Girl's Day Out

Last Friday my friend Kim and I both had the day off.  Kim's friend Tamie was also free.  Kim and Tamie's kids had a teacher work day.  There was just one thing to do.  Head to the mountain!  Time for a girl's day out.

Kim and Tamie ridin' the lift

When we got up to the mountain, Kim and Tamie's boys instantly ditched their mothers and headed for the parks.  That was just fine with us girls.  Woo-hoo, no kids!  Time for the ladies to have some fun.

Aftermath of the avalanche in Heather Canyon

Mt. Hood had received another dumping of snow over the past few days. However, the thick coating of heavy snow created another problem.  Early Thursday morning, a large slab of snow sheared off the side of Mt. Hood and roared down the Clark side of Heather Canyon.  The avalanche deposited debris past the bottom terminal of the Heather lift.  Luckily, this event occurred very early in the morning, before Meadows was open, so there were no skiers in the canyon. 

Spectators checking out the avalanche

Of course we had to ski over to the side of Heather Canyon to check it out. We, along with lots of other lookie-loos, peered over the edge of the canyon.  The slide was quite impressive!  I attempted to take some photos, but was quite far away, and it was hard to capture the magnitude of such an event. 

Kim and Tamie waiting for me to finish taking photos

Obviously, Heather Canyon was closed indefinitely. We were told it was quite a big mess down near the Heather lift loading area. This slide was even bigger than the one that occurred a year ago, in January 2010. The Mt. Hood Meadows blog has some great photos and information on the slide. If you're interested check it out: http://www.skihood.com/Community-and-News/Meadows-Blog/Posts/2011/03/Ski-Patrol-Investigates-Avalanche.

Kim skin' down Stadium Run

After checking out the slide, we did a couple runs on Shooting Star.  Then I took the girls down the Stadium run, which was perfectly groomed and hardly touched.  Niiice!

Kim poses with the unknown celebrity skier

Tamie likes to cover up when she skis.  I think her motto is: "leave no skin exposed."  She didn't even pull her face mask down for some photos.  So I think this is Tamie in the photo above, but since she can't be identified, I can't be sure.  Kim wanted to tell everyone we were skiing with someone famous (Cheryl Ladd??).

Attempted group self-portrait

I tried to get a photo of our group, but I'm no good at self-portraits, especially if there is more than one person!  It's really hard to hold a camera and fit three people (including the photographer) in the viewfinder.  I had some pretty funny attempts, but this one turned out the best.  And, yes, we think the person in the red coat is Tamie (but she just might be Julia Roberts).

Girlfriends and ski buddies

We got hungry around 11:30, so headed in for an early lunch.  Since the boys wanted nothing to do with us old mommies, we decided to eat in the nice restaurant.  We had a great (and expensive) lunch.  I ate way too much food, and it was hard to motivate myself to get back out on the slopes.

Sharing chocolate and laughs with Meryl Streep

We eventually waddled back out to our skis and headed up the lift.  But all three of us were dragging.  I don't know if it was the toll of this morning's exertions, or the lunchtime indulgence, but we girls had no energy.  After a couple of runs, Kim said she needed some sugar or caffeine (or both!).  Luckily, Meadows has a mid-mountain snack hut called the Mazot.  We skied down to the Mazot to get us some energy.

Chillin' at the Mazot with Kim and Jennifer Annison

All three of us got some form of chocolate goodie.  Kim got a snickers bar, I got a brownie, and Tamie got a cup of hot chocolate.  We pulled up some chairs outside of the Mazot, enjoyed our treats, listened to some music and did a little bit of people-watching.  One man, who looked like he'd had entirely too much to drink, came up to me and asked if I'd help him out by fastening his helmet chin-strap.  He looked so pathetic I felt sorry for him, so I did as he asked.  As the drunk man skied away, cup of wine in hand, we girls agreed to stay far away if we saw him on the slopes.

