June 7, 2013 – Wy’East Face, Mt Hood
The Wy’East face is a Mt Hood classic. Towering high above the slopes of the Mt Hood Meadows ski area, the line beckons to any rider who’s ever looked at it. Averaging 40 plus degrees for the first thousand feet, and over 30 degrees for the next thousand, it’s sustained pitch makes it one of the better lines on Mt Hood and one I’d been wanting to visit. And, with a ridiculously busy weekend and coming work week ahead of me, I was in need of a day off to free my mind and couldn’t think of a finer place to visit. My buddy Joe was up for the trip, and we made plans to head up on Thursday evening and camp near the Meadows ski area gate. After picking up Joe in Albany, we made quick time up the freeway to Government Camp. Looking at the mountain from Govy, I could tell quite a bit of snow had melted in the six days since I’d been there for the nuts and bolts clinic at Timberline. Shortly thereafter, we pulled into the Meadows parking lot, scoped out our climbing line for the following morning and drooled over the Wy’East. The face appeared to in pristine condition, though the Newton Clark headwall did show evidence of some recent wet slide activity. Car camping for the evening was pretty sweet and a nice change of pace from lugging an overnight pack somewhere for several miles. After dinner, I busted out the tripod and snapped a few photos of the mountain in the evening alpenglow…..
I slept good during the night, which was nice since our 3:00 am wake up call was pretty early. After a quick breakfast, Joe and I headed up the hill at our planned time of 4:00 am. We were able to skin on continuous snow from the base area and it was light enough to skin without the headlamps by 4:15. As we worked our way towards the top of the Cascade lift, the the sun began rising from the east….
Shortly after we cruised past the top of the Cascade terminal, the Wy’East came into view and we got some good looks at the face. Nearly as impressive was looking to the south and seeing Mt Jefferson, Middle Sister, North Sister and Broken Top looming in the morning rays. The view down onto the White River Glacier was pretty nice from the east side as well.
Around 8000 feet the snowpack consisted of a mix of new mushy snow over old firm snow, ranging in depth from 3-12 inches depending upon aspect. Skinning was a breeze and we made good time climbing up. Looking up at the Wy’East, the slope was a blank canvas with the blanket of fresh snow, with no evidence of recent tracks, bootpacks, etc. Joe and I were a bit worried about the possibility of a wet slide, but pressed on as the snow was holding up fine down lower and agreed to assess the conditions as we gained elevation.
Looking out over the Newton Clark glacier and beyond, I could see the mighty Columbia River winding along it’s path on the horizon, illuminated by the morning sun. Multiple thoughts crossed my mind as I gazed out at the river, including what an adventure it must have been for the pioneers that rafted the river from The Dalles to Portland en route on the Oregon Trail. It also made me reminisce of numerous September backcountry bowhunting adventures with my father, where I’d gaze up at the snow covered slopes of the Newton Clark and Wy’East face while driving along I-84 and imagine climbing up for late season turns.
After a quick 10 minute break for lunch, we continued upward. The wind had been coming and going all day, and it was warm when there wasn’t any, cool when there was and irritating when it was gusting. A few of the gusts were sustained for a couple of minutes and pushing 30 miles per hour. We skinned for as long as we could, wanting to avoid booting until it was absolutely necessary.
Above the last rock patch we switched to booting where the slope transitioned to a steeper angle. The first 500 feet or so was easy booting, but the last several hundred feet to the summit ridge was over softened and very taxing. We topped out near 10,700 feet and both of us were looking forward to the views down into the crater from above. It was not to be however, since in the last 2o minutes or so prior to reaching the summit ridge a large lenticular cloud was forming which completed blocked the views to the south and west. Standing at the summit ridge for several minutes with the wind was blowing 30 plus miles per hour, it was evident the sky wasn’t going to clear up anytime soon, so we retreated to ride the Wy’East face while the visibility was still good.
I dropped in first while Joe spotted from above, and made turns a a few hundred feet down the steep slope. Though soft, the snow skied very well and consistently. I stopped at the top of a rock feature and snapped some photos of Joe as he came down and then by me…
Standing at the top of the rock features, we chose to ski through to the left, making turns down the perfect pitch. I waited until Joe was down past the steeper section and at a safe place before heading down. The slope was so nice I opened it up a bit and ripped down making wide sweeping turns, covering 800 feet or so in no time at all.
We took turns with the camera, leap frogging each other down the slope and snapping pics along the way. Lower down the slope mellowed a bit and became a bit stickier but was still good for ripping turns. I found a place to setup and snap a couple shots of Joe skiing with the White River Canyon and Mt Jefferson in the background…
After skiing the Wy’East proper, we crossed the rock ridge and scoped out options for skiing into the Superbowl and upper Heather Canyon. The snow in upper Superbowl looked pretty nice, but lower down conditions appeared to deteriorate. With the warm temperatures of the day, we decided to ski the upper half of the bowl and then traverse out and back to the ski area. Joe dropped in and made effortless turns down the smooth snow….
The upper part of Superbowl skied nice as expected, and it was really tempting to drop all the way down. In fact, at one point we reconsidered it and almost did. The slope had it all, but the snow conditions lower down just weren’t quite what we were looking for so the lower half of the bowl would have to wait for another day. After traversing over to where we could see the top of the Cascade lift, a few rock portages were necessary before we got to the large snowfield above the ski area. The ski down through the resort was on dirty snow, but still fun and beat hiking for sure! We were able to link snow patches near the bottom and ride all the way to the parking lot, making for a top to bottom ski of 5500 feet of turns! Not bad for June!
