Broken Top

While many people out there were spending Valentine’s Day weekend exchanging roses and chocolates, I spent it with two dudes and one rugged bitch of a mountain. The eroded, jagged summit rim of Broken Top represents a distinct departure from the standard conical peaks of the Cascades. Sitting right next door to the Three Sisters, Broken Top is often an overlooked destination due to the long approach and concerning avalanche conditions during much of the winter. By spring, when avalanche concerns have subsided, the approach is equally long, but often without the benefit of a snow. The day after Valentine’s day, the snow, weather, and season all aligned to make an attempt at Broken Tops formidable crater. It did not disappoint.

Snow Dome - Mt. Hood

From left to Right: Cooper Spur, Elliot Glacier, Snow Dome

Among the many reasons I love Oregon, one of the most significant is that "ski season" is kind of a misnomer. In Oregon, it should really be called "ski year. In most places, "ski season" starts in December and ends in March. A couple die-hards may be out in November or April. But by the time May rolls around, much of the snow is gone, and the snowy mountains have been forgotten. Not so in Oregon. In May, we're just getting started.

Well, it's June, it's the first day of Summer, and today I skied nearly 3000 vertical feet of spectacular corn on Snow Dome on Mt. Hood. I love Oregon.

Mt. Tumalo

After a week and a half of snow, the Oregon Cascades are starting to look like their usual snowy selves. Mt. Bachelor is posting 50 inches of new snow in the past seven days, putting the monthly total for the central Cascades at close to 100 inches. Densities have range from blower to cement, which has lead to "interesting" ski conditions, and an atypical Oregon snowpack. There seems to be significant variation in snow temperatures within the snowpack, and densities are diverse as well. This is adding up to a variable and potentially unstable snowpack. There was even a skier carried in a slide on the NE bowl of Mt. Tumalo last weekend...a stalwart of mellow backcountry ski destinations. 

Well, the lady friend was in town from Denver, and we were wanting to get out and ski something in the backcountry, so despite the variable snowpack, we decided to head up Mt. Tumalo. The plan was to stay on the low-angle west slope, where there is always low risk of avalanches. It rained in the mountains yesterday. Overnight, however, temps dropped, along with four inches of low density snow. One of the beautiful things about the backcountry is it only takes a few inches to totally refresh the snow surfaces. 

Maiden Peak Shelter 1/18/14-1/19/13

Spring Skiing in January

In case you haven't noticed, it has not snowed very much in Oregon this winter. Currently we're sitting at around 53% of average in the Willamette Basin. The Deschutes Basin is even worse at 49% of average. So, turn your pajamas inside out, do your snow dance, give away your powder skis...whatever it takes. We need snow.

 With warm temps and sunny skies turning last weekend's storm to mush/suncrust/dirt, it seemed skiing anything steep was out of the cards this weekend. So, Jake, Matt, and I headed out to the Maiden Peak Hut on Willamette Pass. We knew there wouldn't be much skiable terrain on the hike, but the goal was to get the hell out of Dodge more than anything. Disclaimer: If you ski with me, the likelihood that a standard ski trip will become somewhat of an adventure is high... Things never seem to go quite as planned.