TR: Mt. Hood, Timberline, OR 8/2/12 and 8/3/12

I was invited by gone2alpine and jla415 to head up to Timberline to make some turns the old-fashioned way - by riding up on chairlifts.

Thursday, August 2nd.

Vets and jla415:
http://www.loloville.com/IMG1547c.jpg

The snow was pretty firm up top at the top o' the mornin', so we found some softer smoothness down low.
Vets:
http://www.loloville.com/IMG1551c.jpg

gone2alpine:
http://www.loloville.com/IMG2615c.jpg
http://www.loloville.com/IMG2617c.jpg

Looking down from above the lifts...
http://www.loloville.com/I20120802110845c.jpg
...a closer look...
http://www.loloville.com/IMG2622c.jpg

Looking up at Mt. Hood:
http://www.loloville.com/I20120802112118c.jpg

The view looking up from the parking lot:
http://www.loloville.com/20120802152757cr.jpg

The view looking up from Ski Bowl East:
http://www.loloville.com/I20120802163650cr.jpg

August 3rd next...

August 3rd...

Looking up at Mt. Hood from the PCT:
http://www.loloville.com/20120803083040cr.jpg

gone2alpine and jla415 heading up for more vert....
http://www.loloville.com/IMG2641c.jpg

That old-fashioned lift served did get to me so I did some of that new-fangled hiking. After setting a bootpack hiking up the previous day I returned and hiked up higher. It got warmer on Friday, so I ditched the jacket and was sporting my AK skis T in honor of Splat's recently passed friend Aldo.
A self-timer photo of Vets starting down after making a hike up above the lifts:
http://www.loloville.com/IMG2652c.jpg

The hike also gave me the opportunity to get this Mt. Hood panorama:
http://www.loloville.com/mthoodpanorama5661080312.jpg

It also meant a long run with at least 3K of vert. After that I headed back up to join those old-fashioned lift-served skiers jla415 and gone2alpine. The racers had all of their gates pulled by noon and this opened up some creamy good smoothness.

gone2alpine:
http://www.loloville.com/I20120803130343cr.jpg

Vets:
http://www.loloville.com/IMG2665cr.jpg
http://www.loloville.com/IMG2668cr.jpg

jla415 and gone2alpine might have some more photos to add.

Definitely a fun time!

Coming back from the Uintas I saw one snow patch on Timp. It was 99 degress when I dropped in to Salt Lake. That looks like a VERY pleasant way to start August!

i flew back from houston on friday and was amazed at how bare hood it is, but i haven't seen it from the air at this time of year in a long while. not sure it's more bare than usual or not because i haven't been paying attention since i left the country, but it looks pretty bare in these pics, too. looks fun, though. how late in the day before it got too sloppy?

^ Getting in close to 2.5K lift served and 3K plus with a little hiking didn't make it seem bare to me. I have skied Hood before with less snow around this time of year, so I couldn't complain. (Fly over the Tahoe area this summer if you want to see lots of bare areas.) I would like to ski Hood earlier after a big year, maybe in June when there would be even more possibilities.

Palmer didn't really get sloppy, just smoother all the way up to 2 when they closed. The stuff below/around Magic Mile got sticky/sloppy around noonish.

Thanks Vets! Now you've got Owen saying he does not need to play soccer this Fall. He'll just go to Timberline and ski....

He looked at me funny when I mentioned "school". Yeah, you know. First grade?

spook

How was the skiing in Houston?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by telemike

spook

How was the skiing in Houston?

---

well, it sucks, of course, but if you think i'm a big asshole, you should go to houston. what a rude awakening coming back to the u.s., as usual. and tom delay getting his fucking boots shined, to boot.

Two days back in the brown-ness that is Tahoe and I am ready to be back in Hood...

Glad to see you made the trip. Thanks for the photos.
Is getting me real excited about being there on the 25th for my 60th birthday.

Fuck.....I'm going skiing this weekend.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by powdrhound

Glad to see you made the trip. Thanks for the photos.
Is getting me real excited about being there on the 25th for my 60th birthday.

---

You picked a great place to celebrate. Looking forward to seeing your birthday TR.