Oregon-April Powder Day

April 17, 2007

April 10, 2007

Have you ever experienced an epic powder day as late as April in the United States of America?

If not, you need to plan a Spring trip to Oregon! April 10, 2007 was one of those epic days on Mt. Hood. With over 10 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours, I hope your reading this and remembering your turns!!

As I am sure you know, stopping to take photos and filming is not something you want to take time out for when you are staring at an open field of powder, no tracks and the blue skies create the perfect lighting…but I made a couple of sacrifices, not many, but a couple.

The video to the left is from Heather Canyon at Mt. Hood Meadows - untracked, untouched powder, waiting for me and my friends to carve our artwork on the mountain!

I have been in Oregon for the past 10 years, and every April we are given the opportunity to play in deep amounts of fresh snow. That being said, it rarely falls on the perfect Saturday so everyone can enjoy, so timing is key when you see a storm lining up in April.

I was tracking this latest dump since the weekend, after skiing in 60 degree weather with blue skies and sunshine. Monday looked to be the day, but the storm stalled a bit and lined up perfectly for a Tuesday, April 10 day of “heaven” as my friend described it. Amazing April is how another friend described the conditions that day.

I started out on about the 9th chair to load on Mt. Hood Express. Tracked fresh lines in 2 Bowl, 3 Bowl and 4.5 Bowl. Then headed to Shooting Star to sink into knee-deep pow on O-Ring and 3-D...the wind must have deposited the extra white stuff over the ridge and it was thoroughly enjoyed by me and I'm sure many others!

Then just as if the Ski Patrol was reading our minds, Heather Canyon opened. Untouched powder in Full Moon Bowl, riding the natural canyons and shoots with a smile plastered on my face; then over to Jack's Woods (my friend's asked me not to mention Jack's, but I thought I should). Jack's Woods is one of the special places on Mt. Hood for me and a few of my close friends. We learned to appreciate the pitch, the perfectly spaced trees, and the path that you have to take to access Jack's. Some of the best terrain on Mt. Hood, in my humble opinion.

After some great lunch in the Alpenstube and a delicious Mt. Hood Ice Axe, we ventured for part II of the Oregon-April Powder Day! And as if the mountain operators were waiting for us...Cascade Express opened. Cascade Express is the ski lift that accesses the upper section of Mt. Hood Meadows. We were roughly 12 chairs back from the first chair loaded, and on our way to track more fresh powder on the upper part of the mountain. I could go on forever explaining the epic skiing and riding that was given to us that day, but to make it short: Marmot Ridge & Upper Heather Canyon. If you have ever skied or ridden those two parts, you know what a powder day means up there. If you haven't, make plans to go up...there could be another powder day left!

Another one of my opinions: the ability to ski/ride powder this late in the season is one of the great benefits of living in Oregon! I hope everyone is able to take advantage this April. The season is NOT over. Oregon has several ski areas still in operation:

Oregon Ski Areas & The Last Scheduled Day of Operation

Mt. Bachelor May 28, 2007

Mt. Hood Meadows April 22, 2007 (then Weekends only: “May Challenge”)

Timberline May 28, 2007 (then Summer Season)


Ride the endless winter.


Best,
Jerry K.

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Comments (1)

Texas Jack:

They named a part of a mountain after me? I need to come visit to see what the Oregon hype is all about.

Texas Jack

Posted by Texas Jack | April 19, 2007 10:14 AM

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