Saturday, February 27, 2016

Ski Day Shenanigans

Yahoo, it's winter, it's winter again!  And those who've followed me for awhile know this means one thing.....time to head to the slopes - it's ski season!

If there's one thing I love more than anything else, it's strapping on a pair of boards and sliding down a steep, snowy slope.  This post is a compilation of some of the fun I've been having these past few weeks with my ski buddies.


Fun on the slopes!  (Photo by Grant Myrdal)

My resort of choice is Mt. Hood Meadows, and every Thursday, and most weekends you'll find me on one of their runs, enjoying some snowy goodness.  And speaking of snow - what a great season we've had here in the Pacific NW.  After suffering through a terrible low snow winter last year, 2016 has more than made up for things.


Visiting my favorite tree

A day on the slopes is a chance to unwind.  And be a little silly with my skiing buddies.  Meadows has an old weather-beaten tree that a few years ago, someone decided to decorate with a few bras (read about my discovery here).  The poor bras were becoming quite weather-beaten, and I remarked to my friends that the tree really needed a bit of sprucing up.


Don't know how those bras got there.....

Well, lo and behold, a couple of weeks ago, two new bras appeared on it's branches.  Hmm....I don't know how they got there (wink, wink).


Selfie photo fail

Sundays I've been heading to the mountain with my long-time best ski buddy Kim.  Taking advantage of my GoPro camera's super wide angle lens, one day I tried to get a good selfie.  But....not only did I get a shadow across my face, we got photobombed by some guy bending over.


Much better this time!

Okay, let's try this again.....yeah!  Success!  (And this time no one's butt got in the way)


Kim...Kim....look over here!

I also like to put my GoPro on a pole.  It's a wonderful way to get chairlift photos.  Only one problem...trying to get Kim's attention to turn around and face the camera!  (Uh, Kim.....Kim....)


Chairlift selfie success!

Lesson learned - put the camera in front of your friend....this is how you get a good chairlift selfie.


Sunny patio lunch with the girls

Although there were some wonderful snowy days, we also got a few days of sun.  When those happen, it's always nice to have lunch out on the patio with my friends Kim and Hollie.


Mt. Jefferson views

Other days, I love to take in the fantastic scenery from high vantage points.  And Mt. Hood has some awesome views!


Happy to be skipping work!

Every Thursday in January and February I play hooky from work and ride the midweek ski bus.  There's nothing better than skiing on a weekday - no crowds to speak of, and the break in the workweek is wonderful.


Me and my skiing buds on a wet, snowy day

Unless it's raining on the mountain, I'm skiing - even during wet snowy storm days.  (And FYI - I just love my new polka-dot neck gaiter, even though Kim says it looks like Disneyland exploded)


Tackling Nettie's Run (Photo by Glen)

Storm skiing sometimes produces the best conditions - the constant snowfall fills in your tracks so you get fresh lines every time!  My friend Glen caught this great photo of me charging down Nettie's Run.


Yep, this smiley face says it all

My ski bus buddies are the best.  I've ridden the bus with them so many years, we've become like family.


Apres-ski liquid refreshments

After a day on the slopes it's become a tradition to gather in the bar for some liquid refreshment.


Dave shares his "Zombie Zin"

And if you miss out on the apres-ski gathering, there's always plenty of vino on board for the ride home! 


I've been promoted to bathroom monitor!

One of my bus mates sits next to the restroom, and we jokingly started calling him the "bathroom monitor" after passengers kept asking him how to turn on the restroom light.  Another bus rider (who happens to be a retired art teacher) decided to make things official, and created some special hats.  I don't know how I got roped into this, but I ended up with a hat too.  Guess I've been promoted!

Yep, so far it's been a wonderful winter, full of laughs, powder turns, lovely mountain views, and good friends.  Hope some of my ski day shenanigans have brought a smile to a face or two, and inspired some of you to take up skiing!  :)


Sharing with:  Through My Lens

26 comments:

  1. Love those mountain views! Good to see you are having great ski conditions this year.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your face says it all, so happy! You look to be having a fantastic time and that lens is amazing to capture it all. I need to have a cup of tea to warm up now :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Linda, I am glad 2016 was a good year for the snow and your skiing. Love the photos, the colors are pretty. You have a nice bunch of friends there. Happy Sunday, enjoy your new week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You do such a good job with the snow

    ReplyDelete
  5. So glad you'vehad a good winter out there. Now if we could get the same thing here....

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks like you're in your element, Linda. I'm trying to figure out what skis you're using. We skied at A-Basin last week, and I thought of you because some of the wide-open bowls remind me of your photos of Mount Hood. Glad you've been promoted!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb, my skis are Salomon Rockette 115s. They're super wide (115 mm underfoot) so I've nicknamed them the "fat girls."

      Delete
  7. Fantastic shots, selfies and all. I LOVE that Mt. Hood shot. Glad you're making up for lost time and having so much fun. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've been wondering how much skiing you've been getting as your blog has been busy with your travels. Fabulous update. I'm unable to ski anymore, but your pics make me feel as if I'm on the slopes again. I just love the pic of the view to Mt Jefferson. Does the chairlift go to the top in June?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Helen - the Palmer lift at Timberline Ski Area goes to 8500 feet on Mt. Hood (not quite the top - Hood's summit is 11,200 feet elevation) and usually runs until late summer.

      Delete
  9. looks to me as if you are having great days skiing with your friends. have to wonder how those bras got up there on the tree limb. LOL. Enjoying your shots with your go pro, and it makes me wonder if I need to get one of those. So hard getting those selfies with my nikon. Glad you are having such great skiing this winter.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I still think it's cool that you have a whole bus of friends who go skiing with you. Mt. Hood looks so different in the snow!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Midweek days are the best! We also have a ski bus, but it doesn't have a bathroom (or alcohol!)

    ReplyDelete
  12. What fun! You all look so happy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. That looks like a superb ski resort on the mountain. I used to enjoy my intermediate ski runs, both downhill and cross country. This year has been the wettest and warmest on record for the UK (weather records began in 1910)with only one day of low level snow this winter yet a few years ago it arrived late at Easter with six foot drifts in spring even at sea level. Unpredictable conditions most years.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Looks like so much fun! And no shortage of snow for you this year will make for a nice long season!

    ReplyDelete
  15. That looks like a great place to ski. I've been having a great time getting back into skiing this winter!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Haha, a bra tree. I have seen shoe trees but never one of those. We are having a good winter also!

    ReplyDelete
  17. So glad you are getting in some ski time aftyer last winter! Looks like you are having some great fun! :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. So much winter fun. We almost didn't have any snow this year on our mountains. Thank you so much for sharing with "Through My Lens"

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

    ReplyDelete
  19. Magnifico, gostei de ver as fotografias.
    Um abraço e continuação de uma boa semana.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Crazy! I am determined to get some shots of Australia snow during our winter - just to show it's not all heat and sand here!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

    ReplyDelete
  21. My son and husband are going for the last run of the season this Sunday. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Glad you had such a great time!

    ReplyDelete

Don't be shy! Please leave a comment.