Mt. High Photos (2005/2006)

This page shows club events and trips from the 2005/2006 ski season. If you wish to save it for posterity, you could print the whole page, or save individual photos (by right-clicking on them and selecting "Save photo as)" or save the whole web page as an HTM file. Higher resolution versions of these photos are available in the Photo Albums at Snapfish.com. 
1. For selected trip photos, go to ski trips.
2. For selected social events, go to: social events.
3. Older photos: 2004 photos (2nd Canada Ski Safari, Falls Creek hike, Seafood Social)                            2005 photos (3rd Canada safari, Rafting, Picnic, Big Mt. trip, Crystal Mt. trip) .
4. For complete set of photos, go to the Photo Albums, where you can also order your own prints.

Halloween Party

October 28, 2006.  (Saturday) We spent a few bewitching hours at the home of Meg Gadler and her family. Many famous characters showed up, including a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, Freddie Krueger, Dr Gray (from "Gray's Anatomy"), the Wicked Witch of the West, Spiderman, and more!

Best of all, we made all kinds of plans, for the Canadian ski safari, and for PACRAT racing, and the Utah ski trip.  Even dreamed up some plans for the season after next!  Our hosts, the Gadlers, were very warm and friendly (and even their dog proved friendlier than the first growling impression he may have left).  Everybody had a great time. Judge for yourself! See the pictures.

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Seafood Social

September 16, 2006.  (Saturday) This annual party traditionally marks the end of Summer.  And how appropriate this year, as it suddenly turned cold, and there were 4 inches of snow at Timberline just a couple of days earlier.

Diane Adkin and Bob Raemer hosted this party, and it was a very pleasant affair. Lots of friendly faces, lots of things to talk about, lots of winter plans to be made.

The food was great. Tons of fresh salmon, clams, and other goodies. And the desserts were to die for!

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Picnic and Bike Ride

August 12, 2006.  (Saturday) The day started around 9 am with a bike-ride. We had a great turnout, with 15 riders, not counting Greg and Violet with their children, who took a slightly different route, meeting the rest of the group about mid-way.  With them, the total was 19 people.  And many more showed up later, just for the picnic.

The bike ride was the highlight of the day. We crossed the Sellwood bridge and rode up the west side of the Willamette river all the way up to the Steel bridge, then returned along the east side of the river, with a well-maintained paved bike-path all the way.  We passed the Bite of Oregon, OMSI and the submarine, and even saw a futuristic-looking boat on the river, powered by bio-diesel fuel. Riding with friends was fun, and the sights were great!

At the picnic, Bob and Kurt fired up the grill and prepared a variety of hot dogs (polish, spicy, smoked, beef, etc.), and people brought a variety of salads, beans, condiments, and desserts.  Some frisbee was played, whenever Zoe (the dog) allowed.  A game of softball followed.  Then more dessert arrived as late-comers brought more goodies. Yumm!

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Summer Skiing at Timberline

July 23, 2006.  (Sunday) How do you get relief from the oppressive heat on one of the hottest days of the year, with temperatures soaring to 106ºF?  Simple! Go skiing!!! 

This was not an official club trip. Just a few of the "Mt. Hoodlums" PACRAT team racers who decided to cool off on the Palmer snowfield, above Timberline.

We had great snow!  It was so warm all night, that the snow never froze, so we did not have to ski on ice early in the morning. The snow was perfect from the start, and it stayed good all day long, from 7:00 am to 1:30 pm (when the lifts close).  As some of the snow has melted away from the slopes west of the lift, it created several islands of rock, with snow meandering between them, providing a playful challenge and a fun place to ski!  Of course, there was also the official ski terrain east of the lift, which was wide and smooth, and you could ski down the canyon almost all the way to the parking lot.

In addition to the photos below, if you have a broadband (DSL or cable) connection, see the 8 minute video we shot. Click here for the video.

