April 20, 2025 – A beautiful Easter at the Pass

After celebrating Easter with the family a day early, I headed up to the Pass for a day with Patrol 2 on Easter Sunday. The weather was looking to be quite nice, with clear skies and warm temps forecast for the day. We’d planned an Easter brunch as well, and I was looking forward to some good potluck style food. After our morning meeting, we headed out to open the hill. At the top of EPA, I snapped a bunch of pics of patrollers getting ready for the day, including the two pics below.

Zach up top to start the morning
The morning crew up top

Ian grabbed a few pictures as well, and even got me in one of them. He was nice enough to send it my way….

EPA Opening – courtesy of Ian Doremus

After spinning a lap on the front and getting the mountain open, I headed to the back and put in a bit of work there. At the top, I grabbed a few pictures of Emily and Andy before setting off for opening another run.

Emily at the top of Peak 2
Andy ready to take some boo to the base

After getting the back open, I headed back down to the patrol room to tidy up the avalanche gear for the season and take care of a few other tasks. By the time I was done with that, it was getting close to lunch time, so I headed out to the car for a quick minute and snapped a couple of pics before coming back to enjoy the potluck.

The Pass road sign
Looking up at the hill from outside of patrol

On my way back to the patrol room I found Zach tending to some food on the grill, and when I entered the patrol room, the potluck was in full swing! I loaded my plate with some Easter ham, some salad, and a few other items, and wolfed it down before heading back out on the hill.

Zak tending the grill

I rode up to the top of EPA to sit bump for an hour, and brought my telephoto lens along with me to shoot a few pictures of the peaks to the south of the Pass, including Diamond, Redtop and Lakeview.

Diamond from the top of EPA
Redtop and beyond
Lakeview Peak

I also snapped a few photos of my beer I was hoping to enjoy later in the evening – a tasty PFriem lager from PFriem Beer. After situating the can in some grass down below the top terminal, I found a composition that showcased the golden can.

A tasty Pfriem lager
Amber and Scot at the top of EPA – taken while on bump

A bit later, I heard some traffic on the radio and it sounded like Ian and Mark were going to be giving our dispatcher Kris a sled ride so she could experience the “ride down” that a patient experiences while in a sled. 10 minutes later or so, Ian and Kris arrived at the top of EPA and Ian began rigging the sled to take here down.

James, Kris and Ian on the EPA chair
Ian discussing how we transport patients

It was about time for my bump to be over, and before I headed down to shoot a few pics of Ian, Kris and Mark, James offered to take a quick shot of me and Diamond Peak. I returned the favor and snapped a picture of him and Emily, before getting a shot of all of us reflecting in the EPA camera.

Matt at the top of EPA
Emily & James with Diamond Peak
Reflections from the EPA camera

A few more pics of the Easter crew followed — like I mentioned, it was beautiful weather and a beautiful day for taking pictures.

Some of the P2 Easter crew at the top of EPA
Patrollers at the top of EPA
Zach, Althea and James enjoying the sun and the view

Eventually, I strapped into my bindings and slid down the toothpaste tube and caught up with Ian and Mark running Kris down in the sled. I snapped several photos as they headed down KP, including the three below.

Ian & Mark giving Kris a courtesy ride
Cruising down KP
Passing the Sleepy headwall

Down at the base, we put the sled contents back in the sled, and returned the sled back to the top of EPA. I took a stroll through the patrol room to see if any patrollers were in need of assistance with their patients, and surprisingly the aid room was empty, so I headed up to the deck to get a view of the mountain. The below shot, while not seeming to be anything special, is pretty cool, since this spring marked the first time the outdoor deck had been open in many, many years (I can’t remember it being open in the last 15-20 years)!

The view from the lodge deck
Amber hanging out on bump

The rest of my afternoon was spent spinning a few laps on EPA and riding RTS, which had corned nicely in the afternoon sun, as well as shooting some photos of a bald eagle at the top of EPA. There was actually a pair of eagles hanging out up top, but by the time I got up there only one remained for the photo op.

A bald eagle near the top of EPA
Diamond Peak and Mr. Eagle
Perched on a dead snag at the top of the Pass

After walking down the toothpaste tube a short ways to get the optimal angle to shoot pics of the eagle, I headed back up and grabbed a picture of Michael, Craig and Ken hanging out up top, before heading down for a final lap on RTS before Peak 2 sweep.

