2010-2011 Mt. Hood

[tuffy109]

i'm moving to here in two weeks.

how long does the hood season last? i mean, how long do the lifts run usually?

[jonesy]

^ Scary shit, real wake up call. I always ski with a pal. Good deal, so you can ski another day. We don't want another Spook death post.

[Sessiøn]

i'm moving to here in two weeks.

how long does the hood season last? i mean, how long do the lifts run usually?

Meadows usually runs till about mid may. Timberline runs Magic Mile and Palmer lifts almost all summer and fall. Not sure about Ski Bowl, but they seem to stay open as long as possible, their last day was April 18th last year.

[puma]

I can't answer to anything else beyond this stream, but just wanted to set the record straight and use my experience as a learning tool to all who ride in the Reserve at Meadows. When it's deep like it was on Monday, anything can happen... I was freeskiing(not working) skiers right of Yoda, in the trees at the waterfall just above Bucket Creek. I took two turns skiers R above the water and aired into the bowl at the bottom of the falls. Upon landing, the slope broke sympathetically approx 30ft above my tracks and as I took my first turn, the moving snow caused me to lose my balance and I got spun backwards and fell head down, face up in the confluence of the bowl. The snow quickly buried me over my head and settled out, trapping my hands away from my face and rendering me unable to protect my airway. When it settled out, I could feel that my right hand was partially sticking out of the snow, but I was unable to move my arm and just kept it out of the snow and visible. My Ski Buddy spotted a snowboarder uphill of my location and told him not to drop in. He asked if he could see me and the boarder replied that he could see a ski tip and a hand sticking out of the snow. My friend told him to ride down to me and begin to dig (boarder had no safety gear at all). My friend then began to make his way back up, but was held back due to the very deep snow. Half-way up, He threw his backpack up to the snowboarder and told him to get his shovel out and start digging. I ran out of available air and was beginning to pass out when I felt someone grab my hand and try to pull me out. I threw the hand away quickly and began to point downwards towards the snow surface to designate the direction he needed to dig to get to my airway. He managed to get to my airway with his hands, and got the shovel out shortly after and dug me out. If I were skiing by myself in there, I would not have been able to rescue myself and would have suffocated. Had my ski and hand not been sticking out of the snow, rescue would have required a beacon search and extended burial time, increasing the chance of injury or death. Gear up, ski with a buddy...

Scary. Glad you are ok. I had, what feels to me, a near death experience in the Yoda meadow myself. Still haunts me. Take away, from our experiences, ski with a buddy, keep in constant visual contact when back in this area. (You were doing this, and I have with friends much more diligently since...)

[QuikR12]

I can't answer to anything else beyond this stream, but just wanted to set the record straight and use my experience as a learning tool to all who ride in the Reserve at Meadows. When it's deep like it was on Monday, anything can happen... I was freeskiing(not working) skiers right of Yoda, in the trees at the waterfall just above Bucket Creek. I took two turns skiers R above the water and aired into the bowl at the bottom of the falls. Upon landing, the slope broke sympathetically approx 30ft above my tracks and as I took my first turn, the moving snow caused me to lose my balance and I got spun backwards and fell head down, face up in the confluence of the bowl. The snow quickly buried me over my head and settled out, trapping my hands away from my face and rendering me unable to protect my airway. When it settled out, I could feel that my right hand was partially sticking out of the snow, but I was unable to move my arm and just kept it out of the snow and visible. My Ski Buddy spotted a snowboarder uphill of my location and told him not to drop in. He asked if he could see me and the boarder replied that he could see a ski tip and a hand sticking out of the snow. My friend told him to ride down to me and begin to dig (boarder had no safety gear at all). My friend then began to make his way back up, but was held back due to the very deep snow. Half-way up, He threw his backpack up to the snowboarder and told him to get his shovel out and start digging. I ran out of available air and was beginning to pass out when I felt someone grab my hand and try to pull me out. I threw the hand away quickly and began to point downwards towards the snow surface to designate the direction he needed to dig to get to my airway. He managed to get to my airway with his hands, and got the shovel out shortly after and dug me out. If I were skiing by myself in there, I would not have been able to rescue myself and would have suffocated. Had my ski and hand not been sticking out of the snow, rescue would have required a beacon search and extended burial time, increasing the chance of injury or death. Gear up, ski with a buddy...

