Photos - Mountain High Snowsport Club, Portland, Oregon ski club

"The club that

really skis"

PO Box 2182

Portland, OR 97208

info@mthigh.org

PACRAT Racing

NWSCC web site

FWSA web site

NSCF web site

Most Recent Mt. High Photos (2007/2008)

2007 / 2008 Photos

Oct. 18, 2008: Friends of the Forest: Meadows

Oct. 12, 2008: Salmon River canyon Hike

Sept. 27, 2008: Seafood Spectacular party

August 14-17, 2008: Rafting weekend

August 10, 2008: Mt. High Picnic

June 19, 2008: Pizza Party & Elections

April 26-27, 2008: Mt. Hood pond skimming

April 11, 2008: Rat Attack awards party

Mar.29 -April 3, 2008: Heavenly / Tahoe trip

Mar. 9 and 23: PACRAT Races 4 and 5

Mar.14-16, 2008: Mystery trip (White Pass)

Feb. 24, 2008: Mt. High Training Day

Feb. 22, 2008: Free ski day at Timberline

Feb. 15-18, 2008: Sunny South Bus Trip

Jan. 13, 2008: 1st PACRAT Race, Timberline

Dec. 9-16,2007: Canada Ski Safari

Dec. 8, 2007: New Timberline lift inauguration

Nov. 25, 2007: A November day at Timberline

Nov. 7, 2007: Membership Party

Nov.2-4, 2007: Ski Fever & Snowboard Show

Nov. 1, 2007: Ski Fair at the Monarch

More 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);

2006 photos (Next Adventure, Idaho trip, Val d'Isere, Timberline summer, Picnic & bike ride).

2007 photos (4th Canada safari, Powder Mt., Mission Ridge, Stevens Pass, Ski the Glade Trail, Timberline new trails, Far West races at Bachelor, River Cruise.)

Photo Albums, where you can also order prints.

See how to post photos/videos to our web site, on the Articles page (under "Technology").

Friends of the Forest: Mt. Hood Meadows day

October 18, 2008. (Saturday) With 30 participating volunteers who spent the morning hunkered down, harvesting seeds off the snow-less slopes, about 90 total hours of service work was accomplished. The result will be hundreds of thousands of seeds planted.

The participants were taught how to identify wildflowers that have gone to seed. Then they collected seeds from Indian Paintbrush, Mt. daisy, goldenrod, and Mt. Heliotrope, among others. These seeds will be planted around the new First Aid building and anywhere that the ground was disturbed, to protect from erosion, and to bloom in native wildflowers without introducing foreign plants.

The work will help restore and protect ecosystems on Mt. Hood, and will enable Forest Service workers to plant hundreds of new native plant and flower species that Meadows' visitors and staff will enjoy for years to come. The National Forest Foundation, Mt. Hood Meadows and the Hood River Inn have formally thanked all the participants.

Mt. High members Violet, Haley, Quinn and Steve along with Heidi (Mt. Hood Meadows Sustainable Environment Manager, and Assistant to the Gen Mgr) and Doug (from the Forest Service).

Two of the many volunteers,

spreading seeds on the slopes of

Mt. Hood Meadows.

Haley and Violet

Quinn and Steve

Central Salmon River Hike

October 12, 2008. (Sunday) Everyone had a good time on a moderate hike to the canyon viewpoint, a 7 miles round-trip with 900 feet elevation gain. This portion of the Salmon River Trail begins with a riverside stroll among huge old-growth trees. After 2 miles, the path leaves the river and climbs to a bluff with a view of the Salmon River's rugged upper canyon. Thanks to John Jessen and Elisabeth Fontaine (our hike master) for the photos.

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

Seafood Spectacular party

September 27, 2008. Around 60 people showed up at Alice and Blaise's place for an amazing assortment of seafood, including clams, mussels, salmon and cod, ... washed down with a variety of wines, and followed by an even more amazing assortment of desserts. Everyone had a good time. We saw some old faces, and some new ones as well.

