Fresh Snow on West Moraine, Mt. Hood

Not bad for November

Winter has arrived on Mt. Hood. At least for the moment. Coverage below timberline is very limited. Coverage above timberline is marginal, but where there's snow, it's pretty good. Timberline ski area is reporting only 7 inches in the past 24 hours, and a base depth of 17 in. We dug a hasty pit and made our own observations: on a leeward, East facing aspect we found a base of almost 22 inches. Full trip report and snow stability observations after the jump:

Early Season on Hood

Early season on the upper mountain 

After a four month hiatus, skiing has returned...and it's about damn time. A few early season storms have brought just enough snow to ski on. It's not stacking up to be the most epic November ever, but even as I type, there's a forecast for another few feet up in the mountains. Bring it on.

First Day: Bachelor as Backcountry

Pete in The Cirque

Mt. Bachelor is the biggest ski area in Oregon. The mountain has plenty of vertical, but mostly mellow terrain. Generally, only “the Cirque,” off the summit of the mountain, holds any challenging lines. When the lifts are spinning and the patrol are patrolling, there is little at Mt. Bachelor that will intimidate an experienced skier.

Mt. Bachelor is a very different mountain in the early season. The snow is highly variable: soft wind buff transitions to bullet-proof ice without notice. Ribbons of snow terminate in rocky outcroppings creating a maze of routes, only some of which will lead a skier down the mountain. The upper mountain is often wind affected and avalanche prone. In other words, the mountain is hardly the mellow, comfortable resort that welcomes so many tourists each season.