Mt. Hood sighting

After a cloudy morning, we were rewarded with a sunny, blue-sky afternoon.  We got some beautiful views of the mountain while we skied.  I took this final photo of Hood from the parking lot.  In this image, you can see the fracture line where the avalanche started.  Look just to the left from the top of the chairlift, and you'll see a circular shape in the snow on the side of Mt. Hood. That's where it all began.  Looks awfully impressive when compared with the size of the mountain!  It was quite humbling to see the aftermath of such a large act of nature.  All I can say is, even when Heather Canyon is reopened, I don't know if I'll be skiing in there anytime soon!

Nice to have a day to ski with the girlfriends.  Kim and Tamie, it was great fun (at least I think it was Tamie I skied with......but it could've been Angelina Jolie!)

:)

Solo Ski

The first week of March a bunch of big storms rolled through the Cascades, dumping snow as they passed.  The Mt. Hood ski resorts were reporting snowfall by the foot.  And I was stuck at work all week!  I tortured myself  by checking the Meadows website several times each day.  I decided I would for sure go to the mountain on Sunday, and recruited my friend Kim to join me.

Finally free to ski!

Saturday night Kim had to cancel.  She'd hurt her knee a couple of weeks ago, and it still wasn't ready for skiing yet.  That meant if I wanted to ski on Sunday I'd have to drive up alone and ski solo.  I've done this before, and I'm OK with it (but it is more fun to have a companion).  So I got my gear ready Saturday night, in preparation for a Sunday ski.

Mt. Jefferson peeks through the cloud layer

When my alarm rang at o'dark-hundred Sunday morning, I was sorely tempted to sleep in and skip skiing.  I'd done a really long marathon training run the day before and was tired.  Besides, without a partner to go with, I wouldn't be standing up anybody.  But then a little voice said to me:  "There's a ton of new snow on the mountain.  You've been complaining all week about not being able to ski it.  Get your butt out of bed and GO!" 




Fresh corduroy ready for the tracking


So I got out of bed, into my car, and headed up to Hood.  Although the weather was cloudy and damp in Portland, by the time I'd reached Government Camp, the skies were a clear sunny blue.  Wow!  I was not expecting such good weather.  Now I was really happy I didn't stay in bed!

Hood shows its beautiful self

Meadows was its usual weekend state of busy.  But I hit the Daisy lift (no line!) and skied over to the Cascade Lift and got on right away.  I did many laps down the runs of Cascade, enjoying the sunshine and views.  I discovered one of the fun things about skiing solo - using the singles line.  I got through the lift line quicker, and was paired up with lots of fun, interesting people.  I love chairlift conversations.  Most people are really happy and wax enthusiastically about being out skiing (or riding).  I sometimes get good tips on snow conditions, and where to ski.  And I'm surprised by who will talk to you.  It's not always who you'd expect.  I've had some of the best conversations with young, early-20-something, male snowboarders.

The cat track to Outer Limits

I had an excellent day, took a few good photos, talked to some nice people, and got in many wonderful powder-snow turns.  I ended up skiing way longer than I'd anticipated, finally making it back to my car at 3:30.  After loading up, and having a quick snack, it was time to hit the road.  Another great thing about solo skiing - picking your own music for the ride home!  I plugged in my ipod and rocked out all the way down the mountain.

So glad I decided not to sleep in!  I would've missed a great day.  The moral of the story:  Never pass up an opportunity to ski, even if it means getting up early. 

:)

Skiin' the Bachelor

I love Mt. Bachelor.  It's my most favorite place to ski in Oregon.  And, lucky for me, my brother Dale happens to live in Bend AND he loves to ski as much as I do.  It works out great - when I want to ski Bachelor, I've got a place to stay and a great skiing partner.  So every winter, I try to get over to Bend as much as I can.

Dale bundling up in the parking lot

My schedule was open the weekend after President's Day, so on Friday, I loaded up my Subie, and headed over the Cascades.  The mountains had been getting dumps of snow all week, so Saturday held lots of promise for good skiing.