Michael, Craig and Ken lounging in the sun atop EPA
RTS on Easter Sunday

I made to the top of Peak 2 in time for our afternoon sweep, and just before we began sweep we orchestrated a quick group shot of our Easter crew.

The Easter Crew ready for Peak 2 sweep

Sweep went quickly, and we actually had time to get one last lap in before upper mountain sweep began. James, Emily and I headed down across the James Bond trail and skied down Eagle’s, which was pretty soft in the afternoon sun, but still quite fun.

James & Emily skiing Eagles

We made it back to to the top with ample time to spare, and a few minutes later the call came across the radio and upper mountain sweep was on. We had extra bodies at the top, so I doubled up with Zach and we swept Success, which is my second favorite run to sweep next to RTS.

Zach closing Success
Waiting for lower mountain sweep to begin

Both upper and lower mountain sweep went smoothly, and soon the crew was down in the patrol room, happy to have another good day on the mountain come to a close. A few beverages and snacks after the evening meeting capped off the day, and eventually we threw the gear in the car and headed down the highway with another fun day of patrolling at the Pass in the books! 

3/22/25 & 4/5/25 – Powder, Sun & Ski Testing

The middle end of March rolled in with a storm for the ages, dumping about six feet of snow over the previous Saturday and Sunday, and it stayed cold for much of the week. After getting out the previous Saturday for a non-patrol fun ski day with Andy, I was back on duty on the 22nd and captured a few photos of the mountain looking absolutely buried. The snow stake was holding steady at about 138 inches, which is about as high as I’ve ever seen it. Someday I want to see the Boundary Pass sign completely buried!

Peak 2 snow stake nearly buried

Since we’d had about 4-6 inches of snow overnight, we decided to run the avalanche route, but my suspicions of nothing moving proved out after we ran the ridge and setup the belay to ski cut the meadow. Nevertheless, it was good to run the route because you never know what you’re gonna’ find.

Patrollers on the avalanche route
The belay tree on the Nose

It really was amazing to see all the snow at the Pass, and the backside truly was buried. When I got to the base of Peak 2 after doing the avy route, I had to snap a picture of the Peak 2 base sign nearly buried!

Peak 2 base sign

The rest of the day went played out like most patrol days had this season, we had a few incidents, a few sled rides, and some good turns. I snapped a picture of a few of the P2 crew in the patrol room when I came in to put the avalanche pack away, and then took the camera off for the day.

P2 crew in the patrol room

A couple of weeks later, I was back at the Pass for a day of patrol, this time with out Shaun since he ended up taking a baseball to the eye and was on light duty for two weeks. The weather was a start contrast to the month of March, and it was sunny and nice. I headed up to help open EPA and it was super icy and firm. Naturally nobody wanted to open RTS, so I volunteered. It was scary icy, and after making my way down, I ended up opening most of Twilight since the lift was having problems.

An April opening on Twilight

After doing equipment and weather, and stationing the sled near the end of the unloading ramp, I opened Swoosh, West Rough Cut, and Rough Cut, I headed back up to the top of EPA hoping to come down RTS and get the other runs before anyone else was able to get up Midway. My plan didn’t work out as folks topped on on the Midway lift just before I made it back to the top of EPA, so I enjoyed the view before heading down to help with the ski tests.

Ben and Dan at the top of EPA

It had been a year or two since I’d helped out with the ski testing, and there was a slew of folks signed up for testing this year. We had about 12-15 ready to go on this day, so I headed out with Joe, Andy, Ian and jenn, and we made our way to the top of Twilight (via Midway) for a run before heading to EPA to spin a couple of laps on Eagle’s.

Ski Testing on Eagle’s Flight
Paul cranking some turns

We put the crew through the paces, evaluating long, medium and short radius turns, as well as overall skiing ability and the ability to follow simple directions. The folks did well and we wrapped up just before Jen was done grilling burgers. Ultimately, we ended up passing 4-5 folks.

Paul skiing down to the group

By the time we were done I was definitely hungry, and Jen’s burgers hit the spot. She was happy to grill for everyone and we were happy to eat! I snapped a few pics before taking my burger and chowing down with the crew in the patrol room.