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Rafting on the Deschutes River

July 14-16, 2006.  (Friday - Sunday) This was our third annual rafting trip on the Deschutes. We camped out for 2 or 3 nights in the Maupin City Park, by the river. We rafted on Friday and Saturday, using a variety of paddle boats, row boats and inflatable canoes.  The weather was perfect. Everybody had buckets of fun!  Thanks to Violet Anderson for these photos.

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Hike to Hawk Mountain (OR)

June 25, 2006.  (Sunday) Another great hike!  Magnificent views of Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood. A game of horseshoes was played. 

At the end of the hike, back at the trailhead, Elisabeth and Chuck treated everyone to some "happy hour" treats. Yummm! 

See more photos in Philip Blair's online photo album at: http://homepage.mac.com/glamorousgoose/PhotoAlbum133.html

See more hike photos at: http://homepage.mac.com/glamorousgoose/PhotoAlbum133.html

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Ski Oregon Challenge Awards

June 21, 2006.  (Wednesday)  Four people were recognized and awarded a prize for completing the Ski Oregon Challenge.  The awards were handed out by Steve Coxen (former NWSCC President and former FWSA President) at the the monthly NW Ski Club Council meeting.  The four successful challengers were (in chronological order of when they completed the Challenge):

1.  David Schor - who snowboarded all 11 Oregon ski areas.

2.  Emilio Trampuz - who skied all 11 on Alpine skis (mid-fats).

3.  McCoy Smith - who skied all 11 areas, blue runs on telemark skis and black runs on alpine gear.

4.  Ed Palmer - who visited 9 of the 11 ski areas.

See much more info and many photos of the ski areas in the Ski Oregon Challenge Diary.

Hike to Gillette Lake (WA)

May 21, 2006.  (Sunday) What a fabulous hike!  It was the perfect distance (something between 7 - 9 miles round trip). A good workout, but not too strenuous. Perfect hiking weather -- slightly overcast, with some sunny periods; not too hot. We hiked though forests most of the time. Views of Table Mountain and several other lakes on the way. Crossing a couple of bridges. To top it all off, a swim in Gillette Lake. OK, only Emilio took a dip this time!

At the end of the hike, back at the trailhead, Elisabeth and Chuck treated us all to champagne, fresh strawberries and cheesecakes. Yummm!  Yes, let's do it again!

SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS HIKE IN OUR SNAPFISH PHOTO ALBUMS!

Mt. High Pizza Party

May 16, 2006.  (Tuesday) This was one of our quarterly Parties. We gathered at the Round Table Pizza, and there was more free pizza than we could eat!  The room was not quite as full as at some previous such gatherings, but the turnout was good, and everybody had a place to sit this time!  We held club elections. Everyone got re-elected unanimously. We also distributed a survey regarding future club trips. Also, by request, we offered everyone the option to receive "Lift Lines" in the form of a simple link to the web site instead of a complete PDF file attached to the email. Both options are now available. Just let us know your preference.

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Mt. High "Spring Fling"

April 8/9, 2006.  We skied both days, and enjoyed a free dinner and free accommodations in Government Camp.  It's hard to believe that the whole club didn't jump at all those free offerings. Tom proved his knowledge of Mt. Hood Meadows by showing us several hidden spots in the woods!  What a day!  At dinner time, in addition to the herb-chicken, we also tasted something called a "geoduck" (supposedly pronounced "gooey-duck"), which is not a duck at all but rather an enormous kind of clam, with a long neck, somewhat reminiscent of a duck.

PACRAT "Rat Attack" Awards Party

April 7, 2006.  Friday evening, about 150 PACRAT racers gathered to celebrate the end of another great season of recreational racing.  It happened at the Greek Cuisina, with all the usual Greek dancing, plate smashing, belly dancing, and the ouzo drinking contest.