Bluebird day on Mt. Bachelor!

The weatherman was forecasting a sunny day on Saturday.  But there was one hitch - clear skies meant cold temperatures.  REALLY cold temperatures!  Like lows below zero.  Brrrr!!  I was not ready for it to be so cold.

The cone, all carved up

But I'd traveled to Bend to ski, and a little cold weather was not going to stop me.  On the way to the mountain Saturday morning, Dale and I stopped at a local ski shop and I picked up a face mask and some toe warmers.   Later that day, I realized this was the best decision I'd made.  Money well spent!

The view of the cone and the Three Sisters from above

When it's really cold, I have a problem keeping my feet warm in my alpine ski boots.  Then, last Thursday, one of the ladies on my ski bus turned me on to toe warmers.  My alpine ski boots fit really tight, and I didn't have room under my feet to stick the adhesive toe warmers.  But I was told to stick the toe warmers on top of each foot.  I'd tried it last Thursday and my boots fit fine and my toes stayed toasty.  No cold feet all day!  (Thanks to Judy for such great advice!)

Broken Top close-up

When Dale and I reached Mt. Bachelor's parking lot, the temp was hovering right around zero.   We bundled up tight, and stuck a toe warmer on the top of each sock before jamming our feet into ski boots.

White plaster trees

Even though it was cold, the scenery was absolutely beautiful.  The sky was clear and deep blue.  The snow sparkled and gleamed white.  The mountains looked like craggy peaks of whipped cream.  There was no way I was skiing without my camera today!

Dale overlooking Sparks Lake

So this blog post is going to be a bunch of boring photos of mountains, snow-crusted trees, more mountains, and sunny skies.  Ho-hum!



There's no place I'd rather be right now!

 Even though Mt. Bachelor didn't get any new snow overnight, Friday's snow was still soft and powdery.  That's the good thing about cold temps - it preserves the snow.  And many of the runs were nicely groomed - lots of fun to race down.

Lift ride with a view

Dale and headed over to the Outback lift.  I love skiing the Outback.  Lots of nice, long runs and killer views of Sparks Lake, Broken top Mountain, and the Three Sisters.  The lift ride back up is truly scenic.

Ridin' towards the sun

The trails were all lined with white, snow-spackled trees.  The sunshine glinted off the white cream coating, making them sparkle brilliantly.

Lots of ice-crusted trees

At the top of the lift, the snow coating on the trees turned to an icy crust.  Even more beautiful!

Northwest sunburst

Then Dale and I headed over to the Northwest Express chair, on the far west side of Mt. Bachelor.  The top of this lift is above treeline, giving snow-riders a vast steep bowl to explore.

Pano view from Northwest Express chair

And the views are spectacular.  I attempted to take a panoramic photo of the vista.  If you click on the above picture, you'll be able to see a larger view of this image (by the way, this applies to all of the photographs posted on my blog).

The view just keeps gettin' better

I made many frequent stops for Kodak moments.  Poor Dale, he had to wait for his sister a lot!  Good thing he's so patient.  The sunny day made for some great light on the mountains and trees, and I wanted to take full advantage of it.

Snow-shrouded trees at the top of Northwest Express

Dale and I had more excellent runs on the trails of Northwest Express.  We skied through some bumpy off-piste powder that had been skied up pretty good.  It was tough, and along the way I hit another snow snake (yep, they hang out at Mt. Bachelor too!) and did a big yard sale down the slope.  What could I do?  I picked myself up, knocked the snow out of my goggles and had a good laugh.  Oh, and I handed the camera to Dale for documentation.  The photo of my great wipeout can be found on a previous post (the one about snow snakes).

The long ride up Northwest Express lift

The weather was frigid all morning, and my face kept getting really cold every time I whipped down the slope.  I broke out my new face mask and layered it over my balaclava. That really helped.  So glad I bought it!  The toe warmers were working their magic and my feet, although not piping hot, weren't getting cold.  That's a success in my book.

