www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 The thought occurred to me to start an on-going thread for each ski area on Mt Hood? This way those who want to hear about a certain area can sub-scribe and be alerted to a new post? Mt Hood Meadows Website Link Mt Hood Weather Data Link = Data by the hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Cold (0 degrees), dry, windy, partly sunny. What a relief!!! 10 months ago I was just out of surgery with a badly broken Tib Fib right leg in Aspen (SES 3rd day) I went out on skis in the am (flat light) skied till my toes were numb , about 1-1/2 hours. Sun started coming out, warmed up in the truck and changed out boots, 1/2 hour, went back out on the horse that bucked me off. Just walking across the parking lot gave me some pain and concern. Rode for 1-1/2 hours on Easy-Rider on my favorite Tinkler. STOKED!!! I can ride again!!! Never mind that it was at a level 3, I am so happy!! Sorry, back the report. Still only three lifts open. You could see where they were track packing North Canyon , etc. I was hoping they would open MH Express. Snow is in excellent condition (read: cold dry) Talking to lifties and folks that were there yesterday , the Powder was very good, however short lived. Evidently it was pretty busy. No lines today. FYI- MHM lifties now have to scan the UPC on your pass/lift ticket EVERY TIME , EVERY CHAIR. It is a bit of a pain, typically they can not keep up with the flow rate, so it actually slows the feed rate of the chair creating a back up. It appears that they much get the scanner aligned just right to get a read. Similar to swiping a wrinkled UPC label at self check out in the stores. More snow is needed for sure, however I did not hit any rocks and it wasn't too rough. Glad to be back on snow. Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 Good to hear you're back in the saddle, I mean back in the bindings. Got some pow-pow myself at Bachelor on Sunday. Hope to see you down here once we get all the lifts open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 Thanks Mike, feeling it today, icing a very strange swelling pattern over the "Break Site". Looks like a "Carved" turn in a way :) I am riding at a level 3 but it feels "Most Excellent". Look forward to hooking up with my bros at Mt Bachelor soon. Just trying to pace my return to snow. Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 Big Dump! 24" in less than 24hours. Cold =17 , light to moderate winds with gusts. First day of operations for Mt Hood Express chair. Big bolders in the bowls. LOOK OUT!!! Light numbers early, slammed by noon, main parking lot almost full as I rolled out. Opened Shooting Star late morning. Good cold pow day. Tanker 200cm RULED the day. Lots of lost skis and stuck park boards. This is the dump we really needed to get more area open!! Enjoy!! PS, Wish I had a Tinkler Rockered Pow Board today!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 Hey Bryan, Thanks for the ride report and the pics -- really wanted to head up today, but couldn't make it. Sunday will be my first day for the season. Great to see that you're riding again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 Thanks Dan, I appreciate that. Look forward to making turns with you soon. I am sore, but VERY HAPPY!!! Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 I was up today (Saturday), they had light rain over the powder, yielding "crust over fluff". Off-piste was either unridable, or really not fun to ride, but the groomers were the surprise bonus - they were as solid as if they had gotten 3 inches of cascade cement, followed by a first-rate groom. You never would have guessed it was more like 3 feet of fluff, with a trace of rain over the top. Light precipitation during the day, with rime frost forming up on my goggles after 11 or so. Depending on how much snow they get overnight/tomorrow, the groomers could be good on Monday and Tuesday - definitely pack a carver as well as a powder board. Oh, and HRM is now open, but Vista, Cascade and Heather are still closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 Cool, thanks for the update. Must of had a temperature inversion? The snow report hinted at that. Hey, I would be happy to get some carving in!! A Tinkler TNT just arrived from Greece and I just finished assembling it and mounting some bindings on it. Sounds like Jim might be up Monday? You? Better get some sleep if I plan to go!! Thanks again! Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 POWDER / Carve First time I ever drove from home to the ski area entirely in 4WD.!! Vancouver's secondary roads only bettered by the streets in Gresham. WOW! What a mess on the roads!!! Good day at MHM. 4-8" on the older crust layers. Sleety, google harsh, weather in the am. Somewhat clearing at 11 or so. Hit Shooting Star and enjoyed untracked , unchallenged runs by my self for 4 runs. Good trick finding just the right speed/ weighting. Once it got tracked I tried out the Aris TNT Tinkler on a rare groomer that was out of the sight of the majority. I was really happy with results. Definitely the "THRILL" of the day. I may be only a 3 out of 10 on the "Bryan Scale", but I am BACK!! and lovin it!! Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svr Posted December 23, 2008 Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 Bryan, glad to hear that you are back on the snow. So happy to hear that it is snowing there as well. I will be in Portland for 10 days at end of Jan, begining of Feb and will be bringing the Tinkler Sandman and hopefully a new tanker...would love to go ride together when I come in and you definately get to take the sandman for a few runs to see how it rides. Take care and remember to take it easy. cheers and happy holidays, sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 Hi Sandy, THANKS!! Mt Hood has gone from "0 to 60" in a week!! I am trying to be carefull and not push it. Feels so good to be turning again!!! Can you tell I am happy??:) Look forward to riding with you again. Love to try the "Sandman". I have been dreaming of new board designs!!! Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svr Posted December 23, 2008 Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 You look Happy to be back on the snow...looking forward to hearing how you like the TNT as well. Will e-mail you with details about my trip as they get finalized. cheers, sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 Yep! I have a whole new appreciation! I rode the Tanker until it was starting to get chopped up enough to be banging my shin. The pain was a sharp reminder to pace myself. So, I had prepped the Aris TNT last night. I was concerned about the soft groomers. I went back to the truck, swapped out boards, and upon returning I was met with 4 groomers passing under the chair (funky old double off to the side of the ski area) It was a good omen. The TNT. First, it appears it is set up pretty much exactly how I would have done it, the centering is ideal. 