Jen serving Ian a burger
Jen tending the grill

The afternoon was filled with more sun, and it was nice to get out and make some turns with Patrol 3. I headed over to Peak 2 after lunch and enjoyed some good turns on the backside before heading up to the top at 3:30 for sweep.

Toby and crew atop EPA
Patrollers getting ready for Peak 2 sweep

Peak 2 sweep went smoothly, and soon I was hiking to EPA for upper mountain sweep. When I arrived at the top, I found Dan, Ian and Sarah all hanging out waiting for last chair.

Dan, Ian and Sarah waiting for Upper Mountain sweep

I also snapped a few pics of Asa, Adair and Asher before we started sweep. It was just a good day for shooting some pictures with the beautiful weather.

Asa, Adair and Asher before sweep
Asa, Adair and Asher

Upper mountain, and then lower mountain sweep both went smoothly, and Toby held a quick evening meeting so we could jump in and enjoy some chips and salsa as well as some hard earned beverages. I had a cold Pale Ale from Ninkasi Brewing on the snow that I was looking forward to drinking, and that’s exactly what I did.

Ninkasi Pale Ale

I hung around the patrol room for another half hour or so, enjoying the company of P3 and the rest of the crew. Eventually, it was time to head home, feeling good after having spent another enjoyable day at the Pass with good people.

March 2-6, 2025 – Tam McArthur Rim

Anticipation had been building for several weeks prior to the annual hut trip to Tam McArthur Rim with Three Sisters Backcountry, and the weather appeared to be shaping up nicely for our 2025 trip. As in years past, we had a full crew and both huts reserved, and hit the road early to get to the snow park by 8:30 am. I carpooled over with Dan and Andy, and after a brief stop in Sisters to grab a cup of coffee, we pulled into the Upper Three Creeks snow park and found Rob, Hutch, and a few others already there. A few moments later, the rest of our crew joined, and after unloading gear and signing waivers, we loaded the sleds and were ready to head in.

Gathering at the snowpark
The trailer at Upper Three Creeks

Jonas was out of state visiting family, so we rode in with Gabe and another member of TSBA. As usual, we stopped for a quick discussion of the snowpack, and then pulled into the huts and proceeded to unload the trailers and organize our gear.

Gabe doing some shovel work

It wasn’t long before we were ready to hit the skin track and begin the search for some fresh snow. We divided into a couple of groups and headed up towards the Playground, with the thought of hitting the Satin Bowl and the Jelly Roll, and if the snow was good, heading out further towards the Proboscis.

Jon heading up on the skin track

I was with Dan, John, Brian, Shannon, Adam and Jon, and we wound up finding ourselves on top of the Jelly Roll for our first lap. The snow appeared to be pretty nice, with 4-5 inches of new snow on top of a couple that had fallen a day or two previously. We dropped in one at a time to keep it safe, and enjoyed some nice turns on the way down.

Dan dropping into the Jelly Roll
Dan with Shannon in the background

At the bottom, we talked about going back up, but decided instead to tour over towards the Proboscis with the goal of getting a look at the Orchard Bowl. We knew the Orchard Bowl had slid out big a week or so earlier from the beta we had from Gabe, but were curious if we could find a line that might be skiable. We made turns off the ridge near the Proboscis and worked our way down through some really nice snow and then wrapped around to the Orchard bowl.

Avalanche debris in the Orchard Bowl
Matt and the Orchard Bowl

Needless to say, the debris in the Orchard was large, and there wasn’t much good snow to be found, but it was fun to tour out to it anyway and take a look. At this point, Brian, Shannon and Adam decided to head back to the huts, and Jon and John went back to where we’d been to try to find some good snow, so Dan and I hung back for a minute to enjoy a beer and then head up through the forest to find some more turns. My beer of choice for the afternoon was on the lighter side — a Mid-Light Crisis from Iron Horse Brewing that I’d picked up in Washington on a ski trip to Mission Ridge a couple of months earlier with the family.