The Pine Marten Lodge surrounded by snowy dwarfs

But soon Dale and I's tummies were grumbling and the rest of our body parts were getting cold.  It was time to ski over to the Pine Marten Lodge and check out the lasagna bar!

The Three Sisters, up close and personal

My favorite place to eat at Mt. Bachelor is the restaurant in the Pine Martin Lodge.  They have the best food.  Dale and I traditionally split a trip through the lasagna bar.  It's enough food for two people.  I also ordered a hot chocolate, and was happy to learn the restaurant offered free refills.  Lots of hot liquid - just what I need on a cold winter day.

"Let's ski where this guy's pointing!"

After lunch, the skies began to cloud over.  A storm that was forecast to roll in overnight appeared to be coming in early.  I was glad to have taken so many photos in the morning, as our perfect blue-sky views were going away.

Where to go?  So many choices....

Dale and I spent the afternoon skiing all around the mountain.  We took one trip up to the summit, but it was really cold, windy, and totally fogged in up there.  And the snow was pretty icy on top.  One run was enough!  Should have visited the summit in the morning, I guess.  We still had a fun afternoon, hitting a bunch of trails off of the Pine Martin Lift.  Before we knew it, the clock read 3:30 and our legs said we were done.  A fine day on the slopes!

Blustery weather on the summit

The next morning dawned bright and sunny in Bend.  But the weather in town is no indication of what's happening on the mountain.  As Dale and I drove the road up to Bachelor, the sky clouded up began spitting freezing rain.  We got to the ski area parking lot, and it was cloudy, windy, rainy and cold.  We couldn't see the top of the lift due to low clouds.  Ugh!  Not good!

We went into the ski shop to look around and ponder if it was worth spending $60 on a lift ticket.  While we were perusing the shop, a ski patroller came in.  He was coated head to foot in a thin layer of ice.  That did it.  Both Dale and I decided right then that today was not the day for skiing Bachelor.  We turned around and headed back to town.

But I can't complain.  Dale and I had a wonderful Saturday on the mountain.  And it's always fun to get away and ski somewhere else - especially if that "somewhere else" is Mt. Bachelor!

:)

Snowpocalypse

Last Thursday the local weather-guessers forecasted a couple inches of snow would hit the Portland area.  Since snow in the Willamette River Valley doesn't happen that often, the metro area was all a-twitter over the impending "snowstorm".  You would have thought the world was coming to an end.  For two days the local news stations devoted most of their airtime to the upcoming "snowpocalypse."  Being from South Dakota, where they get real blizzards, I was amused by all the hysteria over an inch or two of snow.

Mt. Hood gets a fresh coating of snow

My concern - Thursday is ski bus day!  If the roads are bad in Portland due to snow, the bus doesn't go up. (Ironic isn't it? A ski bus cancelled by snow!)  And in Portland, it only takes a half inch of snow to cause major gridlock.  Because snow falls so seldom, the metro area is not prepared with enough snow-removal equipment to clear the roads quickly.  And most people in Portland do not know how to drive in snow and ice. 

Time to ski the bowls!

I woke up Thursday morning to a heavy dusting of snow on the ground.  The morning news announced school cancellations for most of the local districts.  This wasn't looking good for my bus.  However, checking the web showed no indications the ski bus was cancelled.  So I grabbed my gear, and headed over to the bus stop.

Our driver Howard and the bus were there.  When I asked Howard if they'd cancel for snow, he laughed and said "no way!"  Yahoo!  I was going skiing!  I called the Meadows snow phone and was told the conditions were "epic."  They were reporting 15 inches of fresh fluffy powder.  The snowpocalypse had hit Mt. Hood.

Blue sky and white trees

By the time we arrived at the mountain, the parking lot was nearly full.  There was a huge lift line at Mt. Hood Express.  With the large crowds, it looked more like a weekend day than mid-week.  There were a lot of young kids up skiing.  Hmmmm.........  Too snowy to go to school, but not so bad they couldn't go skiing!

