It's finally snowing a bit out here in Oregon and it's about time. My first pow day came damn near all the way through February! I know the rest of you have been waiting a while for a proper winter, too (unless you're in the Midwest or East Coast, in which case, congrats, or Japan, in which case do you have a room I can rent next winter?), so I'm here to help you out with some free shit! This here's a Volcom Service 4-Way Stretch Jacket. I'm no expert on 4-Ways, but that's a lot of stretch. This thing shines like the sun, too, so all your buddies will be able to see you even when you're fully immersed in the white room. All you gotta do is comment on this post, 'like' the related instagram (@boredyak) and/or retweet the tweet (@boredyak). Use the hashtag #yakjacket so I can find you. Oh, you know you have to follow my channels, too, dunce. May the best (random) fan win!
It's finally winter on Mt. Hood and Meadows is already rolling out what it normally calls its 'Spring Pass.' It's hard to call it that this year since over the past few weeks they've just started running all the lifts and they also just cracked the 100" base mark. You know, things that generally happen in January. In other 'every winter is weirder than the last' news, I haven't even ridden at Meadows yet! Tomorrow is set to be day #1 there. It's mid-February and I've been spending all my time in the gym hoping I'm ready when the snow finally hits. Well, it's hitting now and I won't be. I got that wake-up call a few weeks ago at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Good thing it was a demo, so I had an excuse to stop every two runs. Now it's just time to break out the pow trousers and the Charlie Slasher, wax that ass, fall off the lift and point it SFD. Hoo Wee! Good times ahead!!
Not only that, sunny skies! Free hot cocoa and coffee!! Free cookies!!! FREE BEER!!1 OK, no free beer, but the rest is legit. Best opening day at Mt. Hood Meadows ever. The fresh tracks lasted far longer than my legs. All that hiking, biking, running and gym time this summer proved worthless. In two runs, my back leg was yelping like a confused poodle. This prompted the following binding setup:
Yeah, that deep. Runs that were normally groomers swallowed men whole. I think I found the lost city of Atlantis under the new Stadium Express lift. Of course this is the first snow of the season, so stumps, rocks and Christmas tree tops are still exposed, just waiting to snag the unsuspecting rider. Your humble author got his among some trees under Shooting Star.
Waking up the morning after opening day should be a little painful, though, shouldn't it? A five month layoff letting all the important muscles atrophy, then getting out there, at altitude, trying to pick up where you left off..? Pain. Pass me the ice pack, fish oil and turmeric. No Advil here, I'm going natural. Carlson fish oil, one tablespoon per day (that's three teaspoons, genius). Natural anti-inflammatory. It's good for the skin, hair, heart and brain, too. Makes you do methods like Lando. Talk to your medical professional about it. Or maybe just eat more fish. Or, you know, give your money to big pharma and maintain the status quo. How's that for a rant? Fair to midland? I'll try harder next time.
Much of my time was spent wandering - either on board or foot - and checking out all the new things at Meadows this year. The new lift was the most prominent and nicer than I thought it would be. The new snowcats are doing their thing behind the scenes. Some of the little things that grabbed my attention were bottle filling stations on the drinking fountains and a new plastic cutlery dispenser.
The things they do in the name of environmentalism. Meanwhile, the automatic toilet flushes twice before I even sit down. Figure that one out.
Any day with that much powder is a good day. Especially when you can end it with a pint in the lodge instead of with a splint in the aid hut. My stoke is fully restored. Here's to a great season!
Finally, my glorious return to the mountain. And it was good. After overcoming a serious case of Opening Day Anxiety, thanks to Ben's motivational skills and Pat's driving skills, I was stricken by an equally critical case of Mad Pow Disease. I took my medicine, including some shots to the face, and in the end, all was well.
The weather wasn't nearly as cold as reported. The driving, well, thanks Pat! And the snow, ah the snow. Two feet of fluff in 24 hours. Not only was it good for the Cascades, I'd put it up against anything. Cold temperatures and breezes left deep drifts that made for fat slashes and soft landings. The sub-zero wind-chill readings must have been taken at the top of Vista. The wind was still on duty for snow pick-up and drop-off services both runs I took on that side of the hill. Avoiding the scoured areas to slash the deep pockets and rip the lips was worth the effort, but not worth potential frostbite. We finished the day nearly where we started, treed gullies and banks.
Of course, the day wasn't without drawbacks. About 15 minutes of one group of friends trying to find the other brought the mood down. As did that damn wind when it kicked up. So did the fact that Meadows is making snow. Why would they make snow right now when so much is in the forecast? I don't even mean La Niña, I mean the 7-day forecast.