It was a great year for our club. The top 4 teams (of a total of 16) were Mt. High teams. On the other hand, we also had teams at the very bottom. Our teams placed as follows:

1. Psychothermia,  2. Rattitudes,  3. Rocket Dawgs,  4. Infra Rats

10. Drooling Moose Rats,  12. Avalanche Express,  14. Mixed Nuts,  15. Mt. Hoodlums.

In addition to the team awards, several individual were honored. The Queen and King Rats were crowned (for being the most improved racers of the season).  A number of door prizes were given out. Also, this year each team was assigned an arbitrary country to represent (as in the Olympics). Some of the most well costumed teams were the Tasmanian Devils (representing Australia, and dressed as aborigines and crocodile hunters), the InrfaRats team (representing Greece, dressed in ancient Greeek togas), and the Racy Brats team (representing the USA, dressed in all kinds of Americana).

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Val d'Isere (French Alps) trip

March 3-12, 2006.  We had 7 full days of skiing at the famous "Espace Killy" (the Killy Space) comprising of Val d'Isere and Tignes, the place where Jean Claude Killy honed his skills.  Not everyone skied all 7 days. Besides, every evening we took the time to explore the town of Val d'Isere and its local cuisine.  We tried several Creperies (where they sell crepes), as well as sea-food restaurants, and others.

We found that wine and beer were often less expensive than bottled water or orange juice!

We experienced a mix of sunny days followed by fresh snow dumps, fog, and wind. Some days were warm, others chilly.

The staff at our Hotel Danival were very warm, pleasant, and helpful.  They served a great breakfast every day, with several kinds of cheese, the obligatory "jambon" (ham), and complete with "oeufs a la coque" -- boiled eggs.

Cheese was served on almost everything. Not just fondue and raclette, but also a dollop of grated cheese placed on top of pasta dishes, soups, salads, etc. Someone in our group called it "blockage". As in: "Would you like some more blockage on top of your soup?"

The ski terrain was vast. Nobody skied all the available lifts. There were several very interesting lift solutions. We found one of the longest platter lifts in the world, going uphill and downhill and making two left turns.  There were 8-passenger lifts, with a moving carpet at the loading station.  There were two funiculaire trains pulled by cables at a high speed (much faster than any express lift). There was a "roller-coaster" lift that made some people scream as it crested a ridge and started going downhill on the other side. Another lift had two separate lines, and every other chair went in a different direction. One was free and turned back at the mid-station, but every second chair would continue straight on for another mile.

We had several powder days, but also days when the snow was so grabby we were confined to the groomed trails. The avalanche danger was at its highest the day we arrived. In fact, two people were swept away by an avalanche on the road ahead of us. A German tourist told us he had been coming to Val d'Isere for 35 years and never once had to chain up, but this time the police would not let anyone through without chains. 

SEE MORE VAL D'ISERE TRIP PHOTOS IN OUR SNAPFISH PHOTO ALBUMS!

Chocolate Party

February 25, 2006.  (Saturday) What a party! What desserts! What creativity! Thank you, Debbi and Randy, for hosting this party!

Kurt decorated a chocolate cake with our new "Mountain High" logo (and won the prize for the most decadent/heavenly dessert)! How did he manage to get the logo so perfectly onto the cake?

Jaxine created the whole of Yellowstone National Park, complete with moose, trees made of inverted ice-cream cones coated with green paste, and even a representation of the "Old Faithful" geyser, ... thus winning the prize for the most creative dessert.

Barbara won the prize for the most chocolaty dessert, with a delicious, mouthwatering cake.

Everybody had a lot of fun, sampling the goodies, and enjoying each other's company.

Idaho Adventure bus trip

February 17-20, 2006.  We visited 3 ski areas on this trip: Tamarack and Brundage Mt., (near McCall, Idaho), and Anthony Lakes (near Baker City, Oregon).  We had 3 gorgeous sunny days. The nights were very cold, but the sun warmed us nicely during the day. On the drive up, we stopped for lunch in Pendleton, at King's Chinese Buffet, which offered an excellent variety of good food (which in addition to regular Chinese food also included items such as pizza, chocolate moose, and other western-style food); all-you-can-eat for only $5.95 per person.

The town of McCall was charming, with ice-sculptures all around town, and  lots of places to select for dinner. The first night, most of us went to the McCall Brewery for dinner, while some ate at an Italian Ristorante. The second night, we all went to Lardo's Grill & Saloon for dinner, after which some folks went dancing in the Yacht Club.

