Girl's Ski Weekend

Every year, a bunch of my women friends plan a girls ski weekend.  The past couple of years, we've traveled to Steamboat, Colorado.  But this year the decision was made to stay in state.  Two of the ladies now own vacation homes in the resort town of Sunriver, just outside of Bend.  We all love to ski Mt. Bachelor, and the lure of cheap lodging sealed the deal.  A date was set, and plans made. 

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

Cool clouds over South Sister

Then, about a week before the trip, people began to drop out.  The day before departure, the group had been whittled down to two people - my friend Kim and I. 

Dale in action!

But we had made plans, and a lack of participants wasn't going to stop us - girls ski weekend would go on as planned, even if there were only two of us!

Ice-crusted tree frames Mt. Bachelor summit

Of course, our timing was a day off.  Two days before we left for Bend, a huge snowstorm rolled over the Cascades, dropping a foot and a half of fluffy white stuff.  Wednesday was stormy, but Thursday was powder heaven.  Unfortunately, we didn't ski until Friday.  Although the snow was still good, it was totally tracked out.  Everyone we talked to on the lift told us "you should have been here yesterday!"  (Yeah.....yeah.....)

I took advantage of a clear-sky moment

My brother Dale played hooky from work on Friday and joined Kim and I on the slopes (which explains the photo of a guy in this "girls weekend" blog post).  It's OK - brothers are allowed on girl's ski weekends (just not husbands and kids).

Kim and I share a laugh

Friday was a beautiful Central Oregon blue-sky day.  It was great to take in the fantastic mountain views from Mt. Bachelor's slopes.

Dale, eyeing my ski poles

Fresh from my lesson from the Meadow's ski photographer, I loaded up my "big girl" camera in a fanny pack and took it with me on the lifts.  I hoped to get some practice shooting action shots.  Dale and Kim got the privilege of being my photo subjects (lucky them!).

Kim makin' turns

I tried to remember everything I'd learned from my photography class.  Although I did get a couple of good action shots of my companions, there weren't as many as expected.  But here is one great photo I got of Kim.  Doesn't she look like a pro skier?

The Three Sisters mountain trio

And here is another one I really like of the Three Sisters mountains emerging from the clouds.

Dale kicks up some pow

After a great day of skiing, Kim and I headed back to the luxurious home we were staying in at Sunriver.  We had a four-bedroom, three bath house - all to ourselves.  There was a hot tub on the back deck (which we took full advantage of!)  After a soak and dinner, we opened a bottle of wine, and settled down to watch a chick flick.  Girls weekend doesn't get any better than this!

Sparks Lake view from the Outback

Saturday morning dawned clear and sunny down in Sunriver.  But up on Mt. Bachelor it was a different world.  The "conditions" page on Bachelor's website was reporting fog and mist.  The good news was that this weather was supposed to burn off in a couple of hours.  But the bad news was we had to deal with drizzle first thing.  Kim and I decided to drive up anyway, and check it out for ourselves.

Sunshine is always welcome!

On the road to Bachelor, the skies were clear except for a big cloud hanging over the mountain.    As we got closer, the sunshine vanished, and small specks of rain began to dot the windshield.  Then Kim spied a rainbow hanging in the cloudy murk.  Yes, a RAINBOW!  How often do you see a rainbow as you are driving up to go skiing?  Only in the Pacific Northwest!

Low clouds by the Northwest Express Lift

Upon arrival in the Bachelor parking lot, we were greeted with a light mist spitting out of the clouds.  To buy some time, Kim and I walked around the ski shop for a half hour, hoping things would clear up.  But you can only look at expensive ski clothes (that I will never be able to afford) for so long.  Finally Kim and I decided to hop on the lift and give it a try.

Kim enjoying the view

Visibility was very limited on the top of the main lift.  Since neither of us care for "skiing by Braille," I suggested we try the easternmost lift (coincidentally called the Rainbow Lift).  It was a little bit lower, and sometimes has better weather.

More cool icy trees

As Kim and I rode up the Rainbow Lift, we could already see the sky starting to lighten.  On our second trip up, the clouds began to part.  By the time our chair reached the top of the lift, we were basking in sunshine.

Late afternoon light on the mountains

By the third trip up the Rainbow lift, we could see clearing spreading to the western side of the mountain.  It was time to head west, following the sunshine.