Iron Horse Brewing’s Mid-Light Crisis
Big trees in the quiet forest

Our beers hit the spot, and once they were finished we set a skin track through the forest with the goal of heading back up towards the Jelly Roll. The lower forest between the Orchard Bowl and the Playground has some of the biggest and most beautiful trees in all of Central Oregon, and we couldn’t help but stop to admire them. Skinning through the quiet forest, with a few flakes coming down and a light coat of white on the tree branches — it doesn’t get a whole lot better.

Dan next to a monster tree
Skinning through the forest

Soon we linked back up to the Playground skin track and then back to our previous skin track. After a little more work, we were back on top of the Jelly Roll and ready to drop in. I headed down first, and snapped some pictures of Dan as he came down and skied by me.

Dan skiing the Jelly Roll
Slide debris in the Jelly Roll

When I crested the roll over, I could see Dan at the bottom and it looked like he set off a slide. As it turns out, it was someone else in our group (Mark), who’d kicked it off earlier. It was about 6 inches deep at the crown face and ran halfway down the bowl, and overall not surprising given the slope angle and freshly deposited wind slab.

Dan at the bottom of the Jelly Roll

From the bottom of the Jelly, we skied over to the Playground and worked our way to the Dan bowl, which held some really nice snow, before sliding our way back down the skin track and back to the huts to settle in for the evening.

Evening at the huts

Hutch was in charge of making dinner on the first night, and we all knew we were going to be in for a treat. He whipped up some gourmet ravioli, along with some bread and salad, and everyone ate well. The rest of the evening was filled with the usual – reliving funny moments from the past on ski patrol, discussing plans for the following day, enjoying some drinks, and playing a few games. Hutch’s rice crispy treats hit the spot for dessert, and with plans firmed up to head to Snow Creek the following morning, we stoked the fire and hit the sack in preparation for a longer day tomorrow.

The next morning dawned clear and cold, and we enjoyed a nice breakfast of bagels, eggs, and some of John’s fresh kiwi fruit. Once the dishes were done and we re-stocked the wood in the huts, the skins hit the skis and we headed out.

Skinning towards the Prow on our second day
Mark above the Rim

We worked our way up to the Playground and then to the Proboscis, and then headed out towards the Prow. The views were beautiful as usual, and soon we gained the Prow and were afforded views into the different rim bowls. All had slid a week or two earlier during the big warm up, but still looked quite stunning.

Looking at the debris in the Animal Bowl
Tam Rim View
Some gnarled wood atop the Prow
Hutch snapping a few photos

Being one of the first to the top, I set about taking a few pictures while the others worked their way to the top of the Prow to enjoy the views. Admiring the volcano lineup to the north and west, I had to admit, the view from the top of Tam in late winter is one of the better views in Oregon.

Looking out to Middle and North Sisters
Jon and Broken Top

A bit later, we stepped back into our skis and headed off towards Broken Top and Snow Creek. There was little wind, and the sunny yet cold conditions made for some really nice skinning.

Skinning out towards Broken Top
Snow Creek Vistas
A handful of the crew touring out to Snow Creek
Brian touring along upper Snow Creek

Although it’s not terribly far from the huts, it does take a couple of hours to get to Snow Creek. Along the way, I snapped several photos of our crew as we skinned along the ridge separating Snow Creek from the Tumalo drainage.

Rob enjoying a pause while skinning
Jon, Broken Hand and Broken Top
Brian with Ball Butte shrouded in clouds
Mark and Snow Creek

As we worked our way out towards Broken Hand, we separated into two groups. One group, led by Hutch, decided they wanted to drop east and explore some of the terrain in that direction, while my group, consisting of Rob, Mark, Jon, John, Brian and I decided the snow in Snow Creek was worthy of some turns. We continued on to our high point at the base of Broken Hand, and dropped in on a little gully that held surprisingly soft and nice snow.

Mark and Broken Top
Fischer skinning up towards Broken Hand
Jon enjoying our first turns of the day

I dropped in after Mark from the top, and the turns were soft and nice! Both of us were pretty excited on how good the snow was considering that much of the ridge and surrounding area was windswept and firm. After making turns, I setup to shoot a few photos of the others as they came down…

Rob enjoying some soft snow
Fisher working the fresh snow

We regrouped at the bottom of the slope and found a logical point to drop into Snow Creek. To our surprise, there were only a couple of turns that were scratchy, and once we entered Snow Creek the snow was a perfect surface consisting of about 4-5 inches of powder.

