was to head up hill and work on cutting some of the endless trees that seem to grow on the run (even with our work over the last several years) and then spend some time in the afternoon on the runout. Packing the saw and gear up the steep slope is always fun, and soon we were working away…

Austin and Dan taking a break from cutting

We cut until about noon or so and then headed down to take a break and enjoy some lunch and a well-deserved break. After lunch, John, Dan and I headed down to the runout to open a few lanes that would hopefully pay dividends later in the year. It got pretty warm in the afternoon, and I had to remember to hydrate as well as take my helmet off multiple times to dump the sweat out of it!

Around 3pm or so we called a day and headed back up the hill to the trucks. It was time to enjoy a cold beverage and I didn’t turn Dan down when he offered me a cold Ninkasi Hazy IPA from his cooler.

The next order of business was to get brats on the grill, so we pulled out the grill, meats and condiments right at the pickups and decided to grill right on Amber’s. It wasn’t long before they were ready, and we quickly devoured them after a hard day working on the hill. I grabbed the tripod from my bag and snapped a few photos of the group, including the shots below.

The crew relaxing after a hard day’s work

A bit later, it was time to head down, so we loaded in the truck and drove down from Amber’s. Dan and I wanted to drive around towards the big corner, so we turned left below the top of Twilight and worked our way up the haul road. The mountain was looking good from the truck as we drove up and then back down, with the only ingredient needed for opening being snow. All in all, it was a great day to be on the mountain, and I hope the next time I head up it’s to make turns! Until then, here’s a parting shot from the day of a tasty Pumpkin Patch Ale from Rogue Brewing.

October 8, 2023 – On-Hill Refresher

As hard as it was to believe, summer had passed and fall was here, which meant it was time for the refresher weekend with the Willamette Pass Ski Patrol. After a full day of refreshing OEC skills on Saturday in town, I woke early Sunday morning and grabbed Shaun to head up for the on-hill. We made a brief stop to pick up Dan in Springfield, and then we all headed up highway 58 in my new Tesla (a purchase inspired from the numerous trips in Dan’s Tesla on previous ski trips). We pulled into the pass outside the patrol room and it looked like it was going to be a nice day.

Everyone gathered in the lodge to debrief the day’s activities, and after some announcements from the area we broke into groups and headed out to do some refreshing. It was good to hear from MCP about the changes made to the area, and everyone was stoked for coming season.

As usual, I was in charge of chairlift evacuation, and this year we went back to doing evac in three rotations instead of putting everyone through it at once. I headed out to Twilight with group 1 and after talking over the evacuation plan, we loaded folks on the chair.

There were a few of us on the ground to ensure things operated smoothly from a safety standpoint, and managed the span between towers two and three, and sent Brian and Hutch up to keep tabs on the span between towers three and four. Once everyone was on the chair, it was locked out and the area’s tower climbers fixed the ropes in place for us.

Shaun and Scarlett watching Silas get lowered

The process went smoothly and we worked our way down the line, lowering folks out of each chair. Passing the rope over the chair also went smoothly thanks to the use of carabiner-boo, and soon we were down to a chair full of SPY, including Shaun. Like the last year, I was able to snap a few photos of him getting lowered, and I think his smile indicates that even though it’s a refresher it’s still fun!

Once we had everyone lowered from group 1, there was a little bit of time before our next session so I headed over and snapped a few photos of the technical rescue setup that Laurie rigged up on the Midway lift with Chanlin’s truck as well as a couple other photos of the patrol…

Chanlin’s truck staged for technical rescue

Laurie leading the technical rescue component

From there I wandered over to the mass casualty incident and snapped some pics of patrollers working on various OEC scenarios to hone skills for the upcoming season.

Kerstin, Dave and Ian working an OEC scenario

Matt Wade and Rob honing their OEC skills

Toby and crew analyzing their next steps

By then it was time to head back to Twilight and lead group 2 through a round of chairlift evacuation. That process went smoothly and by then it was time for lunch. It was nice to spend a few minutes on the lodge steps with the rest of the patrol and catch up on past times, dream about the upcoming season, and enjoy the warmth of the sun.

After lunch, it was time for the final round rotation, and I headed back over to Twilight to lead the last group through chair evac. By this time of day, the sun was in a pretty good position to make for some good photos, so I pulled out my camera, and after putting the wide-angle lens on, fired away.

Shannon lowering a patroller on Twilight

As the patrol was lowered, they would move into the belayer position, then communicator position, and then out. It’s slow going having to move everyone into the rotation, but worthwhile training in the event we ever need to do a lift evacuation for real. As the afternoon wore on, the thermometer rose and it became downright warm. Several folks stripped down to shorts, and it definitely felt more like summer than fall…

Eventually we worked our way through everyone on group 3 and it was time to wrap up. I headed over and observed a little bit of the final OEC scenarios, and then it was time for self evacuation for those of us who were qualified. We did that on Sleepy, similar to the year before, and that went off without a hitch. Finally, it was time to put the gear away and be done with the long refresher weekend.

