Category: Ski Patrol

I wasn’t sure what to expect as I headed out for my second patrol day of the season. Conditions at the Pass the day before had been marginal at best, but snow was in the forecast for most of the day on Sunday, meaning the chance of scoring some powder was a possibility. The snow report indicated one inch of fresh snow had fallen overnight, but upon pulling into the resort parking lot we were greeted to 5 inches of some of the lightest driest powder I’d seen in awhile – and it was snowing hard! After the morning meeting, we headed out to open the mountain, and it felt nice to be out making turns in the storm snow.

The first run I made after unloading the sled from the top of the EPA shack was down to Good Time Charlie’s and Eagle’s Flight to close the runs, since the front side didn’t have enough snow yet to warrant opening that part of the mountain. After the first few turns, I knew it was going to be a good day! 6 inches of blower powder over the groomed base made for some awesome turns. After roping off the runs, I rode to the base and headed to Peak 2 with Raleigh to start the day. I snapped a few shots of Raleigh ripping some nice freshies about a half hour after the mountain had opened….

 

Riding back up the Peak 2 Chair, a few patrollers who were up for senior OEC training were ahead of us and making a few runs before the training began. At the top, we all decided to make a couple of runs in the Dragon’s Back area, and by now I think there was between 8-9 inches of new fresh snow! Our choice to ski Dragon’s Back was a good one, as the following photos show…

 

After making a few more runs, I headed in for a quick lunch break while the skies continued to puke snow. Poking my head out the door of the patrol shack, I snapped several photos of patrollers practicing scenarios in the snow storm. I like to call the one below “Dedication.”

After lunch, the rest of the day was spent making runs on the backside before taking a bump slot at the top of EPA at 3:00, where I shoveled much of the snow off of the patio area around the shack. At the end of the day, we swept the mountain, which took a bit longer than normal due to a patron needing a sled ride down to the base area. I coordinated the frontside sweep, which meant I got to make the last run of the day. Riding down in the fresh snow, my legs started to burn, telling me the day had been a success. At the base, everyone hit the road after the evening meeting. The drive home took over 4 hours, with really icy snowy roads between Oakridge and Dexter and several people in the ditch. It was all worth it in the end though, as the below photo of Raleigh shows. Perfect powder always seems to make it worth it.

 

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Willamette Pass finally opened for winter ski and snowboard operations on January 7, 2012 – the latest opening in more than 20 years. With the anemic snowpack, operations were limited to the backside and K-P, the ski haul road on the front side. Upon arriving at the Pass early in the morning, I was impressed to see the number of patrollers in the parking lot. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was suffering from a lack of lift riding and powder snow this winter  At the morning meeting, everyone was excited to get out and make some turns, but a bit suspect of how the snow conditions would be on the backside. Having made turns the week before, I had the advantage of knowing what to expect and told a few people the day was going to be good! I think they thought I was joking….

Heading out to catch the first chair up the hill, it was cold at about 26 degrees with a slight wind that chilled my face. I have to admit the ski hill didn’t look like much on the south facing slopes. The snow coverage was only about 60 percent, with rocks and dirt showing everywhere. When we unloaded at the top of the EPA however, it was a different story. The runs were nicely groomed leading to Peak 2 and it looked like winter due to the three to four fresh inches of snow that had fallen. Opening the mountain took a bit longer than usual, since we had to bring all the equipment to the top of the hill and distribute everything. After the sleds and equipment were in place, we set about opening the runs on the backside. I opened Down Under with the help of a fellow patroller also named Matt. There were some obstacles which required marking, but coverage was good for the most part. The hill was ready for the skiing public by about 9:15 and the season had begun. I should note….all pictures of this day were taken after the hill opened to the public!

As expected, not too many people showed up for fear of sub-optimum conditions, so the few of us who were there had Peak 2 mostly to ourselves. It was kind of like having your own private ski area with several of your closest friends all to yourselves. Plus, there was 4 inches of fresh over a soft base with bluebird skies. Pretty hard to beat…

I spent the morning running laps on Down Under, Northern and through the trees with Dan and Todd. Our legs started to get a bit tired around 11:30, so we broke for a lunch down at the patrol room. The run back down K-P was less than desirable, but there was adequate coverage to have some fun. After eating a burger cooked up by the social committee, we headed back out for some more. Interestingly enough, we found ample powder in the afternoon around the Dragon’s Back area, and I don’t think the temperature on the backside rose above freezing all day.

