Author: Matt

March 3, 2021 – Mary’s Peak

The weather for the first week of March was pretty blase`, so Dan and I made plans to head to Mary’s Peak to see if we could find some corn. Given the recent snow in the cascades followed by the big warm up, we figured it would be mashed potatoes everywhere else. We met in Coburg and headed west, not knowing exactly what we’d find with limited beta. A little over an hour later, we turned off on the Peak road and made our way up. Not terribly surprisingly, there was less snow than I was expecting, and we were able to drive all the way to the main parking area…

Morning at the west prairie
At the parking lot

The incredible views normally afforded from near the top of the peak were a bit muted by a high haze, most likely from slash burning and fires to the south, but it was still very pretty and we were both happy to be out. We donned skins and packs, and soon found ourselves standing at the top of the very short easterly meadows. The snow on the west side was still surprisingly firm, so we elected to make a few runs on the east side, which was already softening nicely in the sun,

Dan dropping in
Turns down the east side

The first lap was quite nice, and after putting in a short boot pack back to the top while Dan skinned, we were ready to drop in for a second run. This time, Dan grabbed the camera and snapped a few pics of me enjoying the turns….

Matt on lap 2
At the bottom of the meadow

We decided to do a couple more laps on skiers right of the east meadow, and found some fun micro terrain in the process. One rollover was about 45 degrees, and the rest of the slope was really fun as well. With four mini-golf runs under our belt, enough time had elapsed that we figured we’d head over towards the actual summit to check out the snow on the rest of the peak.

Dan dropping in for a 3rd time
Looking off towards the top

The skin to the top took no time at all, and we took a quick break to admire the views and pull out a beer from our packs to put on ice. My choice was a Newport Daze from Rogue Brewing, which I enjoyed a little later in the day. It was an obvious choice for the day, given that you can see the Newport bridge from the top of the Peak on a really clear day if you look close enough.

Newport Daze from Rogue Brewing

Before dropping in on the west meadow, we decided to do a couple of quick runs on the southeast meadow, which was pretty short, but looked fun. It proved to be a good choice, as the snow was nearly perfect corn…

Turns on the southeast meadow
Riding above the clouds

After our second run, I booted and Dan skinned back to the top, and we took a minute to enjoy the views. I snapped a few more pictures, including the one below of my board and my second beverage I’d packed with me — a tasty Citrus Mistress from Hop Valley Brewing Company. The plan was to enjoy the Newport Daze up top, and the Citrus Mistress at the bottom of the west meadow.

Looking east from the top of Mary’s Peak

Finally, after several laps of min-golf, it was time for us to enjoy my favorite line at the Peak. Although it isn’t steep, the west side offers turns for nearly a half a mile, and lots of them. I dropped in first, and the initial turns were still firm, but then the snow softened nicely, and I captured a few shots of Dan as he came down.

Dan skiing the west meadow
March turns on Mary’s Peak

We made turn after turn, milking the meadow all the way to the bottom. The snow was pretty thin in places, but given the grass base it didn’t matter. One of the things I love about the Peak is being able to ski a base of only a few inches without worry.

Dan at the bottom of the west meadow

I left my Hop Valley beer at the bottom of the slope after drinking half of it, and we headed up in anticipation of another lap. Part way up, Dan snapped the below picture of me with the coastal clouds and Grass Mountain in the background. Grass Mountain is a special place to me, where I shot my first deer with my dad when I was 13 years old.

Looking out over the coast range

The skin up the west side always takes awhile, but soon we’d made our way back to the top, and readied to drop in for another lap. The snow on run two down the west side was just as good as run one, and again we milked turns all the way to the bottom. We grabbed and finished our waiting beers, then headed back up to the top one last time.

Dan enjoying a second lap on the west meadow
Skinning to the top one final time

At the top, we grabbed our packs, and snapped a few pictures before readying to head back to the car. I pulled out my tripod and took a few shots of the two of us on top, including the picture below looking out to the west towards Newport and the Pacific Ocean.

Matt & Dan on top of Mary’s Peak

Leaving the top, we made some really fun turns on a steep rollover above the road, then cruised back down and out to the car, skiing right to the pavement. The weather was nice and sunny, with a slight breeze, and we were both looking forward to grilling some ‘brats before leaving. After finding a nice place to stage a bit out of the wind, we put the ‘brats on the grill and enjoyed some chips and salsa while they cooked.