Dan, Joe, Shaun and I headed out, and made the short drive down to Gold Lake to enjoy a well-deserved beer along with some brats. I’d been looking forward to this point in time all weekend long, and it didn’t disappoint! My beer of choice for the day was a refreshing Hazy ’96 from Elysian Brewing, and it hit the spot!

A bit later the brats were done and we were enjoying them along with some fresh chips and garden salsa — the perfect way to end a long weekend. With the refresher weekend in the books, I’m ready for the shorter days of winter to arrive, hopefully filled with lots of snow and fresh pow turns. Until then, here’s a parting shot from the day of Shaun being lowered off the Twilight Lift during chair evacuation…

October 1, 2023 – Mt Hood, Palmer “Snowfield”

October finally arrived, and with it came a dusting of fresh snow, and thank the Lord for that! Dan and I had been watching the remaining snow on Mt Hood’s south side dwindle away on the Timberline webcam during the month of September, and by the middle of the month it was basically gone. Needless to say, we were pretty happy to see some moisture move through at the end of the month which gave us a fighting chance to score some early turns on the 1st of October.

We met at Harrisburg interstate exit early where my wife dropped me off, and after loading gear into Dan’s Tesla we made the drive up to the mountain, arriving a little after 8:00 am. There wasn’t a lot of snow, but it looked like it would go and mountain sure was looking good in a fresh coat of white.

We shouldered packs and hiked up the road to Silcox, stopping briefly when we arrived. Shortly thereafter, we continued on and worked our way into the Palmer canyon. We had to hike a few hundred vertical before we were able to don the skins and continue up without the weight of the skis on our backs, and it looked like we’d be able to negotiate some turns in the canyon on the way down as well.

It felt good to be skiing in fresh snow again, and soon we worked our way up to the top of the Palmer. The clouds had been rolling in and out all morning, and we decided the best odds at the moment were to ski now while we had visibility and then maybe head up above the Palmer later if the weather allowed it. The first order of business was to get the beer on ice before changing over to ride mode, so I did just that after snapping a picture of my tasty Blonde Ale from Chief’s Brew House.

After getting the board put together, it was time to enjoy a few swigs of our beers. I was pretty stoked on mine, especially given that it is brewed literally a few miles down the road from my house. I drank about half of it and then we slipped it behind some snow near the Palmer top shack, clicked into our bindings, and headed down.

Dan enjoying smooth turns through the clouds

I dropped in first and setup to shoot some photos of Dan, and the snow was remarkably good, resembling some pretty smooth corn. The fog gave way after we descended a few hundred feet and then some creamy, sunny turns were to be had.

Both of us were amazed at how smooth the snow was, as well as the fact that there basically wasn’t any residual snow left on the Palmer and we that were only skiing on 4-6 inches of fresh snow over glacial till. If it hadn’t been for the glacial till (as opposed to rocks elsewhere on the mountain), I don’t think we would have been able to link turns.

We worked our way down to within a hundred vertical or so of the mid-station and called it good at that point, not wanting to head down any further for fear of breaking ourselves off in the epic conditions. The decision to skin back up for another lap was an easy one, so we kicked off and headed up.

The skin back to the top of the Palmer didn’t take too long, and soon we were enjoying a quick swig of beer before making the decision to head up even higher since the weather was looking a bit better. We worked our way up to about 9,000 before the clouds and snow conditions made the decision to turn around and easy one and readied to head down. This time, Dan grabbed the camera and shot a few pictures of me as we headed down. Part way down I returned the favor and took a few pictures of him as well.

We worked our way back down to the top of the Palmer, thoroughly enjoying the turns along the way, and made a quick stop to grab our beers, finish them, and then head down. Our second lap turns below the top of the Palmer were equally as good as the first lap, and we threaded our way through quilt-work patches of snow and rocks.

We worked our way down to where we’d turned around earlier, and decided that we saw a path that would work to continue descending with the skis on, so we took it. For the most part it worked fine, and we found some really good turns as well as a few new scratches and dings on our bases.

Dan negotiating a line while descending below the Palmer

Once down to the mid-station, we contemplated trying to ski a line outside of the canyon, but it didn’t seem like the best idea so we went with the safe alternative and hiked the skis for 50 vertical or so to where we could continue making turns.

Ready to make the short hike to the canyon

The turns in the upper canyon were quite good, and we only hit one or two rocks as we worked our way down. After a couple of hundred vertical, we had to walk a short patch but were then able to resume skiing.