Wally & Karen with the new Mt. High calendar

Lisa, Diane, and Mike

Sandra, Elisabeth, and Larry.

Steve and Quinn

Harry and Mike

Enjoying the sunset on the balcony.

Scott, Kristine, Suzanne, and Gary

Scott and Kristine

Suzanne, Gary, and Ron

The dessert table

Emilio & Colin. The brownies are GREAT!

The dessert table

Three princesses

Emilio in Heaven (with St. Peter on the far right)

Linda and Harry with the mechanical dog

Is that dog so ecstatic because he likes MEN?

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

Rafting weekend on the Deschutes River

August 14 - 17, 2008. Two or three nights of camping at Maupin City Park and two days of rafting on the Deschutes River is becoming quite a tradition in our club. We have done it for the past 4 years in a row. This was the fifth year. Around 40 people participated.

Thanks to Moniquea, Hiro and Gordy for these photos!

Gordy at the oars

Lou, our Chef, getting dinner ready.

Getting ready to start rafting from Maupin downstream.

While Portland sweltered in 100º heat, this is how our rafters kept cool.

A big rock? A whale? No. Somebody's elbow!

Body-surfing to cool down.

Wading at thw White River tributary

Swimming at the White River..

Swimming at the White River

Gordy. Jeff, and Hiro

Swimming near our campground.

Gordy and Lou fixing dinner.

Lou, our Chef, getting dinner ready.

Lou fixing dinner.

Pat helping herself to the abundance of food..

See all of Moniquea's rafting photos in her "Photobucket" album at:

http://s519.photobucket.com/albums/u351/moniquea_photos.

Mt. High Picnic

August 10, 2008. This year, our annual picnic at Sellwood park was very pleasant and relaxed. The temperature in the park was perfect. There was plenty of food of all kinds, including cakes and pies for dessert. We even had flyers available for most of our upcoming winter trips, so there was some animated talk about next year's destinations.

A table full of trips flyers

Gary and Gordy

Greg, Jan, Denny, and Kurt

Jan, Bill, and Marsha.

Suzanne grilled the regular hot dogs

Gordy took care of the spicy ones.

Denny seems to agree: It's spicy alright!

Are those over there even spicier?

Pizza Party & Elections

June 19, 2008. The traditional, quarterly pizza party at Round Table Pizza worked out perfectly. The room filled up, and all the chairs were used. If more people had come, somebody would have had to stand! In addition to plain socializing and enjoying the pizza, we also watched a 6-minute video, prepared by Emilio, that summarizes some of the more significant news from the past season, including the opening of new trails at Timberline, served by the new Jeff Flood Express, and the news about Violet Anderson climbing Mt. Hood and skiing down from the top.

We also elected the new Board of Directors. Terry White replaces Gary Stevenson as club President. Gordon Lusk became our Vice-President, and Diane Zhitlovsky our new Secretary, and Sandi Dykstra is our new Treasurer. Also, Elaine Bock is now in charge of Membership and especially new members.

Elaine welcomes Kristine to the club.

There was room at the table, but no more chairs.

Fred, Barbara, Terry, and Larry.

Marsha, Dave, Gordy, and Sandi..

Mary Olhausen, president NWSCC, shows the permanent record of all the Men of the Year.

Mary Olhausen presents the Men of the Year plaque to this year's winner: Gary Stevenson.

Debbi Kor holding the ballot box.

We counted the votes for officers, and also people's preferences for future ski trips.

Gary shows the 3 awards won by our club, for the newsletter, the web site, and the overall outstanding club.

Emilio Trampuz, holding the newsletter and web site awards, and Gary Stevenson holding the Outstanding Club award.

Gary kissing Emilio!!!

The awards were originally received at the annual Far West Ski Association Convention.