Brats ready for the grill

The ‘brats didn’t take long to cook, and after a full day of skiing they definitely hit the spot. We paired ’em with some fresh onions from the garden, and a bit of mustard. That combo is becoming standard apres ski food. A short time later, the food was gone, and we loaded up the truck and headed out, satisfied with a great day of turns on a fun hill a few miles from where I grew up:)

Enjoying ‘brats in the parking lot

 

February 13, 2021 – Avy work and pow turns at the Pass

Saturday looked to be a pretty good day on Patrol, with a load of new snow coming in overnight along with strong winds. I left my house early, and arrived in the patrol lot around 7:30. There were several campers there from the night before, and people were already pulling into the main lot, so I knew it was going to be a busy day.

Early morning at the parking lot
The hill before opening

It snowed pretty hard all morning, and by 8:15 am the rest of the patrol was gathered at the base and we started our morning meeting. I grabbed the avy gear and rope, knowing we’d need to head out on the avy route before we could get Peak 2 open. After the morning announcements, we headed out to open the hill.

P2 morning meeting

We had to hang at the base of EPA for a little while, since the lift had some icing issues from the night before, but once it spun a full revolution, we headed up. Dan, Jon, Brian and I headed over to Peak 2 for the avy work, and Buz went up to get equipment taken care of.

Waiting to load EPA
Buz on the way to Peak 2

At the top, we did a quick beacon check and then headed out. Dan and I noticed right away that we were able to get shooting cracks while doing ski cuts along the top of the ridge between Northern and June’s, and figured we’d find some interesting results in the meadow.

Dan arriving at Peak 2
Kicking cornices

We worked our way out towards the Nose, then Brian and Dan headed back to setup for the lower route. Jon and I continued on, and roped up once we got to the nose. I donned the harness, and cut some cornices on the Nose that produced some pretty large snow releases. Next, it was time to ski cut the ridge to the west of the Nose. I was glad to be doing so while on belay, since this was one of those days where the whole slope propagated on my first ski cut. It’s always impressive to see the snow run several hundred feet below, and the approximately 18 inch crown and resulting slab that went would have definitely ruined someone’s day.

John after running the ridge

We skied down through the meadow after controlling the rest of the ridge, and then regrouped with Brian and Dan after making a few nice turns. At the bottom of the meadow, I called the route clear, and the patroller at the top of the hill lifted the saddle closure. We made it down to the bottom and were just able to load the chair when the public started showing up at the base.

Jon riding the Peak 2 chair in a whiteout

Dan and I hung around for a few runs on the back, enjoying the fruits of our labor from the morning avy work, and got a couple of good runs in on June’s and Northern before heading back to drop off our gear. On the way back, we needed to give a courtesy ride to a guest that was having difficulty on Twilight.

Dan skiing Northern

Once back at the base, we took the sled back to the top of Twilight, and finally made our way to the car for a quick bite to eat. It continued to snow, so lunch was short due to the weather, and the fact that we were having a pretty busy day with incidents on the hill.

Enjoying a break at the car

I headed back out on the hill after about a 15 minute break, and made my way back to Peak 2. Upon riding the chair back to the top, I need to backup Patrick for a knee laceration injury at the base of Boundary. It ended up being a pretty deep laceration, so I headed down with the sled, ultimately getting pulled around the haul road by Rick and the snowmobile. I was pretty stoked to be riding my Amplid Dada for the haul. Later in the day, we had several more incidents, ultimately ending with 11 incidents and 3 courtesy rides, making for a 14 sled day. Needless to say, all of us were happy when the hill closed, and after a quick evening meeting, it was definitely time for a cold one.

Evening meeting

My beer of choice for the evening was a tasty Hazy Trail, from 10 Barrel Brewing. It definitely hit the spot as I relaxed by the fire and enjoyed it with some of the motor home crowd. Eventually, it was time to head home, but given it was a long weekend, I was looking forward to coming back with my son on Monday.

Enjoying a cold one after patrol

Shaun and I arrived around 8:30 on Monday, and helped open Twilight. After opening, we headed up to spin a few laps on EPA, and then went to Peak 2 after lunch. Shaun was having fun, and wanted to try some harder runs, so we hit Escalator, Destiny and then Northern.

Shaun skiing Escalator

It was his first time ever down Northern, and it was great to see him excel. After spending some time on Peak 2, we headed back over to Twilight to finish off our day with a few runs on the front, before heading out around 2:45. All in all, it was an excellent weekend on patrol at the Pass, with good snow as well.

Matt & Shaun on Peak 2

 

3-6-2011 – 350 work at the Pass

Sun was in the forecast and it looked to be a fun day at the Pass. After our morning meeting, we headed out to open the hill, which went smoothly. A short time later, I found myself helping with the sled training crew on the frontside. The goal for the day was to get some work in with both the 100 and the 350. I split my time between shooting photos and riding in the sled as ballast for Raleigh, Amber, Val and Norm.