Brian enjoying turns in upper Snow Creek

The ski into Snow Creek is one of my favorites at Tam Rim, and it was big fun to get to ski it after being shut out due to weather on the last several trips. Below is a three-shot sequence of Mark and John making nice turns on the smooth surface.

John and Mark headed down Snow Creek – shot 1
John and Mark – shot 2
John and Mark – shot 3

We skied down quite a ways, and about half way down I stopped to snap some pictures of Rob and Brian as they came down. Even several months later, I’m still shocked by how well the snow skied!

Rob cruising on some Snow Creek freshies
Turns in Snow Creek
Brian riding in front of Middle Sister

We enjoyed the snow all the way down to our usual stopping point further down in the hole. It’s a great spot to eat lunch, and it was also a prime time to put my beer of choice for the day – a super smooth tasting Bodhizafa IPA from Georgetown Brewing Company – on ice, or in this case, snow.

A tasty Bodhizafa
A shot of the crew enjoying lunch in Snow Creek

It felt good to kick back and relax for a bit, and enjoy lunch with a pretty awesome view. A bit later, Mark was ready to head out, and set a skin track back up. A few minutes later, I headed out, and the others followed shortly thereafter.

Mark on the skin track back up
Brian working back up the skintrack

The steep rollover slope required ski crampons to get up the last section due to a belligerent crust layer a few inches down, but we made short work of the climb and were soon ready to drop in for a second lap. Brian and I headed further west, in search of a nice looking line with some steep pitches. Brian dropped in first and I snapped a few photos of him as he headed down.

Brian working his way to our line
Powder turns on lap 2 in Snow Creek

Before dropping in, I took my camera out of the bag and took a few pictures of North and Middle Sisters. The view from this vantage point was too good not to grab a few photos with my zoom lens. After being satisfied by taking a few shots, I dropped in and made my own tracks next to Brian’s.

Northy on a beautiful early March day
Middle Sister flirting with the clouds

Brian took a bunch of wide-angle photos of me coming down, and the below shot turned out pretty well, with some of the cold smoke still suspended above me from 2 or 3 turns earlier.

Matt getting out from behind the camera

After regrouping at the bottom of the slope, I headed on down to make some final turns back down to our lunch spot to meet up with the others while Brian wanted to get a head start on climbing out since he was the only one in our party that didn’t have ski crampons along. Down at the bottom, I regrouped with the others, donned skins, and began climbing for the second time out of the hole. As we got about halfway up, I was able to get a few good pics of Jon, who met up with Brian and decided to get another half lap in.

Jon enjoying the soft snow in Snow Creek
Mark skinning into the clouds and out of Snow Creek

Eventually, we all worked our way out of Snow Creek and back to the ridge to prepare for the ride back to Tam. Brian, Jon and I took a pretty direct line back towards the Rim, and enjoyed some good turns down before switching to skins for the final push back to the Proboscis. The turns off the Proboscis weren’t great, so we headed over to the Jelly Roll for a final lap back to the huts. That evening, we settled in, and enjoyed another excellent dinner with good company.

The next morning dawned clear and cold after a couple inches of snow fell overnight, and I knew it was going to be a pretty good day. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast before heading out, with our objective being East Peak for starters. Turns out it was a pretty good decision, and by the time we got to the top there was 4-6 inches of really nice, fresh snow blanketing the slope. It was fairly windy, but the wind transport made for some really nice turns as demonstrated by Mark, Jon and Rob below.

Mark enjoying the Satin Bowl
Jon getting some freshies
Rob skiing the Satin Bowl pow
Cruising down Satin

After our first lap, it was a no-brainer to head back up and do it again. The second time up the track was a bit easier since we weren’t breaking trail, and soon, we found ourselves back on top and ready to shred.

Dan at the top of Satin
Mark heading out to the Jelly Roll
Dan enjoying a lap off of East Peak
Wind sifted powder on East Peak

The remainder of the day was spent putting tracks in the various bowls behind the huts, and we found some pretty good runs in the Playground and off of skier’s right of East Peak.