20" center to center . My boots fit perfect at 70/65. I took a really slow run first, it was firmer than I expected and the board came around fast on the toe side and slower on the heel side , this is not my normal. I am going to write this off as me having a bit of dust collecting on my boots:o I guess I expected with my weight and a 13M SCR it would just come around quick by just rolling it on edge. Not so much. I did need to weight it, then it was just buttery! Going from edge to edge is so smooth it was "AUTOPILOT". After a few runs on a slightly steeper run I started to load it and WOW, it really came around fast but very predictable. I had the stix tightened down about 1/3. The energy was remarkable. I can't wait to get it on some firmer snow to see what it does when I can power it up more. My take is that the board is exactly what I need right now. Forgiving yet lively, quick edge to edge, tracks super well, tighter SCR to keep things in control yet close enough to my specs that I don't feel foreign to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 Hey Bryan,Thanks for the ride report and the pics -- really wanted to head up today, but couldn't make it. Sunday will be my first day for the season. Great to see that you're riding again! Dan, they did run the Vista Chair lift, however, I think they were just getting ice off the cable or testing? They never loaded anyone that I saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubaree Posted December 23, 2008 Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 Bryan Good to hear you made it up and tried the board out. Wish I could be up there instead I'm sitting in my office writing this. Nothing like just sitting here and looking at the snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 I totally get that feeling. It is not NORMAL to have a foot of snow outside our home town!! It feels like I am in a ski town, except the ski area is 1-1/2 hours away!!! How is Ron doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubaree Posted December 23, 2008 Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 I totally get that feeling. It is not NORMAL to have a foot of snow outside our home town!! It feels like I am in a ski town, except the ski area is 1-1/2 hours away!!! How is Ron doing? Just waiting to be casted up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted December 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 With mixed feeling I wish Ed the best of times as he heads to Montana! He is my oldest riding buddy and we have had allot of good times together. Couple years ago he started riding Ski Bowl most of the time, so you may not have seen him at MHM for a while. Have fun Ed!! You are the best!! Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted January 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Raining HARD in Portland, I MEAN "Wipers can't go fast enough HARD!!". Storming on the mountain. Evidently it has been warm and rained on the last couple days. Hard underneath, fresh snow on top. Winds high enough to slow down the chairs. Crowds filled the main parking lot by 11am , line of cars still coming in. Tough, slick roads mixed with Holiday crowds made for hair ball driving. Riding was good at times, the furrows, and leewards slopes were deep enough not to hit bottom. Loud snow where it was scowered. Photos only of coming down the mountain. Note the large dirty dent in the snowbank on the left side of the second photo? Slick corner, no chains = ruined trip to the mountain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted January 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 WEATHER: Wet Heavy Snow. Due to extreme avalanche conditions terrain is limited to the Daisy, Easy Rider and Stadium chairs. SURFACE CONDITIONS: Heavy snow, packed powder on the groomed. Avalanche danger extremely high. Stay on groomed runs. From MHM Website!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted January 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Currently we have an issue with a land slide on HWY 26 near Sandy. There is an approx. 45minute detour , however I don't know the details yet. Hwy 84 would be your best bet. Trip Check Link for updates Bryan US26 MP 24.61 - 34.97 US26, Sandy Closure Lanes Affected: (Westbound) Median , All Lanes , Shoulder (Eastbound) Median , All Lanes , Shoulder Comments: Hwy closed 10 miles east of Sandy. Detour wb Marmot rd to Ten Eyck rd to Sleepy Hollow to U S 26. Trucks not allowed on detour. Use Hwy 35. Public Contact: ODOT/TMOC Portland Phone: (800) 977-6368 Incident #: 65910 Last Updated: 01/02/2009 1:28 pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoom Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Wow! It's a mess up there right now, hunh? Hope the roads clear and the snow piles up (or grooms out) ASAP. Good ol' PNW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Had to drive through Hood River due to that landslide covering 26, but it was well worth it. It was bluebird the whole day, with about 6 inches of cold dry powder -- temperature when we arrived was only around 20 in the parking lot, and it stayed cool, clear and calm all day long. Snow was great -- enough accumulation on the leeward side of things and in the trees to get some powder turns, and the groomers were a bit soft but solid enough to crank a turn (riding a O-sin 3800, so I wasn't too worried about stuffing). The sucky part? That would be the massive crowds and the fact that only MHEX and HRM were the only quads running until noon when they got Shooting Star running. This led to some _long_ lift lines -- see the picture below - that's my riding buddy at the HRM lift line with the singles line snaking up the hill in the background. Still, we had a lot of fun riding Daisy until the crowds discovered that too. It was a great day overall, though I wish they'd opened Cascade (major excavation required, I imagine) or Vista. First time this season I've seen the summit from Meadows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Thanks for the update Dan. It sounds like ideal conditions on the report. A BRIEF clearing period in the parade of storms and roller coaster temps. That photo of the line is NASTY!!! Hope they all weren't like that? I wondered if the land slide would scare folks off. Looks like they got it open this afternoon. Thanks, again. Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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