Running down Timbur

We spun a couple of laps with the 100 on the frontside, and then it was time to bust out the 350. Amber and Raleigh were rocking it, and made it look easy…

Amber & Raleigh running the 350
Heading down Timbur Glades

Before long it was time for lunch, and then some more training. We continued to work the frontside, and it was Val’s turn to spend a little time in the handles of the 350.

Val & Raleigh running the 350 unloaded
Amber pulling Cyndy

Before long, the hours of the afternoon wore on, and it was time to put the sleds away and get ready to close the mountain. Sweep went smoothly, and soon we were down at the base for the evening meeting before calling it a day. All in all, it was another great day at the Pass. Here’s a couple of additional shots from the day.

Amber & Norm above the lake
Cruising down the Glades

January 31, 2021 – A better day than forecast

The final day of January turned out to be a pretty good one at the Pass. Patrol 2 was on the schedule, and I was hill chiefing for the day, so I arrived at the hill early to take care of business prior to opening. The forecast was calling for 1-2 inches during the day, and I wasn’t expecting much. It looked like about an inch had fallen overnight, and it was still coming down as we conducted our morning meeting and headed out to open the hill.

Early morning before opening

It didn’t take long to get the frontside open, and Peak 2 was open a few minutes after that. It continued snowing, and conditions were pretty good on the back, even though the day before had seen the biggest crowd of the season at the hill. I snapped a few pictures of patrol gearing up to open the mountain, and then headed over to Peak 2.

Matthew & Anna up top

After a lap on the backside, I hung out up top for a few minutes, hoping to run into Andy who was coming up for the day. After about a 5 minute wait, I spotted him on the chair and we were able to get a few runs together. We headed down through Obvious Choice, which rode really nicely, and then decided to check out Lighthouse. Surprisingly, nobody had skied the headwall the day before, so we dropped in for some really nice turns…

Andy skiing lighthouse
Andy on the Peak 2 chair

A couple of calls came in over the radio that I had to dispatch, and then it was time for a second lap, this time heading over towards Dragon’s to check out the terrain in the glades. It turned out to be a good call, and we were able to enjoy some good turns there as well. All the while it continued to dump really hard…

Turns below Dragon’s Back
A quick break below Dragon’s

Back up top, I convinced one of my fellow patrollers to snap a picture of Andy and I, and even though I had my patrol coat on, it reminded me of the days gone by of some good lift-accessed ski turns we used to make all over the state over 10-15 years ago at places like Mt Hood Meadows, Timberline, Mt Bachelor, Hoodoo, and the Pass.

At the top of Peak 2

We made three or four more runs back on Peak 2, and around 1:00 headed down for lunch. I bid Andy farewell, knowing he was leaving in an hour or so and that there was additional work to do on the frontside. It was snowing hard at base when I got down, and after a hasty lunch, I headed back out on the hill.

Snowing hard at the base

It continued to snow for the rest of the day, and we had a couple more incidents and courtesy rides, but overall it was a really good day. Peak 2 sweep commenced at 3:40 per usual, and even though it was the end of January, it was only the second time during the season that I was able participate as an actual sweeper and make it to the bottom.

Peak 2 closing

After Peak 2 sweep, we headed over to EPA to close the upper mountain, and pushed off a few minutes after 4 in the thick clouds and snow. I stayed up top while the sweepers headed down, which is always a nice treat to be the last person up there, then vacated via RTS to help Anna on Twilight. Since we were pretty short staffed, we had to get help from the area to sweep all but one run on Twilight, and then it was off to do some fencing work before ending the day.

Getting ready for Upper Mtn sweep
Anna after some fencing work

The day ended with our evening meeting, and a picture of Patrol 2 and the flexers that I took while everyone did their best to maintain social distancing. Overall, it was a really nice day that exceeded expectations, and by the day’s end there was 8 inches of new snow up top.

The crew after a long day
Heading for home

After putting the radios away, checking the incident report forms, and wiping down the aid room, it was time to head out. The drive down highway 58 went smoothly, and soon I was home by the fire enjoying a “free” beer courtesy of Oakshire Brewing that had been donated to the patrol. This offering was an old favorite — a smooth tasting Watershed IPA that definitely hit the spot.

Watershed IPA

With a snowier than forecast day over and another patrol day in the books, the final day of January was definitely one to remember, and hopefully a precursor for things to come later this season.