Snowless in Hoodville

My buddy Kim and I decided to head up to our local ski hill and check out the current conditions.  We thought surely the low snowpack couldn't be that bad, could it? 

Oh, yes it could....

No skiing on Stadium....sadness

This was the scene the morning of January 5th at Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort.  It's winter now!  Where is our snow??

Two ski buddies, ready for action!

Hey, you snow gods, look at these faces!  Is this any way to treat two ladies who love skiing?

Stump dodging

After a month with no precip, the slopes were looking mighty bare.  What little snow that was left clung to the surface in hard, icy sheets.  Stumps, rocks and bushes stuck out everywhere.  I didn't realize there were so many  hazards under the snow.  By January, these slopes are normally covered under several feet of the white stuff.

Don't ski under this lift

Riding the main chairlift was especially heartbreaking.  So much bare ground underneath the lift towers!  You could even see last summer's beargrass stems.  Many of my favorite runs were not skiable (unless you wanted to put huge scratches on your ski bases).

Some trails had enough snow

I have to give big kudos to the Meadows grooming staff.  They did a great job with what little snow there was.  I heard snow was trucked from the parking lot and spread over many of the trails.  Kim and I were able to ski quite a few runs, and all were adequately covered.

Hood is looking mighty bare

Although the trails started out nice and groomed in the morning, it didn't take long for the fluff to be skied off, exposing the hard ice underneath.  Skiing on ice is never fun.

Too many of these signs

With many ski trails having minimal coverage, these lovely orange "caution" signs were everywhere.

Watch out for rocks!

Even on runs that appeared to have adequate snow, you had to be vigilant.  Every one and awhile a rock would appear out of nowhere.

Overworked snowmaking machine

With our rainy climate, the Pacific NW usually receives abundant snowfall.  Snowmaking is almost unheard of.  Meadows only owns two snowmaking guns, and this is the first time in many years I've seen them in use.

Pray for snow!

I know you readers are getting sick of me complaining about the lack of snow.  But to us PNW skiers, it's a real hardship.  Not only does it affect outdoor recreation, the mountain snowpack is our water supply in summer months.  We really, really, really need some precip.  Join my buddy Kim and I and help us PRAY FOR SNOW!


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