More ice-encrusted trees

The rest of the day was absolutely fabulous.  The sky cleared to a brilliant blue.  The snow softened up to a skiable consistency.  Kim and did lap after lap, until our legs started to complain rather loudly.

Ski goggle self-portrait

Kim finally conceded defeat and headed for the lodge.  I thought I still had a couple more runs left in me, and tried to stretch as much skiing as I could from the day.  Taking frequent photo (aka "rest") breaks helped prolong my legs.  The ice-crusted trees at the top of the Pine Marten lift caught my camera's attention.  The late afternoon light made for some dramatic scenery.  (That's why you're seeing a ton of frosty tree photos!)

Late afternoon sun lights up the cone

Before we left, Kim used her iphone to send a photo of the sunny slopes to all the ladies who bagged on us.  Then she bragged about the great time we had.  Ha-ha, their loss!  Maybe next year they'll think twice before cancelling.

I'm really glad we didn't stay home.  It turned out to be a wonderful trip!  Who says you can't have a great girls ski weekend with only two girls?

Wind, Snow, and Duct Tape

The second tour of my ski mountaineering class was held on the snowiest day of the year.  A huge blizzard had been raging on Mt. Hood, dropping massive amounts of snow.  The avalanche danger was high (the NWAC site actually said "backcountry travel not advised").  Due to the conditions, I really thought our tour would be cancelled.  But when Saturday rolled around, I hadn't heard a peep.  Assuming the class was still on, I met my friends John and Young, and we headed for the mountain.

Young is happy for the snow!

Our tour's destination was Newton Creek.  The trailhead for this route is accessed from the HRM lot at Mt. Hood Meadows.  The roads to Meadows were super-treacherous.  Not only were they snow packed and slippery, the blowing snow brought visibility down to zero at times.  It didn't help we were sharing the road with all the powder hounds trying to get to the resort for first tracks.  We saw a few cars in the ditch, and lots of people who thought nothing of partially blocking the travel lane to put on chains.  It was a slow go, but we finally arrived safely at the HRM lot.  And Alex, our tour leader, was there.  When we arrived, he told us to "get ready."

My "Star Wars" character impression

Yep, today's tour was still on - even though it was blowing sideways and puking snow.  Stepping out of the car, the strong wind gave me an instant chill.  We got out our ski gear, and piled on the layers.  I put on goggles, and pulled my coat's hood over my head.  John commented I looked like one of the characters in a "Star Wars" movie.

Three of my brightly colored tour-mates

Because of the snarled traffic, it took awhile for all of our group members to arrive.  But finally everyone assembled in the parking lot, awaiting instructions.  The big question was:  "Are we really going to ski Newton Creek today?"  Due to the conditions, Alex said we'd do a modified tour.  He planned for us to climb the ridge above Newton Creek, and once on top, dig a couple of avalanche pits and ski back down.  If we stuck to the wooded ridge, the avy danger was fairly low.  Because of the stormy weather, Alex assumed (correctly) that this would be enough for the day. 

Our group, huddled in the parking lot

We began our tour following the runout from Heather Canyon and Private Reserve, Mt. Hood Meadows' expert areas.  Skiers and boarders were streaming down the trail, fresh from pow runs in Private Reserve.  Over a foot of snow had fallen the night before and all of them were in high spirits.  There was much whooping and hollering, and lots of smiles.  Some of the snowriders couldn't figure out why our group was skiing UPHILL in the opposite direction.

It's dumping snow!

The snow was coming down fast and furious.  The wind gusted mightily.  I was happy to be finally moving, as the motion warmed my body.  But not far down the trail, progress ground to a halt.  One of our tour members was having trouble with his climbing skins.  They kept coming off his skis.  He'd gotten snow on the glue, and now they weren't sticking.  Once your skins get wet, the glue is useless.  At this point, there is only one thing you can do - get out the duct tape!

Snow-covered forest

Yeah, when your skins get wet, the only way to attach them to skis is with duct tape.  It's something I learned when I took the class two years ago.  I had this bad habit of dropping my skins in the snow every time I tried to put them on.  The snow made my glue wet and that prevented them from sticking to my skis.  So I went through a lot of duct tape!

Now I'm much smarter.  Instead of putting on skins in the parking lot, I attach them to my skis the night before (in a warm, dry garage).