Simon was stoked on the snow out at Dragon’s Back, and for good reason, and each run seemed to include another person from patrol looking to score some afternoon powder. I think we made about 5 runs out there in about an hour period. Here’s a shot of Todd enjoying some of the fresh….

Finally, the day drew to a close, and it was time to close the mountain at 3:30. Sweep went quickly with all the help, and after it was complete we headed to the top of the EPA to close K-P. Dan and I skied Eagle’s since there were a few tracks down it, and it was ok, but nothing like the excellent snow we earned from the week before. I was able to snap this shot of Peter looking out over Success and out towards Diamond prior to heading down for the day…

Down in the patrol room, people were pretty happy with a day that exceeded expectations. Once the evening meeting was complete, the beers were poured and the usual stories and camaraderie that goes with patrol were shared and enjoyed. Driving home, I witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets over Diamond Peak I’ve ever seen, and it gave me hope that this season will still be a great one! Snow is in the forecast for this week, so we can only hope!

 

Since I was out of the state chasing mule deer in Idaho’s Selway Bitteroot wilderness with my dad in early November, I needed to make up the on-hill ski patrol refresher in early December. One of the funner activities of the on-hill refresher is chairlift evacuation practice. In the event of a lift failure, patrollers are responsible for getting guests removed from the chairs using a system of ropes and pulleys.

Those of us who needed to make up the on hill refresher and this years ski patrol candidates met at the Pass at 8am, where about 15 inches of snow covered the ground. The weather was beautiful, and the mountain looked to be in decent shape for riding given the minimal coverage, though on-hill operations hadn’t started yet. After a brief review of the lift evacuation plan and some practice belaying, we headed out to the Twilight lift to practice. Several of us loaded the chair and after we had been shuttled uphill a couple hundred feet, the lift was shut down and locked out. A few of us who were qualified self-evacuated from the chair using an SMC Escape 8 and 5-6mm accessory cord to rappel. Next, the large static rope is placed over the chair haul line and lowered to the ground. One patroller who is the belayer, belays the evacuation tee up to the chair, while another patroller talks to the person on the lift.

The person on the lift hops on the evacuation tee and is lowered to the ground by the belayer. After everyone on a chair has been lowered, the rope needs to be flipped over the chair and moved down the haul line to the next chair in line. This is accomplished by throwing the rope over the chair using a long piece of bamboo with a carabiner attached to the end. The rope is threaded through the end, and with one smooth throwing motion, tossed off the haul line. The process is repeated to throw the rope over the haul line. Then, the entire process is repeated at the next chair down.

Instead of using actual climbing harness for belaying, a harness is improvised using a locking carabiner and 1-inch tubular webbing, which allows for any patroller to use it in the event of an emergency.

Lowering people from the chair using the rope and evacuation tee’s isn’t the most time efficient process, but gets the job done and would definitely work in an emergency, especially with properly trained people working in teams and using multiple ropes. Fortunately, lift failure doesn’t occur all that often, so the chances of having to evacuate a lift for real are slim, but it’s nice to know it can be done easily with the proper training.

Sunday, April 17th was the final day of the season at Willamette Pass and the final patrol day of the year as well.  It had rained hard the day before, so expectations weren’t high for the day, but there was a fresh dusting of snow around the base when we pulled into the parking lot.  At our morning meeting, we got the official word that this would be the final day of the season, so we headed out to open the mountain one last time. On the way up, Todd found an interesting use for some of the rime that had formed overnight on the chair….

Unloading EPA, we were greeted to about 4 inches of fresh wet snow that fell the night before.  My first run down High Lead was quite nice and I was looking forward to checking out the backside to see what the conditions were like.

