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:

Thankskiing

Aliza hiking up the Palmer Snowfield with Mt. Jefferson in the background

I’m thankful for a lot of things in my life, not the least is the fact that I get to go skiing pretty regularly. It’s easy to forget what a privilege it is to ski. Most people don’t ski. Even fewer have the skills, time, and experience to ski the backcountry. Those of us that do ski the backcountry are pretty damn lucky, and sometimes it’s good to be reminded of that.

I’m also pretty lucky that I’ve grown up in a family that not only encouraged my backcountry pursuits, but they have regularly been a part of them.