Snow - Finally!

Two weeks ago, our mountains finally got a break.  The weatherman forecasted SNOW for my beloved Mt. Hood.  And the largest accumulation (nine wonderful inches!!) was supposed to occur over Wednesday night.  Just in time for my first ski bus Thursday!

I was so giddy I couldn't stand it.

A wonderful sight

I'd been dying to use my brand-new Salomon Rockette (aka the "fat girls") powder skis.  Happily, I slid them into my ski bag in preparation for tomorrow's powder day.

Time to use my "fat girl" skis

The first day of ski bus session is always like homecoming.  I get to catch up with all my friends that I only see during ski season.  Our bus moms and regular driver were also back and it was great to reconnect.  Everything was perfect!  But pulling into Mt. Hood Meadows parking lot and seeing the swirling snowstorm made the day even better.

Linda and Chris say yahoo!

The slopes were blanketed with 10 glorious inches of fluffy white powder!  And the clouds were still dumping more.  There's nothing I like better than storm skiing.  I love it when it's snowing so hard your tracks are filled in behind you.  Fresh pow every run!

Showing off my wonderful new skis

I teamed up with my bus friend Linda, her buddy Chris, and my old friend and retired co-worker Glen.  A great group, we had shared lots of laughs, and had a blast bombing through the freshies.

Two Bowl is open for business!

My first run was pure heaven.  Those "fat girl" skis slid through the snow like a hot knife through butter.  My turns were nearly effortless.  I felt like I was flying.

Flying through the pow

My friends and I spent all morning taking runs off the Mt. Hood Express lift.  Due to the high winds, none of the upper lifts were running.  But there was more than enough variety down low to keep us busy.

There was still some bushes to dodge

Although the big dump of snow covered the bare slopes nicely, we still had to watch out for a few rocks and bushes sticking up.  Towards the bottom of one trail in particular, there were so many uncovered bushes, it became a vegetative slalom.

Beautiful chairlift ride

The chairlift rides to the top were like drifting through a winter wonderland.

Hello from the lift!

With friends by my side!

Winter wonderland

After a quick lunch, the group headed over to check out the Shooting Star Lift.  I've always liked the trails there, and usually the snow is a little bit better.  Today it didn't disappoint.

Glen is all smiles

By afternoon, another inch or two had accumulated.  The large crowds that had jammed morning lift lines had disappeared.  We practically had the place to ourselves.  All this wonderful snow ...... ours for the skiing!

"Let's go do that run again!"

I had the most wonderful time zipping through slopes of thick, velvety-soft snow .  Again, the "fat girls" performed superbly.  I floated through the deep stuff with hardly any effort.  Turns came so easy, while my companions were complaining of burning quads, I was feeling no pain.  About 2:30, everyone decided to call it a day.  But not me!  I was ready for more.

Hooray for snow!

I stayed out until it was nearly time to board the bus.  Conditions were so amazing, I didn't want to quit.  After such a dismal start to the season, this big powder dump restored my skiing mojo.  A happy reminder of why I love this sport so much.

Thank you snow gods.  Best.Day.Ever!


Sharing with:  Our World Tuesday.