Category: Ski Patrol

Beautiful sunny days have been the norm this March in the Oregon Cascades, and the past two weekends at Willamette Pass were no exception. Even though the snowpack is dwindling, it’s been nice to get out for some fresh air, Vitamin D and corn turns. I was on patrol on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 23rd, and both days were nearly identical, with blue skies, hardpack in the morning, followed by fun soft turns in the afternoon.

After our morning meeting on Saturday, I was anxious to get out and help open the mountain, and to try out my new toy – a Canon EF 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 L lens I’d picked up the week prior.  Being a telephoto zoom, it allows much more reach than my other two Canon lenses. Stepping off the EPA lift, my first subject was Diamond Peak basking in the morning sunlight…..

After the mountain was open, I headed over to RTS with Raleigh to check things out, which turned out to be a poor decision. The run had been skied late in the day on Friday, and was a frozen mass of large blocks of snow from pin wheels and ski tracks. At least the lower half was decent. Catching the lift back to the top, I snapped a few pics of several patrollers ahead of us…..

At the top, I took a few more minutes to play with the camera, and snapped a few photos looking south towards Lakeview Peak and Cowhorn Mountain, definitely enjoying the new zoom capability of the 70-300mm. Though I haven’t made turns on either of these peaks, they’re definitely on the list…

A few moments later, several birds landed on the pavers at the top of the EPA terminal and decided to hang out with me for a bit. There were probably seven or eight of them, all brightly colored, and they seemed to be feeding on something in the cracks of the pavers.

Around 11:30, I headed in for lunch, making a run down Eagle’s Flight, which was just starting to corn. Lunch consisted of a pulled pork sandwich, fresh off the grill at the patrol shack. After enjoying my food in the sun, I headed back out for what would be some of the best corn skiing of the year. Arriving at the top of the EPA, I found Peter on bump, lounging in the sled with Diamond Peak as a backdrop….

By early afternoon, Success was perfect corn, bump free and in really good shape. I made several runs with Raleigh and Brian, pulling out the camera to snap some photos. As suspected, my new lens made it easy to zoom in tight enough to get some really good action shots. In between shooting Raleigh and Brian, I snapped a couple pics of Jack and Sam on the lift above us as well…..

On one of the lift rides back to the top of Eagle Peak, we looked up and spotted 5 bald eagles soaring above. It’s not unusual to see one, maybe two eagles near the top of the Pass in the spring, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen 5 at once. These birds are awesome to watch, and so beautiful and majestic. I tried to get a pic of all 5 in one frame, but was unsuccessful in doing so. I did manage to get a couple though….

The remainder of the day was spent running laps on the frontside until Peak 2 sweep at 3:30. The evening meeting went quickly, and I was enjoying an Oakshire Expresso Stout in the patrol room to end the day at 4:45.

The following Sunday (the 23rd) was nearly a repeat of the previous Saturday, except for a couple of things. RTS was scary icy – I opened it to start the day and it was puckering. I’m pretty sure it didn’t get skied the rest of the day until sweep. And, there weren’t any eagles at the Pass like the weekend before. The other difference was that By George was nearly unskiable at the bottom, with only a swath on skier’s left that was a few feet wide. Like the previous weekend though, the snow in the afternoon was as good as it had been all season, and I think it may have been my best corn day of the year. The backside had superb coverage, but I especially enjoyed skiing High Lead and Timburr, which reminded me of spring corn skiing on the volcanoes below treeline until the snow runs out. Even though the coverage was minimal, especially on Timburr, I think that’s part of what makes it so fun.

After another great day at the Pass, I stayed on top at EPA for sweep since I had the last bump, and enjoyed gazing out towards all the snow covered peaks to the south, thinking about the spring touring season to come. Though the Pass will be open one more weekend, this would be my last duty day of the season. If it looks good however, I think I’ll try to get up one last time before we’re closed for the year to enjoy some of the best lift served scenery in the state! Here’s a parting shot of Raleigh on Success…

Anemic is the word that comes to mind when I think about how to describe the 2013-14 winter. After one of the latest starts to the season in the last 40 years at Willamette Pass due to a snowless December and January, February delivered enough snow for a little fun and to finally open the entire mountain for a few weeks. Now, as we move into March, temperatures have warmed considerably and we’ve been greeted with several warm storms delivering rain in the mountains, compromising the shallow snowpack.

