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July 14, 2025 – Mt Hood, Snowdome

I was pretty amped to head up to Mt Hood and traipse around the north side of the mountain in July for the second year in a row, as were both Joe and Dan, so we firmed up plans a couple of days earlier. I headed out on Sunday with my gear and family in tow, and we headed up to Sherwood to visit my uncle. It was a warm morning, so we enjoyed hanging out in the backyard for a couple of hours before heading out to lunch in town. A couple of hours later, Julie dropped me off at a Starbucks in Wilsonville and headed out, and a few minutes later Joe arrived and picked me up. We met up with Dan in Sandy, who had the hair-brained idea to see if he could bring his Tesla up the Cloud Cap road, and headed out.

Cloud Cap Inn from the road
Cloud Cap and Mt Hood’s northside

The drive up highway 26 and then around and up to Cloud Cap was uneventful. Dan drove the Tesla up the road with precise skill, and even managed to make it all the way up without touching a rock. We found a nice campsite adjacent to the road, and after parking the rigs proceeded to setup camp for the evening. As usual, it wasn’t long before it was time to head up to the Inn and enjoy the views.

Mt Hood from Cloud Cap

To our surprise, the Inn was open since one of the Crag Rats was camping there for the night with his family. He offered to show us around, which was an awesome experience. Even though all of us had been up to Cloud Cap on multiple occasions, this was the first time we got were able to see it up close from the inside. I couldn’t help but think about the experiences of the guests enjoying the inn during the late 1800’s and how much effort it took just to get there!

Looking out from the Inn
Pics on the wall

We were quite amazed at how large it was and how many different rooms/areas there were. From the outside, it looks pretty cool, but getting a first hand tour of Inn was definitely amazing. The photos on the wall showed some of the history of the mountain and the Crag Rats, as well as the much bigger Eliot glacier that, although greatly reduced in size, is still Oregon’s largest.

Looking out from the inside of Cloud Cap
Dan & Joe discussing options for the morning

We hung out in the inn for a half hour or so, enjoying the views, enjoying the opportunity, and taking it all in. On the back deck (or front deck I guess since it was opposite the mountain and what you see as you first approach the inn), I had to get a few photos of my Cloud Cap Amber Ale from the Mt Hood Brewing Company while hanging out at the namesake for the beer :). I’d picked the beer up a month earlier in Govy while attending the annual Nuts & Bolts patrol function at Timberline.

A Cloud Cap ale at Cloud Cap
Mt Hood and a tasty Cloud Cap ale

After snapping some pics of the beer, we enjoyed the views off the deck of the north side of Mt Hood before heading back down to camp to eat dinner and get ready for the following day.

Matt & Joe enjoying the back patio

Dinner for me was a tasty Pad Thai freeze dried meal, which hit the spot. Unfortunately however, I spent too much time preparing it and organizing my gear and I missed heading back up to the ridge to shoot some pictures of the sunset by about 1o minutes. Nevertheless, it was a super successful Sunday spent visiting family, getting to the mountain and enjoying good company inside the confines of Cloud Cap. Not long after the sun went down, we hit the sack in anticipation of making some fun turns on Monday.

A fresh cup of coffee in the morning

The morning dawned early, and like the year before, I enjoyed the view looking down towards the Columbia and beyond while brewing my coffee. It didn’t get very cold overnight, so we made breakfast early, loaded our packs and were on the trail by a few minutes after 7:00 am.

Tilly Jane trail sign
Dan on the ridge in the morning

It wasn’t long before we gained the ridge and followed the climber’s trail up towards the Eliot Glacier. The wind was quite blustery, and was blowing a lot of dust across the Eliot canyon. I had my doubts about how high we’d be able to make it on the ‘Dome, but was hoping conditions would calm down a bit as the morning wore on.