Jon pausing for a moment on the skin track
Order of the Thistle Scotch Ale from Oakshire Brewing
Enjoying some March snow at Tam Rim

Later in the evening, our third night pretty much followed suit with the previous two, with some tasty hors d’oeuvres prior to a pretty awesome main course. We played some drawing game that Brian and Shannon brought that I was terrible at and generally enjoyed ourselves before heading to bed with thoughts of riding the 100 acre woods the next morning.

Rob and Shannon at the huts
The Owl Hut

Our fourth morning dawned clear and cold, and we enjoyed another great breakfast. Knowing that the snow around the Pyramid and the Hundred Acre Woods might not be that good, we headed out there anyway to get stretch the legs and see something different.

Gearing up in the morning
Shannon skinning across Little Three Creeks Lake

The skin across the lake, out across the flats and then across Little Three Creeks lake is quite enjoyable, and soon we were climbing up through the steep glades to gain the ridge on the backside of the Pyramid. It’s always a bit of a grunt to get up, but once you gain the ridge it makes it worth it for the views.

Brian and Dan on the ridge
A gnarled tree at the ridge top
Brian and Matt on the ridge
Adam peering off into Snow Creek

The ridge was nice and calm, in stark contrast to last year when we were nearly blown away, and it was a good spot to enjoy lunch. The snow on the other hand wasn’t as good as the view, and was a bit crusty. Nevertheless, we stepped into our bindings a few minutes later and were ready to ride.

Dan and Adam on the ridge
Heading out the ridge
Dan skiing the Hundred Acre Woods

We linked turns through the glades, and although it wasn’t the best snow, it was still fun. At the bottom, we all regrouped, and transitioned over to skins to make the trek back to the huts. Dan and I held back while the others stated out, and enjoyed a beer while transitioning. My beer of choice was a good tasting German Chocolate Cake Ale from Icicle Brewing Co. in Leavenworth, WA that I’d picked up a couple of months earlier on trip with the family to ski and visit in-laws. It definitely hit the spot!

A tasty Icicle Brew
Adam after skiing the woods
Adam posing in front of the Rim

After enjoying our beers, we headed back towards the lake, and it wasn’t too long before we were back at the huts. I was on tap for making dinner on our fourth night, and before long I had the halibut fish tacos cooking on the grill, along with the black beans on the stove while Hutch made the Spanish rice in the other hut. We had all the toppings to go on the tacos, including shredded cabbage, onions, cilantro, feta, limes, and salsa, and they were top notch!

The next morning, we woke to a few inches of fresh snow, and given it was our last day of the trip, we ate breakfast a bit earlier before packing up all of our gear and stashing it in the sauna. As had become the norm over the past few days, we headed up towards East Peak, having to put in a new track since the previous one was buried.

Mark heading out on the morning skinner

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Hutch getting some day 5 turns on East Peak

We worked our way up to the top of the Satin Bowl on East Peak, and pulled skins in anticipation of a good run. I dropped in first, and setup to shoot some shots of the skiers and riders as they came down. Hutch dropped in first and was looking good, and was followed by Jon and then Andy. The snow was prime and everyone laid waste to the powder.

Jon ripping the Satin bowl
Andy enjoying sweet turns off of East Peak
March pow turns at Tam Rim

We ripped turns down to the bottom of the run, and then headed back up for another lap. The snow was really nice – probably some of the best of the trip, and provided some extra motivation on the skin track after 5 days of working to earn our turns. Upon arriving at the top, we headed over to give the Jelly Roll a try, and it didn’t disappoint.

Adam cruising on the Jelly
Brian cranking a heelside turn

From the bottom of the Jelly Roll, we scooted over to the Playground, and wasted little time in putting some lines in the bowl.

Rob skiing the Playground
Shannon throwing some pow turns

The snow in the Playground was great, so we headed back up to turn another lap as soon as we could. The Playground is one of my favorite slopes at Tam – I just wish it was about 4 times longer! On our second Playground lap, I caught several pictures of Andy enjoying the fresh powder…

Andy in the Playground
Run 2 in the Playground
Final turns in the Playground

After our second lap in the Playground, we headed back up to the top of the Jelly Roll to finish our day with a run there and then exiting to the huts via the Dan Bowl. The Dan Bowl proved to not disappoint, and we found some really nice fresh powder as demonstrated by Brian and Andy below.

