Paulina Peak - Northwest Chutes

David Ascending into the Maw

Paulina (Paul-eye-nah) Peak is alpinism concentrate. With an approach of around 45 minutes, you can be below some of the most spectacular technical skiing in Oregon. Located in the Newberry Crater, around 45 minutes south of Bend, Paulina Peak is easy to overlook. Unlike most mountains of interest in Oregon, Paulina Peak is not particularly tall or grandiose from far away. From a distance, the mountain is little more than a bump on the horizon. But as you get closer, you will begin to see why Paulina Peak so special.

The NW Chutes on the mountain are steep, tight, and flanked by imposing basalt cliffs. There are numerous skiable chutes on this aspect, ranging from 10 skis to 2 skis wide. Nearly all the chutes open up onto a wide apron. Snowmobilers call the lower area "the playground"...but they don't even know the half of it. 

Gear Review: Rossignol BC 125 Skis

Volcano season is still going on in Oregon, though things are starting to taper off. I wasn’t able to make it out this weekend, but Pete got some turns in on Mt. Scott (see his report here). There’s talk about heading up to Mt. Washington next weekend, and maybe Mt. Adams over 4^th of July. We’ll see...

In the mean time, I thought I would review another piece of gear. I have skied the Rossi BC 125s now for a little over a year, and I have noticed there aren’t many in-depth reviews of them. So, this is my attempt to shed a little light on the scaled-alpine situation.