Big flakes falling out of the sky

So we waited alongside the trail while our poor group-mate duct taped his skins.  It wasn't that bad of a wait.  The new fallen snow made for some incredible scenery.  I, of course, took the opportunity to try and get some photo ops.  But the heavy wind and snow took their toll on my camera.  Not wanting to ruin my good point-n-shoot, the wet, icy conditions forced it back into my pocket.

Checking out the snowbank

Everything taped together, our group resumed its tour.  We met a bunch of Meadows ski patrollers exiting Heather Canyon.  They were getting ready to blast for avalanche control, and were flushing out the skiers.  Alex had planned to turn off the path soon, so it was no problem.  One patroller was really nice and advised Alex where to go to avoid danger.  But then another ski patrol guy whipped by and hysterically demanded that we turn off RIGHT NOW!

Another lost skin

So we left the trail and headed up the ridge.  The terrain got super steep!  We skied through the forest, winding under and around trees.  Some of us struggled to climb the slippery slopes, gasping for breath.  And more people's skins started to peel off.  Even our leader Alex was having trouble getting his skins to stick.

Duct tape fixes everything

Out came the duct tape!  (What can't this stuff fix?)  Our group used a huge amount that day.  Alex exhausted his supply.  John used most of his tape stash.  I was one of the few people not having climbing skin problems.  They stayed stuck tight to my ski bottoms.  I think it was 'cause I put my skins on at home, instead of fighting the blowing snow in the parking lot (which I think was the culprit that got everyone's skins wet). 

In the end, a couple of guys in the group couldn't get their skins to stay on, even with duct tape.  They gave up, took off their skis, and boot-packed it the rest of the way up the hill in deep snow.  Talk about a workout!

Digging avy pits in a snowstorm

A dense forest covering the slopes provided shelter from today's howling winds.  But once we reached the open ridgetop, our buffeting resumed.  The temperature seemed to drop, and visibility decreased.  Alex proclaimed we'd stop here and practice digging a couple of avy pits.  With all the fluffy, new snow, it was a perfect chance to check out snowpack stability.

Doesn't this look like fun?

Once you've reached your destination after skiing uphill, it's a good idea to immediately put on some warmer layers.  Otherwise, the sweat cools, and you get cold quick.  Most everyone carries a down jacket (aka a "puffy") that gets donned upon stopping.  When we stopped to dig avy pits, I should've put my puffy on right away.  But I didn't.  I was so warm from climbing, and assumed I'd keep warm digging in the snow, that my puffy stayed in the backpack. 

Well...... I didn't dig continually, and it only took a couple minutes of standing around before I was freezing cold.  I went to my pack to switch on my puffy.  I took my gloves off to aid in zipping and unzipping jackets, and it took about a minute for my unprotected hands to turn into ice. 

Checking out all the snow layers

My hands began to lose feeling.  I couldn't grasp the zipper of my jacket to close it up.  My fingers wouldn't work.  Uh-oh, this was not good.  I started to freak out.

Luckily, Julie came to my rescue.  She got out a couple of chemical handwarmer packets for me.  I stuffed those babies in my gloves.  Instant warmth!  Crisis averted.  One of the guys in the group suggested I buy an oversized puffy to fit over top of my outer jacket.  That way, when you stop, there's no fumbling taking off and putting on clothing - just plop the puffy over top of everything.  Lesson learned.

Ready to ski!

We dug our pits down about three feet into the snowpack.  It was interesting to see all the different snow layers.  The most recent storm had deposited about 15 inches of dry, fluffy snow.  Then underneath was a dense, wet layer.  Hood had rain the week before and we surmised this layer was last week's soggy snow.  Instead of shearing off in a slab, the top portion of the snow compacted and sluffed off when hit with a shovel.  Interesting stuff.  I just wish the weather had been a little better.  After an hour of standing in near-blizzard conditions, I was ready to get the heck off this ridge.

Heather Canyon was closed

Then came the fun part.  We took off our skins (those that were still stuck to our skis that is) and swooshed down the ridge through the forest.   The new-fallen powder snow was an absolute delight to ski.  We whooped, hollered, and laughed, dodging trees all the way.  A few of us crashed and burned (but it was a soft landing).  Although a lot of my turns landed in the "survival skiing" category, it was still a blast.  But due to the tight tree spacing, I didn't make one telemark turn... :(

Heading back

Sadly, the trip back down to the ridge was quite a bit quicker than than the time it took to climb up.  My group all agreed it would have been wonderful to have another 1000 feet of descent.   But we weren't ready to climb that ridge again!  