Brian coming in hot to the Dan Bowl
Airing it over a small roller
Brian cruising through the fresh snow
Andy enjoying the Dan Bowl

We finished with a smooth exit via the skin track right back to the huts, and it felt pretty satisfying to have completed another sweet trip to Tam Rim. It was also time to kick back and relax a bit, while beginning to load the sleds with our gear and also enjoying a beer. My final beer of the trip was a Fire Rock Pale Ale from Kona Brewing, which seemed fitting given our location.

Andy back at the huts
Fire Rock Pale Ale by Kona Brewing

We had to wait just a bit for Jonas who was out skiing, so it was a good time to eat some food as well as enjoy our beverages. Brian had the interesting idea to warm his sandwiches over the fire ring on the snow shovel. To each his own I suppose :).

Brian warming his sandwich with the shovel
The crew enjoying themselves on the deck prior to heading out

After we got everything loaded on the sleds and prior to heading out, I took a group picture of the 2025 hut crew from the snow bank adjacent to the owl yurt. Of course Adam had to show off for the camera :).

A final shot of the gang before heading out

The sled ride out was nice, with gorgeous views of the Sisters and Jefferson to the west and north. At one point we lost Dan’s suitcase and had to stop to retrieve it. It was funny enough to everyone that he actually brought a suitcase in with him, but it was even funnier when Brian grabbed it and extended the handle, and walked it back to the sled.

Brian on the trek out
Brian hauling Dan’s luggage back to the trailer

Before long, we were back at the Snow Park, and after unloading our gear from the trailers and wishing Jonas a great rest of the season, our trip was over. I’d have to say that this 2025 trip 100% exceeded my expectations, but it seems like that is par for the course with Tam Rim – each time I visit I usually find conditions quite a bit better than what I expect. Next year’s crew is going to be a bit smaller, but I’m already looking forward to returning in 2026!

February 8-9, 2025 – NSP Level 1 Avalanche Class

After stumbling through a dry January and wondering if there would be fresh snow to make our Level 1 Avalanche course at the Pass more enjoyable, February arrived with cooler temperatures and a healthy dose of fresh powder. Needless to say, the stoke level was high as our crew headed out to the Pass for a couple of days of field work after wrapping up the classroom sessions earlier in the week.

Emily, Emaan and Atticus examining a snow pit

After spending a few hours to put the final touches on the field days, we divided our rather large class of 23 folks up into two groups for the morning session on day one. Everyone was boot ready in the lodge at 8:00 am, and soon we hopped on the lift to head to the top of the mountain for some work with beacons, probing, shoveling and snow pit analysis.

Andy and Amber in the snowpit on Lighthouse

Brian and Laurie led group one with small group rescue in the traditional spot near the Kris Kross closure, and I headed down to Lighthouse Knob with John Fischer and Jon Marshall to do some snowpit tests and observations.

John leading a group snowpit study

After leading a discussion on the various stability tests, we dug a test pit for the students and then they dug their own pits. Everyone performed extended column tests and several of us also did the propagation saw test. Interestingly, most of the ECT tests were negative (no results) although a few results were in the range of ECTP25-28. The PST results, however, were mostly positive. Given all the new snow, the weak layer was 30-40 inches down, which appeared to be accounting for some of the variable results.

Emily and Atticus performing a propagation saw test
The snowpit crew

The weak layer was a crust sitting on top of a fairly large amount of depth hoar, something we traditionally don’t see in the Oregon cascades. It was a good experience for the students and also fun to be able to look at the crystals and see the facets.

Hailey with an avalanche target

Once the first round of rotations were complete, we switched groups and did the same work again. Once that was complete, that brought us to an hour or so of small group rescue. My team headed down to the bottom of RTS and did some work hiding and subsequently finding buried beacons. By 3:00 pm, the whole class gathered at the top of the Sleepy Headwall for an orientation on formal probing and probe lines. Laurie led that conversation and I snapped a few photos before we headed down to the top of Sleepy for some work with the probes.

Laurie instructing the group on the Sleepy Headwall

The formal probing went well, and after a half an hour or so, the day was done and sweep was underway. Our crew headed down to the base to take part in the evening meeting, and also to collect all the patrol gear (beacons, shovels, probes, etc.) that were loaned out during the day.