Such is life, and sometimes you’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt. After a day of hitting the area with the family, I was back on Sunday for a day of patrol. John and I left Eugene around a quarter after six o’ clock, and the temperature was a balmy 56 degrees. It rained all the way up Highway 58, and was still raining as we pulled into the Pass parking area. The top quarter of the mountain was snow covered at least.

After a longer than normal morning meeting (nobody was excited to head out in the rain), we filed out and opened the mountain. The rain gave way to snow two thirds of the way up the EPA chair, and my first few runs down Timburr were actually decent. The lower part of the mountain was sticky and slow as expected. I headed over to Peak 2 next, and found a couple inches of fresh snow on Destiny and in the trees between Down Under and June’s Run. By the time I’d made three runs, the mountain was open and it was time to meet at the top of EPA for a training session on the RTS sled.

RTS is the steepest run on the hill, around 50 degrees at the steepest part. It’s the only run on the hill where Patrol lowers the sled down the hill when conditions dictate rather than ski it down. The whole process is quite simple actually, but practicing does ensure things go smoothly when and if a lower is needed. Basically, the sled gets clipped into a carabiner and rope, which runs through a lowering device that has tons of friction, all of which is anchored off to a large tree. Below, Toby demonstrates the lowering process…..

The patroller in the handles has the easy job of pointing their skis or snowboard downhill and just holding onto the handles. The main concern is to just keep the sled pointed straight down the fall line. Brian demonstrates below….

After lowering the sled down RTS twice, we dropped the rope and made turns to the bottom, stuffed it back into the rope pack, and radioed up to the top to reopen the run (the run is closed during a lower to ensure the rope doesn’t get skied over and cut). With training over, I went in for lunch, which afforded a brief period to dry off. After lunch, I made several runs with Raleigh, mostly on RTS. By now it was raining clear to the top of the hill, but it really wasn’t much of a bother, and I had big fun the rest of the afternoon. The snow actually skied quite well, and our turns were fast. It seems like some of my better turns on patrol (or at least most memorable) come when it’s raining. Plus I had the added bonus of knowing this was the 100th consecutive month in which I’ve made turns, a mark I’d been looking forward to for some time.

When it came time to sweep, I ended up on KP, and nearly fell over laughing when I looked over at John near the bottom of the run – he’d busted out the umbrella, and I had to snap a picture. Even though I’d put my camera away after lunch, I pulled out my cell phone and snapped the below photo….

Sitting in the aid room after a wet day, I found myself reflecting on the season and was thankful to just be making turns given how poor this winter has been. I knew it’d be a wet ride home, but it was definitely worth it to just be out in the mountains! Here’s a parting shot from the day of Ian on RTS….

After an epic four days at Tam McArthur Rim, I was scheduled for a patrol day at the Pass on Saturday. With the several feet of snow that fell in the past couple weeks, it promised to be a fun day. I met several of the crew at the LCC parking lot first thing in the morning and we carpooled up Highway 58. Pulling into the ski area, it looked like a couple of inches of snow had fallen overnight and the sun was starting to peek out from behind the clouds. After the morning meeting, we filed out to open the mountain. Before heading down for my first run, I snapped a photo of Raleigh and Todd with Odell Lake in the background – it’s hard to beat the scenery of Willamette Pass!

Since I was fooling around with the camera snapping a few pictures, I ended up opening KP, which was nicely groomed – in stark contrast to the steeper frontside runs that were icy gnar. As I rode the EPA chair back to the top for a second time, I noticed a large crown fracture in the northeast bowl of Diamond Peak, which I ridden last June. It appeared to be several hundred feet across and a couple feet deep at the crown face. As I stepped off the lift, I snapped a picture of Diamond, but the avalanche isn’t apparent in the photo below…..

With all the backside runs open, it was time to hit up RTS with Raleigh and test out the snow on the hill’s steepest run. The lighting was still looking ok for pictures, so I rode down first and set up to snap a few shots of Raleigh as he cruised down towards me…..

The snow didn’t disappoint, and even though it was skier cut, it was soft and nice. I was on the hook to help out with sled training at 9:30, so we busted out three or four more runs on RTS, each one just as good as the last. At 9:30, I met up with Joe and Jeremy, and we headed to Peak 2 with Toby, Dusty, Shannon & Brian to run the 100 and 350 sleds on Junes & Northern. Running the 350 is always a treat, especially if the snow is soft. Powder is really what the 350 is made for, but it still works in skier cut as Toby and Brian demonstrate below…..