The last section of skiable snow in the canyon above Silcox skied quite nicely, and we milked it for all it was worth before putting the skis on our backs and traversing out and making the short walk to Silcox to enjoy a second beer. All told, we figured we’d only missed out on skiing about 100 feet between the top of the Palmer and the Silcox — not too bad given the conditions.

At the Silcox, we changed out of ski boots and into approach shoes, got our beers on ice, and enjoyed a well-deserved rest. My beer of choice for the afternoon was a smooth Cast Out IPA from the Crux, and it hit the spot.

A bit later, it was time to shoulder the packs and make the long walk back to the car, but it was made a bit easier knowing we made some pretty sweet turns. The views looking back at the mountain behind us as well as Timberline Lodge below us weren’t too bad either…

Looking back at the mountain from below Silcox

Eventually we made our way back to the car, and it felt good to get the packs off our backs. We fired up the grill and enjoyed some chips and salsa as well as a good view of the mountain. A bit later we were enjoying some tasty brats to top off what was already a great day.

Although the permanent snow of the Palmer was sadly gone, the mountain still provided some great early-season October turns, and both Dan and I agreed that this wouldn’t be a day that we’d soon forget. Until next time, here’s a parting shot from the day…

September 2, 2023 – Mt Hood, Palmer Snowfield

The summer was flying by and the calendar said it was September, so Dan, Joe and I made plans to head to Mt Hood to get some summer turns in. As usual, we met early and carpooled up to the mountain in Dan’s Tesla, and after a stop in Sandy to supercharge we pulled into the climber’s lot. Looking at the mountain, all three of us were amazed at how the snow had melted in the last couple of weeks, but it looked like the Palmer patch was barely holding on to allow us to find a few turns.

After a few minutes of sorting gear and donning approach shoes, we shouldered the packs and headed up the road towards Silcox. Partway up we were able to peer into the Mile Canyon and it didn’t look very good at all. Nevertheless, we worked our way up and I snapped a couple of pictures along the way.

We reached Silcox in good time, and headed up towards the Palmer canyon. Part way up, we found some skiable snow for a few hundred yards, but it gave way to grout before we reached the mid-station. Continuing on up, we worked past the mid-station and eventually were able to get on skis and skins for the final section of climbing.

We skinned to within a hundred feet or so of the top of the Palmer, and it was time to take the packs off, grab a bite of lunch, and put the beer on ice. My offering for the day was a tasty Redwood Highway Hazy IPA from SeaQuake Brewing, which I picked up earlier while on the northern California coast vacationing with the family. It definitely hit the spot!

A Redwood Highway Hazy IPA from SeaQuake Brewing

We hung out for a few minutes chatting with a couple of TAY aficionado’s while enjoying our beers, and then it was time to step into the bindings and head down.

I headed down first and set up to shoot a few pictures of Dan and Joe as they headed down. The turns were pretty nice even though the snow had some grit on it. In fact, the surface was remarkably smooth and we carved some sweet turns down to where it ended in grit a few hundred feet below…

At the bottom of the snowfield, it was an easy decision to head back up for another lap. Dan ditched his pack, we stowed a couple of beers in the snow, and donned skins for another ski back up to the top. A few minutes later we were clicked into our bindings and staring down the snowfield, ready to drop in for a second lap.

Back at the end of the snow, it was time to enjoy a swig of beer before heading back up for one last lap. The second offering of the day was from Ninkasi Brewing and was a tasty Pale Ale in a new-look can.

This time, we all left packs at the bottom and made the short climb back to the top. Our third run was as enjoyable as the first two, and I shot a few more pictures as we headed down. Dan took a couple of me as well…

With three runs in the books, it was time to load the skis on the packs and head down for a bit more skiing. None of us were sure how well the Palmer canyon would ski, but we didn’t want to walk it, so we worked our way over the rocks, grit and sand and finally came to a point where we were able to click-in to bindings again below the mid-station.

Dan pounding one at the bottom of the Palmer

Hiking the lunar landscape to the Palmer Canyon

The snow in the Palmer canyon wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t bad and turns were quite a bit better than walking, the same which could not be said for the snow in the Mile canyon (more on that later). We milked the snow for all it was worth, and then it was time for more walking out to the Silcox below.

Dan enjoying the snow below the mid-station

After booting down to the Silcox, we worked our way into the Mile canyon to ski what little snow was left there, which wasn’t much. We worked our way past a ton of sand, rocks and grit, and eventually clicked into skis to make turns on a few hundred feet of “snow.” The sliding was quite slow, definitely rough, but preferable to walking and we slid down until it ended.