All of the skiers arrived at the parking lot, cold and hungry.  Time to visit the local watering hole for some pizza and beer!  Which is exactly what we did.

I survived another ski tour in less-than-stellar weather.  Enduring bad conditions makes one tougher. It prepares you to tackle the next challenge, and also bestows bragging rights.  But most important of all - it provides a good story for my blog!  :)

 

Meet the Tele Ladies

On my first ski bus Thursday in early January, I was placing my skis in the outside rack, preparing to go in for lunch, when I heard someone remark "there's a telemarker!  Oooh nice skis!"  I looked up to see two older (well, older than me) woman sporting telemark gear.  We proceeded to get into a discussion that revolved around skis, and the gals invited me to have lunch with them.  At lunch, I had a great time talkin' tele.  After lunch was finished, and we'd gone our separate ways, my friend asked me who those women were.  Although they'd introduced themselves, due to my poor short-term memory, I couldn't recall their names.  So I referred to them as the "Tele Ladies."

Sue and Katie - the Tele Ladies

The next Thursday, I again ran into the Tele Ladies at lunch.  Like the week before, we hung out in the cafeteria swapping ski stories.  This time I was sure to catch their names - Katie and Sue.  Katie and Sue invited me to ski with them the following week.

Blue sky teaser

Due to bad weather and other factors, a few weeks passed before I was able to ski with the Tele Ladies.  A couple weeks ago, Katie and I spent a great Thursday on the slopes.  And then last week, I had the privilege of skiing with both of the Tele Ladies. 

Mt Hood rises above the lift

These women are amazing.  They are well into their sixth decade, but drop knee like no one's business. Sue ripped down a slope, making tele turns all the way to the bottom with no rest (I, in comparison needed at least a couple "quad breaks").  Both she and Katie have been skiing backcountry for many years.  They also hike, backpack, and climb mountains.  They've both climbed many mountains in the PNW, and skied down lots of them.

Katie droppin' knee

We made tons of laps all morning.  The Tele Ladies didn't seem to wear out.  They made lots more tele turns that I (when I get tired, I revert to alpine turns).  The ladies took me all over - through the trees and down many black diamond runs.  By lunchtime, I was ready for a break.

Katie and I

 

Katie was the cautious skier of the duo. A little bit later I found out why. Katie told me she'd recently broken her upper arm skiing here at Meadows (I think she told me the accident happened a couple of years ago, but again with my bad memory, I don't remember exactly). After weeks of recovery and additional weeks of physical therapy, Katie was finally back on the slopes.

 

Doesn't this photo look like it should be on a Mt Hood Meadows ad?

Late in the afternoon, Katie took me down a trail called "Middle Fork."  We were about halfway to the lift, and I'd stopped for a rest break.  Katie skied up and asked if I'd do her a big favor.  She pointed to a grove of trees not far from where we were standing.  Katie said, "When you ski by those trees, give them a big fat middle finger.  That's the spot where I wiped out and broke my arm."

Katie's revenge on the Middle Fork run

So Katie and I slid over to the infamous grove.  While passing by, we both extended our middle fingers and gave those trees a proper salute.  Then we had a good laugh.  And I have to say, what a great way to face bad memories and get rid of your demons.  You gotta admire Katie's spunk.  Kudos to Katie for getting back on the slopes and not letting anything stop her!

I now have two new telemark skier friends.  The Tele Ladies are more than friends - they are my heroes and role models.  I hope I'm still dropping knee and screaming through the trees when I'm their age.  Sue and Katie you rock!

Ski Photographer For a Day

Grant Myrdal, the resort photographer at Mt. Hood Meadows, offers a workshop each month specializing in snow and action photos.  For the past three years, I've wanted to take the class, but it never quite fit into my busy life.  Then this Christmas I got the green light to sign up (a gift from my sweet hubby).

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

Mountain scenery from the top of Meadows

I chose the February workshop.  Two weeks ago, I packed up my camera gear for a day of shooting on the slopes.