Mt Hood’s northside
Dan heading up
Looking back across the Eliot canyon
Enjoying a quick break

Soon, we made our way to the high point on the ridge and dropped down onto the Eliot. The wind died down a bit by the time we worked our way down into the bottom of the canyon, and after working our way across the scree and rocks covering the glacial bed, we found our patch of snow on the far side of the canyon and donned crampons to work our way up.

Heading up the Eliot
Joe on Mt Hood’s northside
Hiking up the Eliot
Peering down into a deep crevasse

After working our way above the first steep section, we did an end run around a few large crevasses and then headed out onto the Eliot proper. From there, it was a short hike over to a section of snow that provided access up to the snowfields below the Snowdome.

Matt below a crevasse on the Eliot
Joe heading up the Snowdome

We continued up the snow fields to the base of the Snowdome, and then set a boot track directly up the ‘Dome. Magically, by the time we headed up the ‘Dome, the wind died down, and the weather and snow conditions were quite nice. The three of us were pretty stoked on the conditions, knowing we would likely get some good corn on the descent. Topping out around 9,400 feet, I snapped several pictures of the surrounding beauty, including some of the glacial features on the Eliot and Coe glaciers.

Heading up the ‘dome
Crevasses on the Coe
Looking at the upper Eliot
Crevasses on the Eliot

Traversing over to peer off directly into the Eliot, I took care not to fall in any holes. The view down onto the Eliot was impressive as usual, and I couldn’t help but think what it must have looked like 150 years ago when the Langille brothers were leading guests up the mountain from Cloud Cap Inn far below.

The view east from the top of the ‘dome

A few minutes later, Joe arrived at the top, followed by Dan, and we enjoyed the view together. I got my Cloud Cap Amber ale on ice, and we started reminiscing about last year, so we put on some Bob Marley and listened to “We Jamming.” 

Joe arriving at the top of the ‘dome
A Cloud Cap Amber Ale from Mt Hood Brewing
Matt & the Eliot Glacier
Joe and Dan enjoying a break at the top of the ‘dome

After drinking our beers and hanging out up top for a half hour or so, it was time to drop in and do what we came to do – enjoy some high-quality corn turns! We stepped into bindings, and I dropped in first, making some of my best turns of the summer down a few hundred feet to where I set up to shoot pics of Dan and Joe as they came down. 

Dan dropping in on the Snowdome
July corn on Mt Hood’s northside

Dan dropped in first, and carved up the slope while I fired off several shots, and then Joe dropped after Dan. Dan skied down to my left, affording some nice pics of the Eliot while Joe headed to my right, and I got some good pics of him skiing above the Coe drainage.

Dan looking down at the Eliot
Joe dropping in
Corn turns on the ‘dome
July skiing on Mt Hood’s northside

We skied the smooth snow down to the base of the “Dome, and it was so good we ditched some of our gear (Dan ditched his whole pack), and headed back up for another lap. The views climbing back up the ‘Dome were superb, and looking north, Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier and Mt Adams were clearly visible.

Hiking back up for a second lap
Nearing the top of the ‘dome

Once back to the top of the Dome, we headed down again to score some bonus corn, and Dan grabbed the camera and fired off a bunch of shots of me coming down. Below is a 5-shot sequence of some pretty glorious mid-July turns on the Snowdome…

Summer snowboarding on the ‘dome
July turns on Mt Hood
Matt enjoying the quality corn
Heading down the ‘dome
Cruising down on lap number 2

We skied back down to the bottom of the ‘Dome, then collected our gear and headed out for the rest of the ski back down to the Eliot. 

Dan ripping the Snowdome
A break on lap 2
Joe cruising down the ‘Dome
July turns on Mt Hood

This section of snow below the Snowdome didn’t look as smooth as the Snowdome itself on the ascent, but it actually skied really nice, and we enjoyed a bunch of quality corn on the way down to the Eliot.

