Sunshine and Powder

Mother Nature gave Mt. Hood an early present.  She dumped five feet of snow during the week before Christmas.  Let the skiers rejoice!


Size matters!  Click on any photo to enjoy a larger version.

A clean, white canvas of new snow

Christmas Eve day, I headed to the mountain to partake in the snowy goodness.  I hit the lift right at its 9 am opening.  The beautiful new, untracked snow spread out below me.  It looked like a blank artist's canvas, ready for his paintbrush.

Untracked pow in Two Bowl

Finally released from the lift, I noticed everyone was swarming to the bowls, vying for first tracks.  Originally planning to take an easy first run, I scuttled those plans and headed straight for Two Bowl.  There were already a few scars marring Two Bowl's perfect powdery slope.  But upon dropping in, I discovered a large untouched section.  It was pure fluffy bliss, all the way to the bottom.  What a great way to start the day!

Blue sky makes an appearance

The blue sky broke out of the clouds and lit up the new-fallen snow.  It seemed as though the heavens had descended upon Mt. Hood Meadows.

Virgin snow ready for the tracking

I stuck to the Express lift, while a good portion of the snow-riders headed elsewhere in search of fresh tracks.  With most of the people absent, I had entire runs to myself.  More pow for me!

Wintry scene

Due to high winds, the upper Cascade Lift wasn't open.  The untracked snow from its slopes, rippled by the wind, made quite a stunning photo op. 

Ripples in the new snow

Kind of like waves in a big white ocean.

Heather Canyon is open!

Mid-day, I headed over to the Shooting Star Lift.  I got into line just in time to hear that the ski patrol was opening Heather Canyon.  After riding to the top, I naturally headed over that way to check it out.  I found a crowd of people on top of Twilight Bowl, all preparing to make some tracks.  Wanting to avoid the crowds, I skied down to the gates for Moon Bowl.  It was deserted, save for a small group of snowboarders sitting near the top.

Mt. Hood anchors Heather Canyon

The snow, although slightly wind-packed looked amazing.  After a couple shots from my camera, I quickly dropped in.  The snow was everything I'd hoped for - light, fluffy and deep.  One of the snowboarders above me cried "cowabunga!" and plunged into the snowy slope. He zipped by me in a cloud of white.  His buddies followed, whooping and hollering as they sped downhill.  I floated along in the pillow soft powder.  It was hands-down the best run of the day.

Looking down into Moon Bowl

Riding the lift back up, my chair-mates and I spotted Santa skiing down the slope below us.  We all had a good laugh, and one of the guys commented "Shouldn't he be getting ready for his big night?"

Frosty white trees

My Christmas present came early this year.  Sunshine and fresh powder - ski days don't get any better than this!


Linking to:  52 Photos Project and This or That Thursday.