As hard as it was to believe, July was here already and I was looking to get my turns in early. After visiting Tam Rim and the South Sister the week before on a tw0-day hiking trip with my son Carson, I was keen to head back to the Snow Creek area to do some patch skiing in an area that I had visited numerous times during the winter but never in the summer. Carson and my visit to Snow Creek at the end of June was a blast, and proved to be a great recon mission for how the snow conditions were holding up.
A week after our trip, I had my gear packed and woke early and made the drive over to Sisters in good time. After charging the Tesla in Sisters, I headed up the road and made it to the trailhead, shouldered my pack and gear, and started up the trail. The view out over Three Creeks Lake and Tam Rim was nice, and reminded me of all the good times spent in the area during the winter over the years.
I made it to the top of the Rim quickly, and stopped for a quick break to get some water and a snack, before continuing out on the unmaintained trail towards Snow Creek and Broken Hand. My brief stop offered a nice break to snap a few photos, including the shots below. Looking out towards the Middle and North Sisters (4th shot below), I couldn’t help but think about the passing of my friend Stratton, and how he loved those two mountains in particular. Rest in peace Stratton.
The hike from the Prow to Snow Creek was easy, and I passed the first large patch of snow in favor of the patches further out, with the goal of riding a few lines on the first patch on my return. Soon, I had not only a good view north towards Mt Washington and Three Fingered Jack, but a commanding view south toward Broken Top, South Sister and Mt Bachelor.
I came to a first good viewpoint and met a couple of hikers enjoying the view. After chatting with them for a bit, it was time to head just a bit further out and get started on some turns.
Upon reaching the first nice patch in Snow Creek, I put my splitboard into ride mode and readied to drop in. The turns down the snow were smooth corn, and I enjoyed an excellent lap to the bottom, before putting in a boot pack to do it again.
My second lap was equally as nice as my first, and this time I spent a few minutes at the bottom, snapping a few photos, eating a quick snack, and just enjoying the views. It also felt like an appropriate time to bust out the fresh raspberries I’d brought along to enjoy. One of the main things I like about early summer is the all the fresh berries that are in season, and these did not disappoint!
Shortly after enjoying my berries, I headed back up my bootpack, and once at the top, continued out the trail further towards Broken Top to ski another patch a bit further out. This patch proved to be equally as nice as the first, so I laid down 4 lines on the slope over the course of the next couple of hours.
The skies started to cloud up some as the afternoon wore on, and I began to get a bit nervous about the possibility of thunderstorms, so after enjoying my Kirkland energy drink, I decided to pack up my gear and head back to the first patch of snow about a half mile or so back down the trail.
The weather stayed nice and the thunderstorms didn’t materialize, so I enjoyed three laps on the last patch of snow along with a cold and tasty Lizard’s Mouth Imperial IPA from Figueroa Brewing that I’d picked up in California while vacationing with the family. And if that wasn’t good enough, the icing on the cake for this spot were the great views afforded when looking to the southeast towards Mt Bachelor.
After my last lap, I rode down close to the trail, and packed up my board for the hike out, satisfied with a great day of July turns. The below shot is looking back at my tracks on the patch with Broken Top in the background.
The hike out went fairly quick, and I stopped briefly at the top of the Rim to enjoy the views down onto Three Creeks Lake and Little Three Creeks Lake.
Before long I was back at the car and had it loaded up and ready to go. One more brief stop in Sisters to charge and get some dinner at Ray’s was in order before heading home, and after that was complete, it was an easy drive back on highway 20. Looking back on the day, I’m pretty happy with my choice of heading to Tam Rim, and think I may even give it a go in August on a normal snow year.
Below are a few shots of Carson and I from the week before that inspired me to come back with my snowboard in tow, including a couple from Tam Rim as well as one from the summit of South Sister.
And of course, a parting shot from my July ski day to Snow Creek.