Dan skiing the lower Snowdome
Skiing the lower section above the Eliot
Dan heading down towards the Eliot
Enjoying a break below the ‘dome

We worked our way all the way down to the rock crossing above the Eliot, and then carefully crossed the rocks to the snow below, before ultimately making our way back down to the glacier for the final turns of the day.

Looking out at the Eliot Glacier
Final turns down to the Eliot
Crossing the rocks down to the Eliot
Joe skiing out onto the Eliot Glacier

The lower sections of the Eliot served up ample doses of good corn, and after crisscrossing around a few crevasses and jumping over a few others, we milked the final finger of snow to the bottom.

Harvesting corn on the lower Eliot
Final turns on the Eliot

Back at our shoes, the ski boots came off and went on the packs with the skis, and we worked our way across the jumbled boulder field over to the ridge. Climbing back up to the ridge went without incident (I always worry about a loose rock taking someone out), and soon we were staring back at the northside and admiring our work!

Scree scrambling back to the trail
Looking north to Mt Adams from the terminus of the Eliot
Looking back at the mountain
Our turns on the north side

The hike back down the trail to Cloud Cap went without incident, and we fired up the grill and enjoyed a round of Cloud Cap Amber Ales and some brats with the campground manager who was more than happy to chat us up and eat the extra brat we had. We weren’t parked in a suitable place for me to take out the tripod, and I was being kind of lazy, so no shots of the apres’ ski were taken on this day, but below is parting shot of Dan and I from Sunday evening at Cloud Cap! At any rate, once the brats and beers were gone, we loaded up our gear and headed down the road, stoked on another awesome trip to Mt Hood’s north side!

Parting shot from a nice evening at Cloud Cap

July 1, 2025 – Mt Hood, Zigzag + Palmer snowfields

The year was flying by as usual, and July was quickly approaching, and Dan, Joe and I wanted to get out early to get our turns in. We decided to head to Mt Hood to take advantage of the fact that we could ski back to the car on groomed snow, while also venturing out of the area in search of wild snow as well. As usual, I met Dan early at the Harrisburg exit on I-5 and we headed up the freeway to pick up Joe in Albany. An hour or so later we were in Sandy, charging at the Supercharger before making the final leg of the drive up to Timberline.

Mt Hood from the Climber’s Lot

The mountain was looking more like August 1st than July 1st, but we were happy to be getting out on the snow. We shouldered our packs and made the walk up to Silcox on the road. Several cars past us on the hike up, and when we got to the hut, we found out there was a promo shoot happening for some clothing outfit.

Mt Hood from the road to Silcox
Looking down to the lodge and beyond
Park crew working on some features
Joe & Dan heading up the road to Silcox

At the Silcox, we traversed over to the west side of the Mile/Palmer, and found a lane of snow to skin on just alongside the area boundary. Joe and I didn’t get hassled, but Dan did at the very top of the snow near the top of the Palmer. We were way west, on what I thought was well outside the area boundary, but there was a cat track out there that was damn near all the way out to the Zigzag!

Skinning above the Palmer
Joe climbing under the clouds

Eventually we made our way above the top of the Palmer and found a suitable spot to enjoy a rest, eat some food, and soak in the views. The clouds above the mountain were really pretty, and Joe and I enjoyed our lunch while waiting for Dan, who was lagging quite a bit behind us after not getting any sleep the night before. Eventually Dan caught up with us, and we headed on up.

Joe ready to enjoy a break
Working over to the Zigzag

We worked our way up and over to the Zigzag, and skinned up to a point above Illumination Saddle that afforded a good view. The snow on the Zigzag wasn’t the best quality, being a bit runneled, and it was quite warm. We called it near the base of Crater Rock, and it was time to step out of our bindings and get a beer on ice. My beer of choice for the day was a whopper of a can – a 32 oz. hazy IPA from Mighty Pine Brewing that I picked up a few weeks earlier in Port Angeles while on a trip there with family to visit the Olympics and surrounding area. I snapped a picture of it, but then put it back in my pack to enjoy for later at the top of the Palmer. If you are in the Port Angeles area, it definitely worth checking these guys out — their beer is awesome and they are super good people.

