White-out at Mt Hood? Either way "Whoohoo!

[SWOOP]

Well of course every Southeast ski enthusiast dreams that their trip West will be one to remember, full of fresh light powder-ya know one that exudes that "woohoo" screech as one floats down a selected steep and deep haunt. A trip to be remembered, memories that will be shared with others for years to come. Well, admittedly, that might be a little "dreamy" for mid April, when really all one can hope for is a white surface to extend the season. Of course, I'd be deceiving you if I said that I wasn't hoping for a bit more-after all I could do a book-end trip in Vermont several hundred miles away instead of several thousand.

There was more to this trip than garnering spousal support (can be a herculean task) to simply carve out some me-time on boards.

As a skier and mountain lover, I am blessed to have my father choose Northern Idaho as his retirement home base. I visited a few years ago and hit a snow-starved Schweitzer and Dad came along for a few runs at Lookout, MT. Well that would be all for him on skis "I made it until 80, I'm proud of that " he said glowingly. This trip would combine some father-son time, spring skiing and a round of golf, so Mt Hood seemed like the perfect venue!

Meadows.JPG

DAY 1 MT HOOD MEADOWS

Enough already, did it freaking snow or what...? ...yeah, white-out indeed, 9-15" spring fluff overnight and all day long! That brought a rush of local pow hounds out on a Thursday morning donning their powder boards and faking the sniffles. Me, I had my trusty Brahmas I had dragged across the country and had already banked a solid vacation day, no faking necessary.

MTMFreshies.JPG

I started up the main lift Mt Hood Express in heavy snow and witnessed the first tracks below and did indeed hear the first "Whoohoo" of the day.

Fresh Pow @ Mt Hood Meadows!.JPG

Off to skiers right is what is known as the bowls. one bowl two bowl up to five bowl, each supposedly progressively steeper, I dropped in at two bowl and proceeded to let out my "Whoohoo" as I floated through knee high plus pow! It is what all about for us-that feeling, floating on powder, small you being best you can be-a mere spec in the landscape of nature's awesome cascade range. Epic?, just about! Just short in comparison to floating down thigh deep champagne atop JH's Rendezvous Bowl, undoubtedly my most memorable "Whoohoo" ever (so far)...

Next to HC, Heather Canyon-one of the signature areas of MHM. Along the ridge off of Shooting Star, are a series of gates to drop in to HC. A few of these were open and man was I glad!

HC1.JPG

HC2.JPG

A second signature area of MHM is the PR or Private Reserve, a treed canyon with chutes and cliffs (if so inclined), which was open and that I had planned to try one of the wider passes, however did not pursue after being told Avy beacons were required and I was skiing alone. Incidentally, they were blasting the PR up on our arrival that morning.

7350 is the highest lift-served elevation (Cascade) and provides access to a variety of intermediate and advanced terrain. Cascade did not operate due to low visibility, but the reason (dumping snow) was ok by me and others slaying the fresh pow anywhere they went.

While the Blizzards, appropriately named for this day, got a real test in the fluffy stuff and performed well, in hindsight, I may have been better served to rent some Fatties for this just-short-of-epic powder day. Clearly no regrets.

DAY 2 GOLF AND SKI (in the same day!)

Well not exactly.
On the way to our Airbnb cabin in the valley, we stopped by to check out the golf course, lush green all right, but a bit soggy, ok you would need hip waders to play golf, it had rained so much-while this was disappointing that there would be no golf game together, I knew what it meant just a few miles away and a few thousand feet up!!!

The plan was to play golf in the valley in the morning and then head to SkiBowl for night skiing, (as sort of a rest day between full days of skiing). I had pre-purchased a SkiBowl lifty online , (SkiBowl remains a rare Ma and Pa ski area that has some amazing terrain although the overall mountain is set at lower elevations), which I wanted to show my support for and it fit into our plan...until arriving and it was, ah, CLOSED! Oh #&!@ Now what? We quickly mobilized plan B and hightailed up to Timberline to save the day.

Upon arrival at Timberline, one is immediately struck by the sight of Timberline Lodge, a hand- made wooden lodge that dates back to the 1930's and was erected as a WPA project, ordered by President Roosevelt, to provide jobs during the depression.



The central head house section is hexagonal and 60 feet in diameter, with a six-sided stone chimney stack 92 feet high and 14 feet in diameter. Massive hand-hewn logs, six feet in diameter, rise to support the structure, fastened with traditional timber truss framing with wooden pegs and hand-hammered iron reinforcement strapping.

Unfortunately, yesterday's powder dump had turned to cement, visibility was poor, and I there was mix of rain sleet snow leaving me soaking by skiers days end. All said, I was, after all skiing, had learned my way around the lower mountain, and I was poised for tomorrow and there was more snow in the forecast...

DAY 3 TIMBERLINE

Temperatures held cool for the day and it dried out for the first time all week I was not wiping my goggles every seven seconds. New snow did not materialize overnight, but woke to freshly groomed trails and soft but firm surface-it was as a groomer day and time to just make laps and lettum ride...and ski I did; rope-to-rope covering all she has to offer across 3 quad Express lifts.

As the day progressed, the clouds began to lift as if to slowly reveal herself and that she still had 5000 feet of mountain above what could be seen. Views of upper Magic Mile lift and even lower Palmer were now temporarily visible.

My purpose for selecting Timberline was in part the yearn to ski the open Palmer snow field above the trees where the pitch of the dormant volcano begins to rise toward the mouth--where Cat rides are offered to the summit of Palmer prior to the Palmer lift opening late spring and into the summer.

While it was not to be this day due to lack of visibility and frankly skiers and riders (this mountain is a snowboarders dream chalk full of TP's, jumps and large half pipe, that said the lower mountain, while offering a variety of nice long cruisers, leaves much to be desired in terms of longer sustained challenging pitches for more experienced skiers).

Just as it had finally begun to clear, and I made my last runs (snuck in at Stormin Normin at the 330 "buzzer"), clouds rolled in, it started to snow and the next 2-day storm was moving in.

Finally, while not explored this trip, there are many back country trails at Timberline that afford snowshoeing as well as an off piste ski trail all of the way down from the lowest lift served (Molly) into Govy (Government Camp).

Oh and one observatory note Southeasters: I never saw a single snow gun.

Cheers! to any effort to extend the season and post your TR, have an awesome rest-of-the-winter and a great summer!

[davidski]

Swoop, what is up with the pictures? Only one shows.

I have only skied Mt. Hood meadows twice and Timberline three times, unfortunately none of those were good snow days -- sounds like you got some fresh snow

As a carpenter and furniture maker with a love of the craftsman movement, I'd say you are so right about Timberline lodge -- every aspect and detail, every hinge and massive fireplace andiron was hand made with a uniform vision. So beautiful to see it in person. Skiing at Timberline is less impressive compared to Meadows I thought.

I intend on making sure to extend my season well into April next year, good call; And you spent it with your father, great call.

[SWOOP]

Well,
Thanks for reading, I'm having all kinds of fun with images! Upside down, missing, deleted, out of memory? I forget-

Here are some of Timberline. Yes, I agree without Palmer open, Tline is just average.

Tline Molly.JPG

[SWOOP]

Swoop at Tline!

Bumps.JPG

Buzz Cut.JPG

Swoop.JPG