Walking across a slurpee in the Mile canyon

At the bottom of the snow in the Mile, we changed into approach shoes, climbed out of the canyon, and started the walk down the road to the climber’s lot. A half hour later, we were sitting at the car enjoying some freshly grilled brats and looking back up at the mountain and admiring our work from the day.

Looking back at the mountain from the hike out

A bit later, with the brats devoured, it was time to hit the road home. I think all of us agreed that even though the snow quantity was quite a bit less this year than last, this September more than made up for it in quality. Until next month, here’s a parting shot from the day…

August 2, 2023 – Mt Hood, Zigzag Snowfield

With plans falling through for Middle Sister due to the rapid spring melt-off and warm temperatures, Joe, Dan and I made plans to head up to Mt Hood instead to see what we could find for August turns. I met Dan at the Harrisburg exit on I-5 after being dropped off by my wife, and we cruised up the freeway to Albany to pick up Joe. After a quick stop in Sandy to charge the Tesla and get a cup of coffee, we headed up the highway and pulled into the climbers lot. The mountain was looking more like September than August, but it was still looking good.

August view of Mt Hood from the climbers lot

We unloaded our gear from the car, stuffed our packs with essentials for the day and then headed out. The hike up the road went quickly, and soon we made our way to Silcox. The three of us were pretty happy with how the snow looked in the Mile Canyon, which went basically all the way down to the lodge and meant we’d have some good skiing way low on the return.

We putted around Silcox for 5 minutes or so, enjoying a quick break as well as the views. Then we crossed under the Palmer lift and started up. Our goal was to head over to the Zigzag and check out the snow conditions, and we worked our way up the southside until eventually popping out at our usual spot on the Zigzag snowfield.

The snowfield was looking nice and smooth, and we decided that heading further up was in order so we donned skins and started out. An bit later we made it to the high point where the snow petered out and pulled the skins and enjoyed the views. Sitting atop the Zigzag in the summer is one of my favorite places to visit, and the views on this day definitely didn’t disappoint.

We hung out for awhile and enjoyed the views along with some food, and then it was time to step into the bindings and make a few turns. After we were all strapped or clicked in, I headed down first, enjoying the August corn, and then setup at a suitable spot to shoot a few shots of Joe and Dan as they dropped in.

We rode down the middle of the snowfield from our high point, cranking turns in front of Illumination Rock, and then headed down towards skier’s right where the snow was exceptionally smooth and nice. Partway down, Dan grabbed the camera from me and fired off a few shots as I rode down, and then we regrouped about halfway down the snowfield.

We worked our way down the field, cranking hundreds of turns in the smooth corn. As usual, we milked the snow for all it was worth, and ended up at the bottom in the canyon.

At the bottom, we threaded our way through a small silver of snow and enjoyed a few final turns before calling it and switching back over to the skins. Sitting at the bottom of the Ziggy at the start of the canyon in the summer and fall has to be one of my favorite places to be on the whole mountain.

The skin back up didn’t take too long, and soon we were back where we stashed our approach shoes and beers. It seemed like a good as of time as any to shoot a shot of my beer of choice for the day, which was a great tasting Spindrift Hazy IPA from 7 Devils Brewery.

A few minutes later, Joe and Dan were changed back over to approach shoes and we made the hike back over to the top of the Palmer, where we enjoyed a break and our beers above the top shack while soaking in the view. The Palmer was looking good, so we didn’t hang out too long before the urge to drop in got the best of us and we were making some great turns again…

We took turns with the camera while enjoying the great snow on the descent, and shredded the snowfield down to the mid-station. The summer turns were nearly perfect, and the three of us were all smiles as we took a moment to catch our breath before heading down the canyon.

The snow in the canyon was just as good as the snow above, and we continued down while I fired off some shots of the skiers as we descended.

Eventually, we worked our way into the Mile Canyon and on down towards the lodge below. The snow continued to of good quality and the skiing was excellent, and we cranked turns down below the normal summer stating area for the snow cats.

Once at the end of the snow, it was a short hike to the car, where another cold beer and some good food was waiting. The apres’ on Hood in the summer is something I always look forward too…

Looking back at the mountain on the walk down

At the car, it felt great to get out of ski and snowboard boots and into flip flops and shorts. On this trip, instead of cooking up brats, we busted out some fresh garden salads that I’d made up the night before, and they were top notch. Chips and fresh garden salsa topped it off, and I washed it down with a tasty Surfer Blonde Ale from Pelican Brewing Co.

The beers and salads capped an excellent day, and then it was time to hit the road for the drive home. We made good time in Dan’s Tesla, burning electrons instead of fossil fuel, and I found myself recharged and ready to get out again soon for another good day in the mountains with friends. Until then, here’s a couple of parting shots from the day…