Tamarack had great, long cruisers with wonderful views. Also, some really tough terrain, which had to be entered by jumping off a cornice (a feat accomplished by several among us; though Elvira got slightly injured in the process, twisting her knee).

Brundage Mountain would have been great on a powder day, as it has very nicely spaced out trees. We had fun cruising the groomed stuff, and several of us wandered into the trees anyway!  Bruce had an accident, breaking his ski and ending up with a slight concussion. Fortunately, his body was only bruised, and the X-rays and CAT scan revealed his neck was intact, although he still needed to wear a neck-brace for a few days. In spite of this, he was in good spirits for the rest of the journey, and even helped fix the wiring on the bus so we could watch some of the videos and photos we had taken even though we didn't have the needed adaptor plugs.

Anthony Lakes had the best snow.  No wonder, since it has the highest base elevation in Oregon (at 7,000 feet of elevation), and the slopes are mostly north-facing.  Thus, the snow was powdery everywhere.  Both our intermediate and our advanced skiers agreed A-Lakes was the best!

SEE MORE IDAHO TRIP PHOTOS IN OUR SNAPFISH PHOTO ALBUMS!

Canada Ski Safari

December 12-18, 2005.  Seven of us went on a road trip through Washington and British Columbia, in three separate cars: Mike and Diane in one car, Kurt and Emilio in another, and Janet, Sheridan and Julie in another. The weather was calm, mostly sunny, ... but cold, preserving the snow magnificently.

We shared the cost of gas and lodging. The total cost per person for Kurt and Emilio turned out to be  $355 for 6 days and 6 nights, including all lodging, transportation and lift tickets. That's an average of only $59 per person per day! And it was even less expensive for the women's car, because all expenses were divided by 3.  The only additional expense was for food.  For comparison, note that on any average ski trip, you will probably spend $100 - $150 per person per day.

We skied a different area each day:  Steven Pass (WA), Apex, Big White, Silver Star, Sun Peaks (British Columbia), and Mt. Baker (WA).

 

It was steep. That's the Sun Peaks village below.

Mike gives a victory sign as 3 patrollers work on him.

 

Kurt finds a friendly tree, among all that powder at Silver Star!

Kids remove rocks off the slopes with hockey-sticks (Silver Star). Emilio gets to ride the chairlift with Santa (at Mt. Baker)!

 

Come to Santa, Kurt!  Mt. Shuksan towers in the back (at Mt. Baker)

Kurt skis the canyon at Mt. Baker.

 

Kurt, half-way down the canyon at Mt. Baker

Kurt, Julie, Sheridan, Janet and Emilio at Mt. Baker.

 

Kurt at Mt. Baker

 

SEE MORE CANADA SKI SAFARI PHOTOS IN OUR SNAPFISH PHOTO ALBUMS!

 

 

Club Night at the Next Adventure

October 11, 2005. (Tuesday).  Over 30 people had signed up, but only 22 showed up, and had a great time!  The pizza was excellent, the ski wax and tune-up clinic was informative, and the Next Adventure staff were helpful with all kinds of advice. A couple of us bought skis, some got boots, helmets, clothing, and even snorkeling gear (for that REALLY DEEP powder!).  And most of us walked away with some free wax samples!

The prices in the store are amazing, even without the discount we received. The Next Adventure specializes in overstocked items, closeouts, last year's gear, etc, ... and there are many great bargains. For example, some of the ski boots were as low as $35 - $69 -- but mainly in smaller, women's sizes. No, it's not a mis-print. And these are new boots!  Sure maybe a year or two old, but ski boots don't change. These boots are as good as they were the day they were made! Even the most expensive ski boots in the store were under $200.  More gear is coming within the next week!

During the meeting, Greg asked about snow-park permits, ... and the Next Adventure staff told us they will soon have the snow-park permits available in their store, just as a convenience to their customers - with no extra surcharge.