Hazy IPA from Mighty Pine Brewing
Matt above Illumination Saddle

After changing the skis over to board mode, we were ready to drop in. We traversed to the west a ways, looking for smoother snow, and ended up finding some snow that provided for good turns above Illumination Rock. It was a bit sticky, due to the warm temps and the fact that a few inches of fresh snow had fallen a week or so ago, but nevertheless we enjoyed the turns. I snapped several pics of Joe as he came down, and he grabbed the camera and returned the favor for me lower down.

Joe harvesting some July corn
Skiing below Crater Rock
Summer snowboarding high on the Zigzag
Turns on the upper Zigzag

Dan came down after us, after climbing up behind us, and I was able to snap some photos of him as well as he descended. He started out looking pretty tiny high above us, then worked his way over to Illumination Rock, and eventually made his way down to regroup with us above the Zigzag.

Dan looking small below Illumination Rock
Early July corn turns on Mt Hood

We party skied down the upper Ziggy to our usual entry point around 8500 feet in elevation. From there, given the stickiness of the snow and the warm temps, we decided to forgo skiing lower down on the Zigzag and instead head over to the Palmer. Getting off the Zigzag required taking off the skis and doing a bit of booting, but nothing like the usual booting later in August or September.

Looking down the Zigzag snowfield
Heading over to ski back to the Palmer
Joe heading back towards the Palmer
Dan looking back up the Zigzag

On the short hike over to where we could traverse back to the Palmer, I noticed something shiny sticking out of the snow on the Zigzag. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a full ski with Dynafit bindings. I decided to haul it out, and it reminded me of several other items (including a half of a splitboard) that I’ve found on the Zigzag over the years.

Dan working back towards the Palmer
The boys ready to ski back to the Palmer

A few minutes later, after a quick traverse, we were back at the top of the Palmer and it was time to cool the beers and enjoy them. My beer was super fresh and great tasting, and I’m ready for a return visit to Mighty Pine. Our timing was perfect — we made it to the top just as the lift quit spinning, and we enjoyed the views while sipping our beers. I managed to down most of mine, although I gave a few ounces to Dan, and then it was time to ride. The Palmer didn’t disappoint, and the snow conditions were really nice. 

Turns on the Palmer snowfield
Cranking July turns on the Palmer
Joe skiing the Palmer
Enjoying turns after the lift was done spinning

We stopped in the middle of the Palmer to get a quick rest of the legs, and then continued on down to make more turns. At the mid-station, we headed to the west to enjoy some of the groomed terrain west of the lift, and that turned out to be a great choice. I fired off several shots as Joe and Dan skied down, including the ones below. 

All smiles on Mt Hood
Joe and Dan
Dan
Dan and Joe working the canyon

We milked the turns all the way to the bottom of the Palmer, ending up at the top of the Mile where we’d ditched our shoes behind some rocks earlier in the day. I fired off a few more shots of the boys as they skied that way….

Skiing the groomer west of the lifts
Heading down to the Mile

After a brief stop at the top of the Mile to collect our shoes, we set off again, dropping into the half pipe before skiing out the Mile canyon back to the parking lot. It was a pretty swell treat to be able to make turns right back down to the car.

Dan cruising through the halfpipe

Once at the car, it was time to enjoy some Apres’ activities, and I was really looking forward to the fresh garden salads I’d made the day before. They definitely hit the spot, and sitting there in flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt, enjoying fresh eats from the garden while basking int he sunshine, it reminded me why summer turns in the Oregon cascades are so special. All in all, it was a great way to kick off the month of July and the summer ski season!

Apres’ at the car

Nuts & Bolts 2025 – June 6-8 at Timberline!

