NSP Women’s Sled Clinic at the Pass

On the 9th of February, I had the pleasure of attending the first National Ski Patrol Women’s Clinic held at Willamette Pass. It was a regular patrol day for me, and after our morning meeting we opened the mountain prior to the clinic beginning. The runs on Peak two skied really well, given that 6 inches of snow had fallen a few days prior and the lifts hadn’t turned until Saturday morning. After getting a good dose of new snow and several runs, I grabbed my camera and joined the ladies, who were doing drills with the 350 sleds on Where’s Waldo…

Driving the 350 backwards
Driving the 350 backwards
Val driving the 350 with Cyndy giving instruction
Val driving the 350 with Cyndy giving instruction

Most of the ladies at the clinic were from Willamette Pass, but there were several women from Mt Hood and at least one from Mt Bachelor. After skill drills on Waldo, we headed in for lunch. I grabbed some food in the lodge for the first time in several years, not having time to pack a lunch after getting home late the night before from a great tour at Mt Hood. The mini pizza I ordered was actually pretty tasty. After lunch, we headed out again for some more training with loaded sleds.

The ladies at the sled clinic
The ladies at the sled clinic

The women were killing it running the loaded sleds.  I was impressed with the way they handled the 350 as we cruised down Waldo for a few more runs, with each lady taking turns in both the front and rear handles.

Cruising down Waldo with a loaded 350
Cruising down Waldo with a loaded 350
Mindy, Cyndy & Val practicing with the 350
Mindy, Cyndy & Val practicing with the 350

After several runs on Waldo, the group headed over to June’s Run to step it up a notch. Just like on Waldo, the ladies cruised down the run with loaded sled like they did it every day, looking strong in the handles. I was able to snap a few photos on June’s but ended up getting called to a few incidents, including three separate ones for a bloody chin, a hurt shoulder and a twisted ankle. The twisted ankle and hurt shoulder both ended up in sled rides, and I was able to tail rope on both.

Taking the 350 down June's
Taking the 350 down June’s

After the sled rides, I coordinated sweep on EPA and enjoyed the solitude of being alone up top while everyone closed the frontside runs.  Once the top was clear, Dan and I vacated via RTS to help sweep the lower mountain. Cold beer hit the spot a bit later after our evening meeting, and it was the end of another good day of patrolling at Willamette Pass. Here’s a parting shot from the day…..

Heading up EPA
Heading up EPA

February 2, 2013 – Mary’s Peak

After missing the weather window for powder earlier in the week, finding some nice corn snow to ride in the warming temps seemed like the next best bet. With the forecast calling for freezing levels around 5000 feet over the weekend with sunny skies, the timing seemed right to head for Mary’s Peak for some turns. Ron had been wanting to get to the Peak at some point during the winter, and was game to make the drive south, so we made plans for a Saturday ski tour. After meeting in Corvallis around 7:30, we headed west through the thick fog, which gave way to clear skies and sunshine a few miles outside Philomath. Turning off highway 34 and cruising up the winding paved road, we eventually got our first glimpse of the mountain.

Thinking that the mountain would be caked white from the recent storm that dumped over three feet of snow in the Cascades, our hearts sank a bit when we saw the very meager coverage on the south side of the hill. It appeared the storm had dumped quite a bit of rain on Mary’s before it moved out, leaving a patchwork of rain runnels and spotty snow. Not to be deterred however, our plans changed from exploring the steep north side to lapping what snow we could find on the west prairie and beyond. Parking just before Parker Creek Falls, we skinned up the road and our spirits picked up a bit when we saw the snow covered west prairie……

Ron and Mary's Peak
Ron and Mary’s Peak

One thing I always seem to forget is how quickly the snow on the south side melts out and that the south aspect is the first one visible from the road below. With renewed spirits, we skinned onward towards the west prairie. Crossing Parker Creek is always fun, and it’s enjoyable to skin along the rushing water and breathe in the fresh mountain air soaked with the scent of the beautiful hemlocks…..

Touring along Parker Creek
Touring along Parker Creek

After the creek crossing, we popped out on the south prairie and skinned up the frozen surface towards the summit. Several minutes later, we arrived to one of my favorite views in the state of Oregon. Looking out over the Willamette Valley, which was engulfed in a sea of clouds, we could see 13 volcanoes along the cascade crest, from Mt Rainier to the north to Mt Thielsen to the south.

Ron on the summit of Mary's Peak
Ron on the summit of Mary’s Peak
Skinning north from the summit
Skinning north from the summit
Mt Hood from Mary's Peak
Mt Hood from Mary’s Peak

Shortly after reaching the top, a solo skier named Malcom cruised up and we chatted a bit while enjoying the views. A bit later, we decided to tour around the mountain and check out a few other aspects while waiting for the snow to corn on the summit prairie. We made a short but fun lap off the easterly pitch above the summer parking lot, finding some excellent corn snow……

Ron enjoying some Mary's Peak corn
Ron enjoying some Mary’s Peak corn
Cruising down with the Willamette Valley below
Cruising down with the Willamette Valley below

After a our short lap on the east slope, we headed down below the summer parking lot on the low angle snow as far aw we could until we quit gliding, enjoying the fun turns all the way. We found a nice noble fir with a bit of shade that made a great spot to stop for lunch. The old growth nobles on Mary’s Peak are worth the visit alone……

Ron enjoying lunch on the Peak
Ron enjoying lunch on the Peak

After lunch, we motored back up and made another quick lap on the east side, stopping at the bottom to explore the trees. Good lines exist, but none held enough snow to make it worth the while. Someday though, I’ll get up to the Peak in the right conditions to make powder turns down through 35-40 degree old growth noble firs, but all we could do on this day was imagine how good it could be…

Ron scoping out the tree lines
Ron scoping out the tree lines

Back on the summit, the snow had corned enough by early afternoon to make for some great turns on the summit prairie. Cruising down the low angle slope in perfect corn while being able to see ocean is such a treat. At the bottom, I could tell Ron was pretty happy with the previous run, and the smile on his face said that one run justified him making the long trek down from Portland. We cruised back up and made a few more laps, each one perfectly smooth and nice…

Corn turns on the summit prairie
Corn turns on the summit prairie

Heading out, we met up with a fellow named Kirk after crossing Parker Creek, and enjoyed a pleasant conversation while skinning back towards the car. Rather than skinning back down the road, we elected to head down the west prairie to maximize our vertical for the day with the hopes of hiking down through the thick trees to the road below, thereby eliminating much of the road slog on the way out. Our plan worked to perfection, and we had another three hundred feet of vertical to add to the day….

Ron making turns in the west prairie
Ron making turns in the west prairie

Hiking down through the trees went off without a hitch, but getting to the road proved to be a bit difficult due to the steep slope on the cut bank, but we managed without incident. After a short 1/4 mile ski back down the road, we were celebrating the day with a well deserved IPA, reflecting back on what is always a unique experience in making turns on Mary’s Peak. Back in Corvallis, we stopped off at McMenamin’s for a burger before calling it a day. A good beer and a burger always hit the spot after a long day of riding! Given our expectations for the day, I was happy with the riding we found! Corn snow in the winter is always a treat, but I’m already dreaming of scoring some powder turns in the noble’s sometime in the future!