Bits & Pieces

What a treat -- Utah/Colorado type powder at our Oregon ski areas has made for the best holiday conditions in years! Lots more new snow coming between now and the weekend, and after that... it looks like it will dry out and warm up. More details below...

I've got a few miscellaneous items to discuss... read-on!

Trip Report (Skibowl, Christmas Eve day) I stopped by for a couple hours on my way home from Bend... and couldn't be more pleased that I did. The Upper Bowl was fantastic, lots of powder in the trees. There's plenty of snow cover now; hitting bottom was not an issue.

Trip Report (Mt. Hood Meadows, Christmas day) Another great day! I arrived around 10am to find the main parking lot about 80% full (it eventually filled). Cascade and Vista were both open, and there was plenty of powder along with nicely groomed runs. Snow started heavilly falling around noon, resulting in Cascade and Vista closures. The new snow was perfect in the afternoon. One kink in the day, however -- I think Meadows wasn't quite prepared for the amount of people who showed up. It wasn't super crowded, but having to wait 1 hour from the time I sat down in the Alpenstube to when my food showed up is pretty bad. I think the lodge staff was probably reduced given the holiday, and those working were overwhelmed. Hopefully it's an exception rather than the norm.

Meadows Parking update As it turns out, Meadows has decided not to make a significant change to their peak day parking plan after all. But, to encourage carpooling, Meadows will give a raffle ticket to people arriving in cars with three or more people on peak days. Ten winners in a drawing each peak day will each win a $50 Meadows gift card. If this incentive helps the parking situation in the main lot, then great! But if no measurable improvement is visible, then the smart bet is that Meadows will implement a stricter plan... but not until next season.

Heather Canyon update The buzz at Meadows is that Heather will be ready to go once the weather calms down. There's now plenty of snow, and they've been working to build the bridges over Clark Creek in the runout. We just need a couple clear & dry days so that the patrol can do some control work and rope construction. My prediction, given the weather outlook: Heather may open next week.

The new Jeff Flood Express at Timberline I haven't had a chance to write about this yet, but I was able to ski several of the new runs in this area a couple weeks ago. I'm pleased to say that the new runs add an additional layer of variety to Timberline. But overall, the terrain is somewhat similar to the rest of the lower mountain -- good for novice and intermediate skiers/boarders, but lacking in steep thrills for experts. Also, snowboarders beware: The West Leg Road route to the bottom of the lift is really flat. If the snow is soft or sticky, you'll be walking.

Weather Outlook The snow level will bounce around between 1,500 and 3,000 feet through the weekend, with an additional 3-4 feet of new snow likely. This storm cycle will have produced 6-8 feet of snow by the time all is said and done. And it now appears that we'll have a weather pattern change after this weekend. High pressure is projected to build across the West, allowing the sky to clear and temperatures to climb. The freezing level will take a hike up the mountain starting Monday, so enjoy the cold, dry, fluffy and deep new snow now. Next week will be much different...