As hard as it was to believe, the spring was racing by and June was already here, which meant that it was time for Nuts & Bolts 2025 at Mt Hood. I was looking forward to this year, since it was likely the last official “patrol” days that I would have with Shaun since he was aging out of the SPY program. It was also our 3rd season together at Nuts & Bolts, and a good time for some father/son bonding. Like the year prior, we left our house in around 5:00 pm, and after a quick stop in Coburg to pick up Atticus, we headed north on I-5 towards Mt Hood.

Shaun at the check-in on day 1
James, Mark & jenn outside the day lodge

We stopped on the way up to grab a quick bite at Chipotle, then made our way to Govy, arriving at our condo at Collins Lake  around 8:00 pm. Ian and James were getting a bite to eat at the Mt Hood brew pub, so we unloaded our gear and grabbed a bunk. A bit later, Ian and James showed up at the condo, and a few others trickled in a well, including jenn, Mark, and Dan. A few hours later we headed for bed, ready for a fun day of turns and clinics on the mountain.

Atticus & Shaun ready to shred

We woke early, and after eating my usual breakfast of two eggs and a bagel, I hit the road with Shaun and Atticus in tow. About 10 minutes later, we were gearing up in the Timberline parking lot, and checking in with other patrollers from around the northwest and beyond. The morning meeting was filled with the usual announcements and banter, and before long we organized into groups and headed out. Ian and I were on the same track for the weekend, with most of our clinics being instructor/toboggan related.

Ian and Mark ready to load the Palmer
Ready for the first sled drills of N&B 2025

We took a ride up the Mile chair and then skated down to the Palmer, and zipped up to the top and were greeted with great views under blue skies. We skated over to the middle of the top of the run, and met up with our Toboggan Trainers group to discuss some optimal training exercises for new sled candidates. We dropped in for a few runs with the sleds, taking turns in the handles and on the tail rope. I snapped a few photos of the action before jumping in to the handles myself.

Dropping in for the instructors clinic
Matt holding the tailrope during a clinic break
Heading down the Palmer
Loading the edge for another ride up

After spinning a couple of laps, Heather from Mt Hood snapped a photo of several of us in the instructor clinic, including Andy and I from the Pass. When she gave me the camera back, I offered to shoot a picture of her and Rich (who’s a National board member), and she was happy to accept.

Group shot at the top of the Palmer
Heather & Rich

After snapping a few pics and enjoying a break for lunch, we spun one more lap with the sleds before calling it a day around 1:00. Right about that time, Shaun met up with me at the top of the Palmer and we were able to ski a couple of laps together. It was nice skiing with him, since we didn’t get too many runs together all season since our regular patrol schedule was so busy.

Gearing up for another lap
Shaun cruising down the Palmer
June turns on the Palmer snowfield
Shaun heading down

Once we made our way back to the top of the Palmer, we met up with James, Ian jenn and Mark to spin a few laps before closing. A few more pictures followed, and Ian snapped a few photos of James, Shaun and I, as well as just Shaun and I. They turned out nice, and the second shot below is my favorite patrol shot of the season of Shaun and I.

James, Matt & Shaun at the top of the Palmer
Matt & Shaun
James skiing after the clinics
June turns on the Palmer

We enjoyed a couple of laps on the upper Palmer before calling it a day and heading down through the lower Palmer, to the Mile and then into the public park. I snapped several photos of the crew as we descended. As usual, the halfpipe was in perfect condition, and a few of us enjoyed riding the walls (no air unfortunately) on the way down.

jenn getting her shred on
Some of the crew after the clinics
Mark ripping
Down at the lodge after a great day of skiing

The further down we skied the stickier the snow became, but it was nice to slide all the way back to the parking lot. After changing out of ski boots and ski gear, we ditched the gear and headed to the Ram’s Head at the lodge to enjoy a cold beer. With the weather being conducive, we opted to sit outside on the patio in the front of the lodge with a great view south towards Mt Jefferson and beyond.