Still lots of fresh pow on Five Bowl

I met up with Glen again.  We were both giddy at the sight of all that new snow.  After buddying up with two gals from my ski bus, we headed over to the Hood River Meadows Lift (aka "HRM") to find some pow.  Riding the chair back up after our first run down HRM, I gazed longingly at the untracked snow under the chair.  I told Glen we needed to ski it.  Glen teasingly called me a show-off for wanting to ski under the chair, but he was game.

Up at the top, I eagerly took off ahead of the group.  I was havin' a great time, bombing through the snow, when suddenly one of my skis got mired down in the deep stuff.  I crashed hard, the back of my head making contact with the ground and pushing my goggles up.  I groggily got up, and brushed myself off just as my companions came sliding by.  I joked about hitting another snow snake, but put myself back together and continued my run.

Glen is almost knee-deep in powder

I quickly forgot about my crash, and didn't think another thing about it until we went in for lunch.  Inside the lodge, I took off my goggles.  My glasses underneath didn't feel like they were sitting quite right.  As I pulled my glasses off of my face, they came apart in my hands.  They'd broken in two right in the middle of the bridge!  My fall must've stressed them enough to break.

Oh-oh....now what?  There is no way I can ski without my glasses!  (I'm as blind as a bat)  Luckily, I have two pairs of glasses and wear my old pair when I'm skiing.   My new pair was with me that day.  However it was on the ski bus, which Howard keeps locked up until 3:00.  Unless I could find Howard and convince him to open the bus, I didn't have access to them.  I ate lunch, and pondered my options.

White flocked trees lining Three Bowl

Then I got an idea.  My glasses normally fit snugly under my goggles.  Maybe the goggles would be tight enough to hold them in place.  I placed each half of my broken specs on my nose, put on my helmet, and pulled my goggles over top.  They stayed in place just fine, and I could still see through the lenses.  All right!  Time to head back to the slopes.

Glen and I had a most excellent afternoon.  The sun came out and the scenery was spectacular.  We hit each of the five bowls off of MH Express, and then went back and took second runs on our favorites.  There were still small powder pillows here and there, and the snow, although tracked out by now, was still soft and fluffy.  I was having so much fun I forgot all about my broken glasses.

Hood peeps out from the clouds

But 3:30 comes way too soon on a powder day, and Glen and I had buses to catch.  Howard had the bus parked up front, and I gratefully got my bag and switched glasses.  After a quick beer at the bar, I was ready for the ride home.

The roads cleared quickly as our bus traveled down the mountain.  By the time we got into Portland, there was no sign of this morning's snowfall.  Roger later told me all of the white stuff had melted by 11 am.  The crisis was over.  So much for the snowpocalypse!

:)

Beware the Snow Snake!

How many times has this happened to you?  You're skiing along making good turns, feeling confident, and then suddenly you're on your butt, or face-planting into the snow, or sliding on your back scattering equipment down the slope.  What just happened?  You may have had an encounter with the scourge of skiers everywhere - the dreaded snow snake.

"What is a snow snake?" you ask.  The skier's dictionary defines a snow snake as a "invisible, malevolent creature whom skiers blame for causing their falls."  Anytime you have a wipeout, and the reason is not readily apparent, it may very well be due to a snow snake grabbing your skis.  

Any place there are skiers, the snow snakes lurk.  They tend to concentrate themselves on the beginner runs of most ski resorts.  Chairlift loading and unloading areas are another favorite hideout.  However, these creatures can be found anywhere on the slopes, from green, to blue, to black diamond trails.  Deep powder days or warm, sunny spring conditions tend to produce higher than average snow snake incidents.  And snow snakes especially love to hang out wherever the resort photographer is set up.