Practicing a formal probe line
The crew at the end of the day

The evening finished with some good food and cold beverages in the patrol room, enjoyed in the company of other patrollers. After the evening wore on, Shaun and I headed down to Oakridge to stay with Brian and Shannon, who graciously offered to let us stay at their place. We enjoyed a tasty homemade mac and cheese that hit the spot, and later in the evening Brian and I went over the last details of the final scenario that would take place on Sunday afternoon.

The next morning we woke early, had a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee, and loaded into the car and headed up to the hill. Like the day before, we met early in the lodge, and the groups did some trip planning for their tours before heading to the top of EPA

Brian and Laurie on morning two

After everyone was on the lift and ready to head out of the area, Brian and I set about getting the gear ready for our organized scenario later in the day that would test all the skills the students had learned throughout the course. It took a couple of trips to get all the gear to the top of EPA, and then we headed down to Peak 2 so we could bring it up to SDN where everything would be placed.

Heading up the Peak 2 chair to setup the scenario
The entrance to SDN

The next couple of hours were spent creating the avalanche, which is always a ton of work, but lots of fun. With the help of SPY (Obende and Adair), we dug out the crown face, the flanks, and then spent some time digging out the toe. Next, it was time to hide the targets, which included beacons as well as plywood placed strategically below clues. This year, we strategically placed some tasty beverages (both beers and sodas) below the targets, which would be enjoyed after the class.

A 6-pack of cold Buoy Porter ready to be buried
Brian working on churning up the snow

By 1:00 pm, we had a pretty good looking avalanche scenario built and ready to go. Satisfied with our work, we headed back to the top of SDN about the same time as some of the tour groups were arriving back at the top of Peak 2.

SPY hiding targets
Shaun on the avy route earlier in the morning
Some of the crew at the top of Peak 2

Since we were wearing coats, we headed down through SDN to get back to the base – one of the perks of teaching the class. If was the first time through the area for Obende, and he was pretty stoked by the time we got to the bottom of RTS.

Obende at the bottom of the RTS runout

Once down at the base, we enjoyed a quick lunch and then headed back up to the top of Peak 2  for a 2:00 pm meetup with the rest of the class. This year, Amber was serving in the role as “hill chief” and Emily agreed to be in the lead role of “incident commander.” The two ladies did an awesome job of assigning the first response teams (beacons and spot probers), and soon the class started filtering into the scenario. Steve served as the patroller who met with the reporting party (me), so we were able to watch the scenario play out.

Steve and some of the crew at the start of the scenario
Beacon searches in the first phase of the scenario
Emily directing the scene
Jon Marshall and John Fischer during the scenario

The beacon searchers made short work of finding the three buried beacons, and soon a few other “victims” were also found downhill of clues with concentrated spot probing. When there were only two targets/victims left to find, the group moved to an organized probe line that started at the toe.

Scenario leaders observing the scene
Charlie leading a formal probe line
Formal probing for victims
More formal probing

Eventually, all the targets were found, with the exception of one. After digging a hole that must have been about 10 x 10 feet, we determined that one of the SPY must have buried one of the plywood targets not in the area where we thought they put it.

Emily continuing to lead the scene
Digging around clues after spot probing
Amber and Emily at the end of the scenario

Once everyone was accounted for, we headed back to the top of Peak 2 and got a class photo after debriefing the scenario. This year’s class was quite large, but it was an awesome crew made up of patrollers, hosts, SPY, backcountry patrollers and area employees.

The class at the end of day two
Matt looking for the last target

We finished the day off by skiing all the gear back down to the patrol room and making sure all the patrol avalanche gear was returned. Brian, Mark, Emily, Haley, Dan and I took the opportunity to ski down SDN, and I snapped a quick photo of the group at the bottom of RTS.

A few of the crew after enjoying SDN at the end of the day

Sitting in the patrol room drinking one of the beers we’d hidden in the scenario, I was feeling pretty happy that the weekend was coming to a close. Planning the avalanche class is always a big lift, and I couldn’t do it without the awesome crew of instructors we have on patrol. This year was no exception, and this year’s course was a resounding success, that was capped off with great snow and field conditions. Here’s to hoping the next class we hold is just as successful!