Apres beers at the lodge

A little later, we headed back to the car and then down to Govy to get ready for the evening. The plan was to meet up around 6:00 pm or so at the Ratskellar, eat pizza with the crew, and take part in the raffle. We did just that, with the added bonus of watching the 1st game of the Beaver baseball super regional against Florida State on the big screen. It turned out to be a great night. Not only did Shaun win a Leatherman tool and enjoy a whole lot of pizza, but we got to watch the beavers win game 1 in the most dramatic comeback I’ve maybe ever seen. Down 4-1 entering the bottom of the 9th inning, they scored one run on a past ball, and then tied it up on a two-out, two-strike pitch that Jacob Kreig took into the outfield. The whole bar went absolutely berserk and did so again in extra innings when they walked it off. It was definitely a night I will never forget. To top it off, I played a few games of cornhole with Shaun, before heading out for a walk around Govy with both him and Atticus.

Matt & Shaun at the Ratskellar

After our walk, we headed back to the Ratskellar to find the rest of the crew, and then made the short walk back to the condo to hit the sack and get ready for day number 2. Day 2 dawned clear and warm, and after breakfast we headed back up to the hill. This was going to be Shaun’s last day, since he was heading home in the evening for a planned get together with friends. We headed up to the check-in, got our skis hot waxed, and then headed out for another day of clinics in the sun on the Palmer.

Parked and ready for Saturday
Shaun and Atticus ready for day 2

Shaun was in a ski enhancement seminar, and I was back in the instructor series for toboggan enhancement. Like the day before, we broke into groups, and my lead for the day was Jim O’Conner, the current Outdoor Emergency Transportation director for NSP. He put on a great clinic, and had lots of good tips for skiers working with snowboarders and vice-versa. We started the morning off with some simple drills that became progressively more and more challenging.

Skill drills on the Palmer
Jimmy & Larry at at the top of the Palmer
Larry dropping in for some skills work on the Palmer

We spent the better part of the morning running drills on the Palmer, and I learned several things I’m planning on taking back to the Pass for the upcoming season. Around 12:30 or so, the clinic wrapped up, and I caught up with Shaun for a few laps to free ski. Several others from the Pass joined in on the fun, and we spun a few laps on the groomed snow of the Palmer.

Amber & Shaun on the Palmer Chair
The Willamette Pass Group up top
Ian carving the corn
Amber enjoying the Palmer
June cruising on Mt Hood

Like the day before, I pulled out the camera and shot a bunch of photos of the Willamette Pass crew harvesting the corn. We hung out on the upper Palmer for a couple of laps, and once the snow started getting sticky, we headed down to hit the lodge after an enjoyable day of clinics and turns.

Hayley getting some June corn
James enjoying day 2
Mark popping on the Palmer
The crew ready to head in after day 2

The ride down the lower Palmer and the Mile was fun, and like the day before, we hit the halfpipe and popped off a few of the smaller hits in the public park, before riding it out back to the parking lot. 

Cruising on the lower Palmer

Once back to the car, we ditched the ski boots and headed to the lodge for a deserved drink at the Ram’s Head. A few minutes later, Julie showed up to grab Shaun, and we enjoyed a few minutes at the lodge together. I walked them out to the car, and it was bittersweet to see them leave, knowing it was probably the last time I’d ski with Shaun in his SPY jacket.

Julie and Shaun at the Lodge

After Julie and Shaun left, I headed back to the lodge and hung out with the crew for a few minutes, and then we headed down to Govy for the afternoon. I headed out for a run to get a workout in, and a bit later it was time for dinner outside the patrol area. The theme for dinner this year was Mexican food, and it the tacos hit the spot. As usual, the shot ski made an appearance, with money going to the Mt Hood ski patrol. And Matt (the Mt Hood patrol director), was busy blending up margaritas and passing them out to anyone who was thirsty, so it made for a fun evening.