Mt. Hood in April

April 20, 26, 27, 2008. Some of the best skiing happens in April. There is still plenty of snow, the sun is out, the days are warmer, there are no crowds and no lift lines. Mt. Hood Meadows will remain open on weekends throughout May, as long as people keep coming. Timberline will stay open till September. Here are just some examples of fun during the last 2 weekends in April:

Pond skimming at Mt. Hood Meadows, Saturday, April 26

Bruce Kuper as King Kamehameha. He made it!

Bruce's 2nd run was even more spectacular.

Just one of the many crashes!

Another spectacular crash.

A pond skimming car!

Thanks to Kurt Krueger for these pond skimming photos.

The theme was Hawaiian. The official name of the event was Kona pond skimming.

Kurt Krueger in Hawaiian outfit.

Timberline on Sunday, April 27

Gareth and Deirdre on the Palmer snowfield.

In spring, you can ski from the top of the Palmer chair to the bottom of the new Jeff Flood express, for a total of 3,500 vertical feet.

Or you can try climbing or snowshoeing on Mt. Hood.

Jim and Kristina snowshoeing up .

Deirdre and Gareth

Gareth, with Ski Bowl in the background

Discovering new places at Mt. Hood Meadows, Sunday, April 20

This wooded area has been skiable for ever, but it was officially named "Fright Trees" and marked with a sign only this year. Bruce & Linda McGavin, Steve Shaw, Debbie Thomas, and a few others have discovered this place years ago, and nicknamed it the "Great Discovery". Emilio discovered it this year.

A snowboarder entering the Fright Trees

Can you find this alluring wooded area?

If this young lady can do it, surely you can too!!!

Half-way down the Fright Trees, looking up.

Rat Attack 2008

April 11, 2008. The annual "Rat Attack" awards party wrapped up a great season of recreational racing. Awards were given to the two people who improved the most during the season: Lori Middleton (Rat Queen) and Ryan Brown (Rat King). Also, the top 5 teams received trophies. There was good food, dancing, door prizes, and more.

The "Drunken Losers" team

PACRAT team captains

Jack and Gary plan the announcements

Jack announces winners

Gary helps Jack with the lighting

Lori Middleton gets crowned "Rat Queen"

Lori gets a hug from Barb

Rat Queen (Lori ) and the proxy Rat King (Rich)

Frosted Flakes team in bib decorating contest

Wendy and Tracy

Diane Hicks

Diane Hicks has been our PACRAT parties coordinator for a number of years.

Mt. Hoodlums team

Mixed Nuts team (5th place)

Mixed Nuts team (5th place)

Rat Chics team (4th place)

Rocket Dawgs team (3rd place)

Top 2 teams: Ruttin' Rats and Drunken Losers

Drunken Losers team (sharing 1st place)

Bruce Kuper set up a slide show.

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

Lake Tahoe - Heavenly Valley

March 29 - April 3, 2008. This was a comfortable, intimate little group of only 11 people in 2 condos, right by the lake. We skied 2 days at Heavenly (where we saw a pond skimming contest), and then one day at Alpine Meadows, and one day at Sierra at Tahoe (where some of us ended up in jail -- see photos). According to Mark Twain, “To obtain the air that angels breathe, you must go to Tahoe.” We’ll sure do it again! We are contemplating the possibility of making this an annual trip. Because of the great number of ski areas around Lake Tahoe, this could feel like a different trip every time!

Heavenly

Walt, Jenny, Janice, Kris, Marv, and Lisa, during the welcoming party at the Lakeland Condos.

Harry, Walt, Lisa, Jack, Kurt, and Marv at Heavenly.

Mark Twain's quote at the East Peak lodge.

Harry is cold. Jack says it's balmy!

Lisa on "The Pines" trail, a groomed trail with trees.

Harry, crossing back into California, after skiing on the Nevada side all morning.

Harry and Lisa at the top of the Sky lift.

Marv and Janice at the top of the Sky lift.

Sign found in the men's room at Heavenly.

Another sign in the men's room at Heavenly.