Damn dude, scary shit, glad you had someone around. Phiber, if you're not skiing PR cause you don't have a buddy, you need to get a buddy.

[markb]

...

Where exactly is bucket creek and the waterfall you mention? We rarely do anything but PR laps but I don't know where exactly you're describing. The long warm spell opened up the side streambeds. Lots of holes all the way through the snowpack. I'm staying on ridges unless it's a quick cut across something I can see well.

I triggered plenty of small slides in there this weekend, but always kept speed up in open sections. Not foolproof, but helps the odds.

[::: :::]

that's some scary sobering stuff
glad you had a good outcome!

[Patarero]

^^^shit thats scary, glad you made it out.

[SgtSkidmark]

Phiber, I know you're mostly a night slayer. But, if you ever ride in the morning on Sat/Sun/Mon, I will be there and do most of my skiing alone as well (especially on Mondays). We should hook up sometime. I wish I was smart enough to resist the urge to ski in PR by myself on powder days. I carry beacon/shovel/probe but it's more so I can assist someone else if I witness an event. This story is enough to make me buddy up...I hope. Thanks Shabbadou for sharing. Glad you're okay.

[Patarero]

^ditto I've skied it alone 99% of the time this year, should probably change that.

I carry beacon/probe/shovel as well.

[SgtSkidmark]

i'm moving to here in two weeks.

how long does the hood season last? i mean, how long do the lifts run usually?

Nice timing. Get the spring pass at Meadows.

^ditto I've skied it alone 99% of the time this year, should probably change that.

I carry beacon/probe/shovel as well.

I met an over the hill lone wolf teledude on the SS chair on Monday. He said he hadn't been in PR for years and I coaxed him into taking a lap (for selfish reasons---I wanted a buddy to watch my ass). Turns out he was a total ripper and had considerable BC experience. I couldn't keep up with him. If a guy like that refuses to ride PR solo, I definitely have no place in there. Thanks for the wake up call Shabbadou. Never again will I ride solo.

For future reference, I'm a goofy looking 6'6" guy with black Norrona outerwear, blue helmet, and blue backpack. I'm beeping, and would love a partner any time. Usually first chair, but not as often as "first chair Bob". He always beats me to the HRM line. Downside is I'm an average skier so you might be bored to tears skiing with me. Upside is I have a secret stash of PBR buried on the hill between two stumps. Somehow they don't freeze.

[spook]

i'm alone 95% of the time, too. haven't met a lot of people i'm comfortable around for very long. i get super meditative snowboarding and sometimes can barely put together a coherent thought. i'm not much of a smalltalker. i was just telling somebody else today that i don't have anything against riding with other people. i just want to find people who don't always have to talk and can still enjoy sharing the experience and who like to ride long and hard. most of the people i've gone with stop 8 times on the way down one run. i just can't do it.

in any case, i'm in heather and PR alone almost all the time. i do my best to always err on the side of caution, but obviously i can't control everything or know everything and i've had a few moments of holy shit, which fortunately, to this point, have only resulted non-injury or death-related learning experiences.

[QuikR12]

i'm alone 95% of the time, too. haven't met a lot of people i'm comfortable around for very long and sometimes can barely put together a coherent thought.

^^^ About as surprising as when Ricky Martin came out of the closet.

and this explains it

i just want to find people who don't always have to talk and can still enjoy sharing the experience and who like to ride long and hard

livin' la vida loca, baby

[spook]

it's a good thread. we should keep it that way.