Shot ski at the dinner in Govy

Eventually, we all made our way back to the condo, and went to bed in anticipation of the final day of the 2025 Nuts & Bolts event. Sunday morning arrived early, and after a quick breakfast, we checked out of the condo and headed up to the mountain one final time. It was forecast to get warm, and it was already around 65 degrees in the parking lot when we arrived.

Mt Hood on a warm Sunday morning
Dan, Hayley and Mark on Sunday morning

The crowd for the Sunday check-in was a bit smaller than the previous two days, but nevertheless it was a good representation of folks from across the northwest and beyond. After the morning announcements, everyone headed out and we made our way to the top of the Palmer.

Timberline Lodge on Sunday morning
Joe, Matt, Andy & Amber

I was in an instructor clinic led by Joe Harwood, who I’ve worked with a ton at the Pass and who was also my sled instructor during my candidate year, and Andy and Matt also took part. As was typical, we had to wait for Harwood for about 15 minutes at the top of the Palmer…

Andy waiting for Joe at the top of the Palmer

Once Joe showed up, we set to work running drills on the Palmer. It was fun discussing how to best work with new and experienced sled candidates back at our local hills, and we spent a few hours working the hill. As usual, I snapped several photos, as well as a few of Ian and jenn once we made our way back to the top of the Palmer – they were working a similar clinic.

Harwood leading an instructor clinic on day 3
jenn and Ian ready to drop in
Ian sitting as ballast in the Edge sled
jenn dropping in

Joe’s clinic wrapped up around noon, and wanting to play a little more with the sleds, I headed over to work with Whit, Ian, Amber and jenn. They were working with the edge, and practicing wheel-barrowing (how to handle the sled in the event it breaks away from the skier in the handles). I jumped in and gave jenn a few tips on the snowboard, and soon she had it down!

Ian and Amber posing for a quick pic
Amber at the top of the Palmer
Amber & jenn giving Whit a ride
Running the edge on the Palmer

After a couple of runs, I was able to convince jenn to take the sled up for one more and let me sit as ballast and shoot a couple of photos from the patient view. It worked out well and I got a few shots as well as a good run. 

Sled training on day 3
My view from the sled with jenn in the handles

We ditched the sled at the mid-station, and headed back up to enjoy the last few free ski, lift served runs of the season. I snapped a few shots of Ian enjoying the action before we met back up with the group to head down.

Ian shredding
Enjoying a lap of free skiing to end the day

For our final lap, I grabbed sled carrier that needed to be taken down, and Ian took the Edge, and we headed off. Someone took a cell phone shot (below) of our crew on the way down, and I snapped several shots of Ian running the Edge…

Heading down to end Day 3
Ian bringing down the Edge sled
Final turns on the Palmer
Hauling the Edge off the mountain

We milked the snow right down to the parking lot, and after depositing the sled and carrier where they need to be, headed to the car to strip off the ski gear and enjoy some snacks and cold beverage. I was excited to have a super tasty Log Splitter pale ale from Great Notion that I’d tried a few weeks earlier on a trip to Portland with Julie, and it definitely hit the spot on the warm afternoon.

A tasty Thumb Splitter Pale from Great Notion

A bit later, the crew all took off for home. I headed down to Govy – with a glimmer of hope that my original thought of spending the night and riding one more day on the upper mountain via either the south side or the Wy’East face might pan out. When I made it to town though, I knew that wasn’t going to work. It was 87 in Govy and supposed to be just as warm or warmer on Monday. So, I made a pit stop at the Mt Hood brew pub and picked up a 6-pack of Cloud Cap amber ale for later in the season, and hit the road home (it hit 101 in Estacada on my drive home!). A couple of hours later, Nuts & Bolts 2025 was a memory, but it’s one I’ll hold onto forever. I’m already looking forward to a return trip in 2026. Until then, hHere’s a parting shot of our Willamette Pass crew from this year!

Parting shot of the Willamette Pass crew