Harry, Jack, Janice, Kurt, Lisa, Brock, Marv, Walt, and Emilio, with Lake Tahoe.

Harry and Lisa on the way back down to Heavenly's California base.

Jack, Harry and Lisa on their way down to Heavenly's California base.

Janice, Harry, and Marv at the "Fire and Ice" watering hole at the Heavenly's gondola base.

The Tahoe Queen sternwheeler boat, and the beach in front of Lakeland condos.

A view of the condos from the pier.

Alpine Meadows

Top of Alpine Meadows. The tiny speck left of Emilio is Kurt skiing down the steep chute.

Kurt at the bottom of the steep chute. We skied between the two rocks.

Lisa and Kurt at Alpine Meadows

Harry, Kurt and Jack at Alpine Meadows

Harry & Kurt, on top of a steep run under the Scott's Peak chair. See parking lot below!

Well, if Harry and Kurt can do it, Emilio will try it as well. There's just air under his tips. Yikes!

Sierra at Tahoe

Janice, Brock, and Walt in jail at Sierra-at-Tahoe

We couldn't keep Emilio, Lisa & Harry out of jail

"Black Bart" wanted at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Emilio, Janice, Walt and Brock at Sierra.

Janice, Kris, Brock & Marv at the beach in front of our condos.

Walt and Kris on the beach, with Lake Tahoe behind them.

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

PACRAT Races 4 and 5

Race 5: March 23, 2008 at Timberline

It snowed during this race at Timberline.

"Snow doesn't stop us!" says Gordy.

In the starting gate.

Brock hasa big smile!

Rocket Dawgs team captain, Mike Weber.

Phil Burling

In the starting gate.

Phil Mant approaching the finish line.

Phil watching other racers coming down.

Chuck

Phil and Kevin

Kevin had fun!

Race 4: March 9, 2008 at Mt. Hood Meadows

Walt and Russ await their turn.

Barb (Chief Rat) and Diane (Chief Partier)

Louis Kovacs in the starting gate.

Russ in the starting gate.

Tasmanian Devil in the starting gate.

Gary Stevenson, chief announcer.

Mt. Hoodlums team

Sheri Parshall

Violet Anderson and Mt. Hoodlums

Gary & Barb at the apres ski party.

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

Mystery Trip to White Pass

March 14 - 16, 2008. Some 36 people trusted us to take them to a mystery destination for the weekend. It turned out to be White Pass, Washington, where they now have a new express quad chairlift.. We stayed at the Cowlitz River Lodge in Packwood, about 25 minutes away, and had two great days of skiing, including a couple of inches of fresh snow on the first day. Several new members joined us on this trip for the first time. Some people, like Deirdre, skied ungroomed moguled black diamond runs for the first time ever! Some went into the trees, But a lot of people simply enjoyed easy, long cruisers, where we had the opportunity to try some synchronized skiing, as well as our traditional human slalom. Thanks to Deirdre, Tom, and Emilio for these photos.

White Pass, near Packwood, WA.

Deirdre shot this early in the morning, while boarding the bus.

We are still waking up, but we are smiling. There's fresh snow just 25 minutes away!

Lisa (a new member) on the chairlift with Elaine .

Harry in the lift line.

Harry and Lisa in the yurt.

Patty

Just part of the group.

Mindy

Marry Lee

Mike Hansen

Haley

Haley's dad, Greg.

Harry and Mindy admire the view.

Deirdre makes it look easy!

Mary Lee and Mike H.

Gareth swingeth the pole just right!

The ever graceful looking Marv

Elaine contemplates a steeper slope ahead.

Hey, they look pretty well synchronized!

Human slalom

Lunch break: David, Linda, and Bruce.

Steve and Jan

Dean, Mindy, Lisa R, Patty, Harry, Lisa S.

Bill, Mike H., Mary Lee, Tom, Patty, Wally.

Emilio, Steve, Elaine, Wally, Patty, Jack, Jan.