Back at the car, we aired out our gear, changed into shorts and flip flops and grabbed a well-earned ice cold beer. Looking back up at our route, the summit was still engulfed in the lenticular cloud, proving our decision to descend when we did to be a good one. Driving home on Highway 35, the Wy’East came into view and both Joe and I were stoked to see what we’d just skied. Given all the Wy’East has to offer – big vertical, steep slopes, objective dangers (rockfall, avalanche potential, etc.) and awesome scenery, I’d say it’s definitely a Mt Hood classic!
June 1, 2013 – Timberline nuts and bolts clinic
After taking a reign check the last couple of years, I decided it was finally time to head up to Mt Hood and check out the Nuts and Bolts clinic sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Division of the National Ski Patrol. Plans were made to head to Gresham with my wife and boys on Friday night, ride on Saturday, and then visit with family Saturday night and Sunday. Conditions looked good on Friday, as several friends who were at the mountain confirmed with pictures posted on Facebook of sunshine and fresh snow. On Saturday morning, I left early and headed up Highway 26 after a hasty breakfast. Being a bit early, I stopped along the highway prior to Government Camp and snapped a few photos of the mountain in the early morning light. The below photo in black and white proved to be my favorite….
By 7:15 I was sitting in the Timberline parking lot watching a lenticular cloud on the mountain’s upper slopes flirt with numerous climbers coming down off the Hogsback. By 7:30, I was geared up and ready to go, heading for the Wy’East day lodge to listen to a brief presentation on the day’s events. There was a morning raffle, highlighted by the Fuxi rep giving away a number of different items. Then, it was time to get on the slopes and have a little fun. I ended up in the instructor tool kit for sleds and toboggans, along with fellow Willamette Pass ski patrollers Ian, Jeremy & Jim. One thing I noticed initially as we rode up the Mile Chairlift was the crown face and associated debris in the west crater route from the previous snowfall….
The morning started off with a number of drills related to sled handling, including much discussion about proper stance, weight distribution for running sleds, etc. We also discussed learning styles a bit, which I found interesting. The upper mountain became enshrouded in clouds from the mid-Palmer level up, and at one point it even rained on up for a few minutes, but for most of the day the weather was pleasant and sunny like the below photo shows….
One interesting drill we did involved laying 6 or 7 ski poles perpendicular to the slope about 15 feet apart and then jumping over them in succession. On a board, this is easier said than done, but doable. The first few poles are easy to ollie over, but the last couple much more difficult due to the speed one builds up without being able to speed check!
After drills, we pulled out the Edge sled for a bit of play time before wrapping up the clinic by 12:30 so we could head off and free ride for the remainder of the day. Next year I think I’ll spend a couple of days on the mountain during the clinic, and take advantage of the easy access to the southside routes with lift assist from the Palmer. The upper slopes around Crater Rock and Illumination Rock were looking pretty tasty. Unfortunately for me my day came to an end shortly after the training was over, as I broke my carbon fiber highback on my binding. It wasn’t all for not though, as I’d already had a good day and was able to spend a few more hours with the family. Here’s a parting shot of Willamette Pass ski patrollers Joe and Kevin enjoying a day of lift served riding at Timberline in June!
Jones Solution Split
The Solution from Jones Snowboards is a split which performs admirably in all types of terrain and conditions. I’ve been riding the Solution for three seasons now, and I’ve really appreciated it’s reliability and predictability in all snow types from powder to ice. Although I recently upgraded to custom Chimera Mace for riding on the volcanoes, the Solution still holds a place in my quiver and gets used several times each winter.
General Impressions: The Solution is marketed as an “all conditions” board, but one of the first things I noticed was how well it performs in powder. The blunt nose and directional rocker definitely make a difference and slashing through the deep stuff on this board is a cinch. The overall weight of the board is right in there with similar boards from other companies, and the 161 cm length handles my 175 lb frame plus pack and gear without issue. With the same specifications as the Flagship (the solid version of the Solution that I use for ski patrolling), it’s no wonder the board feels so nice under my feet.
On the Skin Track: The Solution is a solid split. It tours exceptionally well with the Karakoram SL bindings, and I’ve used it with Spark Burner’s with similar results. The combination camber/rocker profile of the base provides more than adequate purchase while skinning, and the width of the skis aren’t too wide, which means you don’t have to break trail even when you’re following a skier.
In Ride Mode: I’ve been very pleased with how the Solution rides. As indicated above, powder performance is great, and the board definitely excels in corn, crud and other conditions. The 9.1 m sidecut (on the 161 cm) allows for quick turn initiation in firm snow, and the camber underfoot coupled with the directional rocker at the tip and tail make the board nice to ride in less than optimal conditions. Mellow magenetraction along the edges add a bit of stability in icy conditions (at least theoretically), and the blunt design of the board’s nose keeps you floating through the pow. One extra nicety with respect to riding is that the board comes equipped with split clips from Karakoram, which really keep the board halves clamped together.
Bottom Line: After some initial quality control concerns during the first year or two of production, Jones has righted the ship and is producing one of the finest all conditions splits on the market. If you want a board that can handle everything, check out the Solution!
More Info: More information about the Solution Split can be found at Jones Snowboards