In addition to capturing several shots of the 350 in action, I snapped a some pictures of Dusty and Shannon running the Cascade 100 as well…

After several loaded sled runs everyone headed in for a quick lunch. Since it was Saturday, the BBQ was out and hamburgers were on the menu. After lunch, sled training resumed, and we moved over to Down Under for several runs. In the shot below, Dusty and Shannon are pulling Joe on the 100.

Around 3:00, we ended sled training for the day and I scurried off to enjoy a few more runs on the front side before returning to Peak 2 for sweep. Sweep on the backside went off without a hitch, and I hiked over to EPA to get ready for front side sweep.

Timburr was the run remaining to be assigned when I arrived at the top, and I was looking forward to sweeping it (not having been down it yet this year). The snow on Timburr was soft and nice, but I didn’t envy the patroller who would open it the following morning, knowing it would be an icy mess. After the remaining runs were swept, everyone gathered in the patrol room for our evening meeting, and enjoyed a frosty Oakshire beer after a fun day. All in all I’d have to say it was another good day of patrolling at the Pass. Here’s a parting shot from sled training earlier in the day…..

If this year’s ski season were an injured skier and I was the responding patroller, the words “unresponsive” and “barely breathing” would probably best describe the situation. Surviving one of the worst winters in the last 40 years hasn’t been easy for the local ski areas, and Willamette Pass is no exception. February 1st would be my second patrol day of the 2013-2014 season, and the 7th day the mountain would be in operation. The snowpack still wasn’t sufficient to open the majority of the terrain, but thanks to the north facing slopes of the mountain’s backside, we were sliding.

After our morning patrol meeting, we headed out and caught a lift on the EPA six-pack chair. Riding up over the mountain’s south side was a bit depressing, with numerous rocks and trees showing, along with a fair amount of dirt. In fact, I think the coverage was deeper the first weekend of November when the patrol held the on-hill refresher. Arriving at the top of EPA however, we were greeted to a different side of the mountain. 5 inches of fresh snow had fallen, and as usual the coverage was much better on the north facing slopes. Raleigh and I headed down KP (the only run open back to the front side) and marked a few spots where rocks lurked the new snow.

The snow was surprisingly good, and marked the fourth time this winter I was able to find fresh snow in excess of a couple of inches – pretty pathetic really considering it was the first of February, but not bad considering how many “powder” days there’s been this year. After our first run, it looked like the Peak 2 lift was not yet spinning so we took another lap, did a little more work, and found a little more fresh snow. Below, Dan enjoys some freshies above the tree farm.

For the next hour or so, I headed over to the backside and made several runs. The coverage was decent, and I even made a few laps in the trees of Northern Exposure. Still, with the depth somewhere around 24 inches on the north facing runs, caution was advised in the trees and elsewhere to avoid hidden obstacles and the numerous little trees which normally are covered under an average winter snow pack. By 11:00 am, I met up with Raleigh and Joe to help facilitate some sled training for a few new patrollers. This year’s crew are pretty good skiers and riders, and in short time we went from running unloaded sleds down Boundary Pass to working on running loaded sleds on Where’s Waldo.  The below pics were taken in the afternoon at the top of Waldo….

In between coaching the sled candidates on the finer points of tail roping, weight distribution, being in the handles, etc., Joe and I found time to get a few good turns in….

I spent most of the day riding switch, and am really digging my new resort board – a Jamie Lynn Phoenix Series 160cm Lib Tech. At 3:00, we concluded sled training for the day, and I made a few more runs on the back before sweep. Hanging out with Dan at the top of Peak 2, it almost felt like a normal winter.

Our last run of the day was, of course, KP – the only option for getting back to the front. Since this was my first Saturday patrol of the season, it also meant chips, dip and beer after our evening meeting. Thanks to Raleigh for supplying the beer and to Craig for having a birthday – the Black Butte Porter hit the spot after a day on the mountain. Prior to leaving, I noticed the evening light on the front side would make for a nice picture, so I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots. The below shot really gives a feeling for the lack of mid-winter snowpack this year on the south facing slopes…..

All in all, it was a good day on the hill, and I’m hoping for several more before the season comes to a close. The long range forecast is calling for snow, and I really hope it starts to dump soon – we need it!

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!