The aftermath of a snow snake encounter

I seem to have a knack for finding the snow snakes on a mountain.  I've had many a spectacular face plant or yard sale (one even drew applause from people on the lift!)  Of course these falls were not due to my skiing abilities (or lack thereof) but had to be caused by a snow snake shenanigan. 

A couple of years ago, a young man from Ireland joined our ski bus.  He was working temporarily in the US for six months, and was trying to experience all he could of our American culture.  One day, this guy was riding the lift with myself and two of my bus friends.  I was telling my friends about a big wipeout I'd had on a prior run, and blamed my biff on a snow snake.  The Irishman's eyes widened.  He began frantically scanning the ground below us.  Then in a trembling voice he cried  "There are snakes here?"  After my friends and I stopped laughing, we explained to the man the truth about snow snakes.  (Of course, it would have been more fun to keep him in the dark!)

So my friends, ski with care, and keep an eye out as you travel down the slopes.  But next time you find yourself unexpectedly face-planted in the snow, it may not be your fault.  BLAME IT ON THE SNOW SNAKE!

Skiing with Glen

My friend Glen is a retired co-worker that I used to ski with every year.   He's a very "old school" skier.  Glen is the guy you see on the slope that still has long straight skis.  But even with those skinny boards, he's a dynamite skier.

Glen, ready to make some turns

The last couple of years, Glen's been heavy into running and I haven't had the opportunity to ski with him.   Right after Christmas, Glen emailed me with the news that "Mrs. Claus" had brought him new skis.  They were short, fat, shaped skis.  I told Glen I was up on the mountain every Thursday, and invited him to join me and try them out.

I'm so happy I'm not at work!

Glen was training for a marathon scheduled in early February.  After he finished his race (and qualified for Boston, I might add!)  it was time to give the new skis a spin.  Glen emailed me that he was planning to come up skiing the following Thursday, and would I be interested in joining him?  I was thrilled to get a chance to ski and catch up with an old co-worker and friend.

Snow-flocked tree

We took separate buses up to Meadows and met up at the lift.  I ooh'd and aah'd over Glen's new skis.  After skiing on straight skis for so long, Glen wasn't sure what to expect.  I told him it would only take two runs to be sold.  Then he'd be turning his old straight skis into lawn furniture.

Another blue sky day on the Hood

It was a beautiful blue-sky day, but the temps were cold enough to keep the snow powdery. Perfect day!  We headed up to the top of the Cascade lift, for a couple of great trips down.  As I predicted, after two runs, Glen was adjusting to his new skis and enjoying making effortless turns.

Glen in Heather Canyon

Heather Canyon was open, from top to bottom.  This was the first day upper Heather had been open after the last storm, so we decided to check it out.  Even though it was pretty tracked out by the time we got there, we were able to find a couple of small powder stashes in Silver Bowl.  The snow was excellent, and we had a wonderful trip down the canyon.

Lookin' down Heather Canyon

We followed the bottom of Heather Canyon, down the runout and to the chair.  The bottom was pretty chewed up, but Glen was impressed by how well his new skis performed in the crud.

Glen skiing down Upper Elevator

After lunch, I wanted to explore a couple of runs off of Cascade.  I hadn't skied Upper Elevator in a long time, and conditions looked to be good to try it today.  Of course, Glen was game to check it out.  It was a little icy at the bottom, but the views were good at the top, and the snow was nice in between!

Is he a happy guy or what?

I think you can see by the size of his smile that someone really likes his new skis.  I don't think Glen will be using his old straight skis anymore!

Yeah, I'm in my happy place too

And I was a pretty happy camper too.  What an awesome day - nice weather and good snow.  No lift lines.  And a great skiing partner.

Mt. Hood trying to hide behind the clouds

It was great to catch up with Glen and see him discover a new way of skiing.  Of course, he's such a good skier already, with the new skis, he'll be unstoppable!  Hope I can keep up with him.

I've had the opportunity to ski with a lot of wonderful people this winter.  I'm blessed to have so many good ski friends.

:)