After so long without a base, Oregon terrain has finally received enough snow to make it feel like real winter. Although Timberline is currently #2 on the North American snowpack list, I went to a local haunt to tour during the storm while Timberline was borderline whited-out. A tour up Tom Dick and Harry Mountain coupled with some hard-earned powder laps on the way up the Ski Bowl uphill travel route were just the way to rejoice as a huge storm hits the Pacific Northwest.
The drive up to the slopes was a little dicier than expected, with more than a dusting of snow on the roads in Sandy. The route up the pass was packed powder on snow or ice; some sedans had exited the road in favor of the snow banks. The Ski Bowl / Mirror Lake Trail parking lot was well-cleared. If you plan to come to Ski Bowl, Tom Dick and Harry Mountain, or the Mirror Lake Trail, you will need an Oregon (or Idaho) Sno Park pass. I forgot to buy mine ahead of time, but fortunately the Forest Service sells a season permit for $25 which one can buy online from the parking lot.
Heading up the Ski Bowl uphill travel path I ran into some lift operations and ski patrol folks. They let me know that they are doing avalanche control around the ridges. I was thrilled to see that the patroller was as stoked as I was to be in the storm. The patrollers described the steadily falling snow as “mellow” compared to the “damaging” days of storm that preceded this calm day. Minutes after we parted, I heard a series of booms from the direction of Multorpor (a real lift and mountain name).
This storm cycle has been impressive, building a base and swallowing up infrastructure overnight. Ski Bowl is open for night skiing and this lift ran until 9:30 P.M. the night before this picture was taken around 10:30 A.M. The depth of fresh snow was certainly notable from the top of Tom Dick and Harry Mountain, leading to cautious turns on the particularly exposed aspects. In the wake of storms like these— especially after a parched start to the season— it is always important to remember that the most important thing is to live to ski another day.
With cold conditions forecasted, the snowpack is much healthier than we thought it would be in mid-January. Keep praying for snow, praising Ullr, and dreaming of deep powder turns.