Peak 2 wasn’t epic, but there was six inches of fresh snow which made for some good runs all morning long.  Below is a shot looking east across the backside of the Pass, with John Fischer riding the chairlift just after opening (photo taken from the ridge between June’s Run and Down Under)

After making several good runs in the trees between Northern and June’s, I headed over to Dragon’s Back to check out the conditions.  The snow was pretty warm, and I actually was able to get some of it to run in wet slide fashion down off the ridge.  The below shot was taken beneath Dragon’s, and shows natural snow release which happened overnight due to the added weight on the snowpack from the rain and snow….

Upon leaving the Dragon’s Back area, I came upon several spooned tracks on the lower portion of Down Under.  I knew it must have been Fischer, who’d been farming tracks all morning, so I waited a bit and sure enough, he showed up with his beard leading the way…..

Here’s a zoomed shot of Fischer farming the snow on what appears to be his eighth run…

After snapping a few photos, John and I made six or seven runs together on the backside, chatting about potential backcountry trips we’d like to make in the upcoming months.  Steens Mountain is high on both of our lists.

Soon, it was time to get the mountain ready for closing, and we loaded up sleds with all sorts of gear (chairlift evacuation gear, bamboo, backboards, etc.).  I took a Cascade 100 down from Peak 2 around 3:00 pm, and by that time the snow on the front side was super sticky.  I had to walk the sled across the flat spot on Upper Rosary, and then it took quite a long time going down KP to get to the Patrol shack.  By the time I reached the bottom, my legs were burning from going so dang slow!  After dropping the sled, I headed up for the last bump slot of the year at the top of EPA, and helped load a few of the remaining sleds with gear.  I was able to run closing for the last day, and was the last patroller left up top while everyone else was sweeping runs.

Once all the upper mountain runs were swept clear, I vacated via RTS and it was in excellent condition.  Lower mountain sweep went quickly and after all the gear was put away in the patrol room, we had a quick evening meeting before calling it a year.  Overall, it was an excellent snow year and great year of patrolling.  I am ready for patrol season to be over however, so I can focus on the backcountry season, which is just beginning!

 

“Throw in the powder boards tomorrow – it’s deep out there!” The forecast was calling for some fresh snow, and I knew it was going to be a decent day for patroling, but when Todd called from the Pass on Saturday afternoon and said those words, I was stoked.  I awoke early on Sunday morning, gathered my gear and hit the road, picking up Andy on the way.  There appeared to be plenty of fresh snow when we arrived in the parking lot and it was snowing hard.  We had our morning patrol meeting and then headed out to open the mountain.  Todd went off to do some Avy control on Peak 2, and I coordinated opening of EPA.  We had to wait at the bottom of EPA for a few minutes before the lift was ready, which gave me an opportunity to snap a few photos of patrollers waiting to head up the hill….

Up top, there was about 12 inches of new snow and I set to work digging out the area where the sleds are stored and assigning people runs to open.  After the hill was opened, I rode down Success to meet Andy at the bottom of the EPA lift.  The ride down was sweet, and I could tell we were in store for a great powder day.  After we unloaded the EPA, the first run we took was down Timbur.  The snow was awesome – very light and deep.  Face shots were had with every turn and as we ripped down the hill, the snow stayed suspended in the air for several seconds.

We stayed on the frontside for several more runs, as Peak 2 wasn’t open yet due to the avalanche control work.  After a few more runs and continued face shots on High Lead and Good Time Charlie, we headed to the backside around 10:30 when it opened.

The snow depth on the back was a little deeper, probably 12-15 inches of new and it was still snowing hard.  The first run down Destiny was excellent, and we were able to find fresh snow on the back all day long given the fact that the total skier count for the day was around 650 people.  At one point riding the chair, it snowed so hard that visibility was only about 15 feet.  Total accumulation for the day was around 10 inches, and it’s been awhile since I’d boarded in such good storm conditions during the day.  After hitting most of the runs on the back, we made a few on RTS, which had some of the best snow of the season by far, even though it was bumped out.  I sat bump from 1:00 to 2:00, then finished the day riding with Todd and Andy on Peak 2 before sweep at 3:30.  Andy helped up sweep both Peak 2 and EPA, along with lower mountain.  Everyone agreed at the evening meeting that this was one of the best powder days of the season, and I’m hopeful there are one or two more before it’s all said and done for this year.