[Sinfield]

Scetchy story that hits close to home, after I almost ate it into one of the yoda creeks in January. I too ski solo back there most of the time since I come back and all my buddies can't make it out midweek. I sk with my old man, but he's not really up to the gnarlier pr lines.

Good reminder to at least pack my avy gear before I head back on sat.

[QuikR12]

it's a good thread. we should keep it that way.

Ok, just two more questions:
1. you pitch or catch?
and...
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2. Is there skiing on brokeback mtn?

[jonesy]

Q is bi-curious?
Seems most partners I ski with get hurt. Another one is out after yesterday. That's 3 in the last month. I feel responsible for their safety and am shying away from skiing with others. [/blog]

[drdevon]

We need to get this back on track - it looks like some of the weekend's snow is coming out of the forecast, but I am going to hit upper Heather in the morning

[tuffy109]

thinking of getting some new skis....would i be justified buying some pontoons, or should i keep riding my 1st gen gotamas?

[powski3]

I can't answer to anything else beyond this stream, but just wanted to set the record straight and use my experience as a learning tool to all who ride in the Reserve at Meadows. When it's deep like it was on Monday, anything can happen... I was freeskiing(not working) skiers right of Yoda, in the trees at the waterfall just above Bucket Creek. I took two turns skiers R above the water and aired into the bowl at the bottom of the falls. Upon landing, the slope broke sympathetically approx 30ft above my tracks and as I took my first turn, the moving snow caused me to lose my balance and I got spun backwards and fell head down, face up in the confluence of the bowl. The snow quickly buried me over my head and settled out, trapping my hands away from my face and rendering me unable to protect my airway. When it settled out, I could feel that my right hand was partially sticking out of the snow, but I was unable to move my arm and just kept it out of the snow and visible. My Ski Buddy spotted a snowboarder uphill of my location and told him not to drop in. He asked if he could see me and the boarder replied that he could see a ski tip and a hand sticking out of the snow. My friend told him to ride down to me and begin to dig (boarder had no safety gear at all). My friend then began to make his way back up, but was held back due to the very deep snow. Half-way up, He threw his backpack up to the snowboarder and told him to get his shovel out and start digging. I ran out of available air and was beginning to pass out when I felt someone grab my hand and try to pull me out. I threw the hand away quickly and began to point downwards towards the snow surface to designate the direction he needed to dig to get to my airway. He managed to get to my airway with his hands, and got the shovel out shortly after and dug me out. If I were skiing by myself in there, I would not have been able to rescue myself and would have suffocated. Had my ski and hand not been sticking out of the snow, rescue would have required a beacon search and extended burial time, increasing the chance of injury or death. Gear up, ski with a buddy...

Wow that is a pretty sobering story. People always ask me why I ski with a pack and avalung (sometimes, but probably should all the time) on powder days and that's the reason why. That being said, I tend to ski alone a lot, or at least lose sight of buddies and meet at the bottom. If nothing else, stories like this make me try to be that much more conservative when skiing by myself and reinforce my belief that a shovel is never a bad thing in deep snow.

[Sessiøn]

thinking of getting some new skis....would i be justified buying some pontoons, or should i keep riding my 1st gen gotamas?

Demo something rad that's made locally. Then decide. http://on3pskis.com/

[SgtSkidmark]

Demo something rad that's made locally. Then decide. http://on3pskis.com/

Word. As soon as the bucks are saved up, I'm definitely going ON3P. I'm thinking Caylors with full carbon layer and unicorn graphics. Don't care how much it costs.....

[powholic]

Damn dude, scary shit, glad you had someone around. Phiber, if you're not skiing PR cause you don't have a buddy, you need to get a buddy.

I'm usually avail

[powholic]

thinking of getting some new skis....would i be justified buying some pontoons, or should i keep riding my 1st gen gotamas?

This is an ON3P board - ride the wrens...demo a few, they are here and make a great product.

[tuffy109]

Yeah, I got it that you guys are into them.

What I want to know is if a superfat (read: bigger than gotamas) is something that would get used a lot if hood is where I would be riding most

Thx