Lone skier amongst the tracks

Grant is an incredible photographer.  He's a surfer who got his start capturing images of water, waves and other surfers.  His work has been published in a wide variety of surf magazines.  Now he's undergone a successful transition from riding the waves to riding the snow.  For the past three years, Grant's been a familiar face hanging out with his camera on the slopes of Meadows.  You can check out Grant's work on his website here.

Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters

Grant's an awesome friendly guy.  You can tell he really loves his job.  When I'm skiing at Meadows, I often see him on the side of some run shooting away.  He's taken many great photos of me, and I've purchased several of his images (which I've posted in this blog!)

Grant, my photo zen-master

So I was super-excited to be learning from a world-class professional photographer. I couldn't wait for the workshop day to arrive. Showing up for class that morning, I found out - much to my delight - I was his only student. The iffy weather forecast had scared away the other two students. Their loss - and my gain!

A line of little kids

The morning started out with a review of photography basics. Always a good refresher, no matter your skill level. But once all the necessary info was covered, the fun began. Time to get out on the slopes and capture some images!

Cool turns by Hood

As I emerged from the lodge, I was happy to see - bright sunlight! The forecast had hinted at clouds and rain, so this was a welcome surprise. Perfect light for a day of photography.

Happy kiddos on the lift

We started out high over the top of the Mt. Hood Express lift in an area with sweeping views of both the resort and the adjacent mountains. First, Grant had me practice a little bit of landscape photography. When I ski I'm always carrying my little point-n-shoot camera, which takes OK photos. But with my "big girl" camera, I was able to do justice to the wonderful scenery.

Had to get a telemark skier!

Every once and awhile a skier or boarder would appear on an adjacent slope. I switched to my zoom lens to capture the action. Grant was hoping someone would jump off the nearby cliffs, but we only saw one attempt.

This guy is good!

After an hour or so, we traveled to a nearby ski run to do what Grant does best - take action photos of snow-riders. Most resort photographers I've seen take posed still shots of their guests against the resort scenery. To Grant, this type of photography is boring. He's a man of action and action is what he likes to capture. I couldn't agree more! I love seeing photos of myself making turns on skis. And judging by the success of his business, others do too.

Snowboarder spraying snow

Grant put up his flag, and we parked ourselves in the middle of a blue run with a nice view of Hood. He gave me some instruction on how to aim my focus, and what compositions work best. Then we raised our cameras and shot away!

Another happy skier

Skiers and boarders began zipping by.  There were people of every age and ability.  And I tried to capture them all.

More fun from the lift

Oh, what great fun! It didn't take me long, and I got the hang of zooming in and following people as they slid down the slope. Lots of folks smiled as they swooshed by. The chairlift was overhead, and riders occasionally called out for us to take their picture. Everyone seemed to be having a good time

I love photographing kids!

The kids were my favorite subjects. Groups of little kids would come by, skiing in a zig-zaggy line. They mugged for our cameras big time.

This lady was skiing with a camera around her neck

What a blast, sitting slopeside shooting photos of everyone!  What a great way to combine the things I love most - skiing and photography. I told Grant he had the best job in the world.  He smiled and said "yes, I do!" 

Catching big air

After an hour and a half, Grant's memory card was full.  That meant it was time to pull up stakes and head back to the lodge to download the photos.  I was having such a great time, I really hated to leave.

Catching bigger air

After clearing our memory cards and reviewing a few photos, Grant had one more assignment planned for the day.  We headed over to one of the terrain parks, hoping to catch some action on the jumps.

 

Amazing high jump!

At the jumps, there were a few young men attempting to catch big air.  Grant instructed me to switch to my wide angle lens and position myself near the side of the take-off ramp.  It took quite a few tries to get the hang of it, but I was soon producing clear images of acrobatics frozen in mid-air.  By the end, I'd produced a few great images to be proud of.

This guy shows off his ski bottoms

 

At the end of the day, Grant and I downloaded and critiqued my photos.  I was amazed by all the wonderful images I captured.  Grant said I did a great job - he even complimented many photos saying they were as good as what he'd shoot (that really made my little head swell!).

So now I'm inspired to get out on the slopes with my big SLR camera.  I agree with Grant, shooting photos of people in motion is much more fun that taking stills.  Thanks Grant for such a wonderful day.  And thanks so much for your words of encouragement to this rookie photographer!