Don't blow snow. If you do, don't blow it straight at the lift line.
Overall, it was a great day. We got powder, sun and we even remembered the post-shred parking lot beers. A random Tuesday before Thanksgiving is not supposed to be this good. I feel like we're a month ahead of the game. Here's to an all-time season!
Wow! I just got back from the best snowboard trip of my life. So good, it made me have a seizure. I'm not even kidding. Give me a minute to collect myself and I'll give you the whole story. If you just want the short version, here goes. I got there (Baldface Lodge near Nelson, BC) knowing nothing, no one and having no idea what I was in for. I left with dozens of new friends and life-changing experiences. Here's a teaser photo...
Cat access and 65cm of new snow, good times!
OK, more of the good stuff later; and I've got plenty, including face shots, shot skis off splitboards, biblical reenactments, mostly naked co-ed snow diving, spank tunnels, the list just doesn't stop. You will want to follow up on this one.
Yesterday was a deep pow day at Meadows. A huge storm is rolling through dumping snow throughout the region, even as far down the valley as the city of Portland. This system is responsible for about 90% of the snow on Mt. Hood right now. With the prediction of a particularly generous 20-inch overnight load and the announcement that the main lift, Mt. Hood Express, was fired up, I rallied to get a crew together. In the end, Thomas and Colin joined me for the treacherous drive up US26.
I'd like to take a second to say, I'm not going to write about every time I go up to the mountain. I realize that it's much more exciting for me to do than it is for you to read about. That said, you can be sure that all of my posts have some content worth reading. Keeping you stoked and informed is what I'm all about. If I feel a product review would do that better than a post that says, 'Look at me, I took some park laps with my friends,' I'll post the review. Actually, I'll probably post whatever I want until I hear some comments from you. Turning this into some sort of dialogue would be much more fun and interactive than the current lecture.
The meaty part of this post regards driving in winter weather conditions. The snowsports community exists in a paradox in that the better the conditions are on the mountain, the worse the roads are going to be on the way. 'Chains or traction tires required,' is a sign we're all familiar with and it means you're in for a long drive. I personally drive a Subaru Impreza with all-wheel-drive and all-season, M+S rated tires. I've never put chains or studded tires on it and with few exceptions, I've always felt in control.
My snow-mobile
My equalizer is driving cautiously. I'm not ashamed to drive 20 or 30 mph in particularly dangerous conditions. Not to sound like a third grade math problem, but think about it this way: if you have a sketchy, 30-mile drive to the mountain and you drive 45 mph, you get there in 40 minutes. If you make the same drive at 30 mph, it takes an hour. Is it really worth 20 more minutes on the hill to be passing people in a blizzard? On the way up yesterday we witnessed the unthinkable: a semi and a car stopped side-by-side putting chains on in traffic! This was even in an area with extra-wide shoulders specifically for chaining up. The rest of traffic was forced around into the chain-up zones to drive past. I shouldn't have to waste any words telling you all how dangerous this is. Chain-up (and chain removal) zones are there for a reason. They give you a safe place to operate, so that you don't have to worry about cars whizzing by on both sides. If you need to put chains on your vehicle, please use the designated zones if possible or pull off as far onto the shoulder as you can. Getting hit by a car while chaining up for a powder day would be a shitty, avoidable way to go.
Enough about the downers, though, let's talk about the deep pow that awaited when we finally got to the resort. Boot-deep on groomers. Easily waist-deep on ungroomed runs. Reports of chest-deep powder mines between the trees were enough to keep me out. Especially with the sticks and weeds waiting underneath to snag you (remember, this is the first storm of the season and still only a 40-inch base). We stuck to a steady diet of 4 Bowl near the MHE lift and it provided run after run of steep and deep fun. When the Shooting Star lift opened, the crowd spread out and our laps went quicker. A couple more powder burials and we called it a day. Speaking of which, deep early season pow can bring some unforeseen challenges that you might not face when the base is more established. The same run that was an open rolling bowl in March might cliff you out earlier in the year. 'Expect unmarked obstacles,' is what Meadows always says and it's for real. Ride with a friend and try to stay within shouting distance. Knowing that Colin was nearby put my mind at ease a few times up there.
The final icing on the cake was seeing fellow Portland shred Scotty Wittlake on the hill. I saw a post of his on the Lib Tech blog from opening day, but seeing him in person was rad. I didn't say anything to him, but he's always been a guy who's style and attitude I've appreciated. This one's for you, Scotty!