Terry and Linda

Phil & Steve Mahre grew up right next to the lift.

Our snowboarders: Phil and David.

David in some thick trees (and steep terrain).

Relaxing with darts in the evening.

Wally and Jim, playing pool.

Dinner at the Pizza place

The food was yummy.

Bill drove all the way from Spokane just to spend some time with Mindy and Elaine!!!

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

Mt. High Training Day (Free)

February 24 (Sunday) About 20 people showed up at Mt. Hood Meadows for this free training offered to all our club members for free. Not a bad group, ... but where were the other 100 Mountain High racers? Also, this training was not limited to racers. It was open to all our members who want to improve their turning and carving skills. All you had to do was show up. And it was successful. Kurt Krueger said: "Our trainer, Jack Walker, got me to go faster." Thanks to Jeff Ackerson and Roman Chamine for these photos.

Brenda Ackerson in the course.

Roman Chamine in the race course.

Setting up for the next gate.

Collage of 2 racers at the same gate.

See more Training Day photos HERE.

Free Ski Day at Timberline

February 22 (Friday) This free day of skiing was sponsored by Vitamin Water and 94.7 FM. Sandra Busch Smith and her brother John Busch enjoyed the day at Timberline. Both were part of a group chosen to "ride" with 2002 Olympic snowboard medalist JJ Thomas. They said: "We rode up the lift with JJ and got to talk to him a little bit. He lives in Colorado and trains in Breckenridge and Park City. We were hoping he would do a few runs with us but he wanted to take it easy and play in the terrain park all day. We watched him for a little while but he wasn't doing any big tricks so we took off."

People lined up to get a taste of Vitamin Water on a day that started wonderfully sunny.

John Busch is first on the left (green board).
JJ Thomas is by the beer bottle (red board).

See more Vitamin Water / 94.7 FM photos HERE.

Sunny South Bus Trip

February 15 - 18. It was a 3-day weekend, around Presidents' day. We visited 3 ski areas in 3 days, all of them gorgeously sunny and unusually warm. We were welcomed warmly in the town of Lakeview, and skied the Warner Canyon ski area the next day. We had an opportunity to test our orange cones for a fun little obstacle course (or maze). Warner Canyon also set up some gates for a fun training course. Later, we stayed at the Stratford Inn in Ashland for 2 nights. It's a wonderful hotel within walking distance of downtown, a Safeway supermarket next door, a warm indoor swimming pool, and a wonderful breakfast room that doubles as a social room and a library during the rest of the day. We have 86 photos here, from Bruce McGavin, Kurt Wilke, and Emilio Trampuz. We'll divide them by ski area.

Warner Canyon

Linda McG - among the first to cut fresh tracks

Gary Stevenson, admiring the view.

Kurt, Sheridan and Jan

Welcome message posted by the Warner Canyon

The hot tub was covered with snow, but they offered to dig it out for us. Tom ate some snow.

Sheridan and and Jan playing in the cone-field, set up earlier by Emilio

Sheridan

Kurt

Jan

Sue

Gary	Sue sprays some powder!

Sheridan

Jan makes it look easy!

Jaxine has a big smile!

We invited the locals to try out the cones too!

Different people can choose different lines

Bill zips through the cones fast!

Hey, Kurt, you knocked a cone down!

Group photo at Warner Canyon

Group photo with ET

A group shot with a view of Warner Canyon

Lunch break

Is this Larry? Or Robert Redford?

A sunny day, good wine, good company, ....

Life is good!

Emilio looks for some fresh tracks in the Outback. The road in the valley below goes east to Winnemucca, Nevada.

Bruce makes it look easy. Notice the rest of the group waiting, huddled below the huge rock.

The is the Outback, beyond the Coyote trail.

Bruce McGavin

Bruce kicks up some powder

Bruce

Linda's turn now!.

Linda

Linda

Linda - And Terry just starting at the top.

Linda is all smiles!

Terry

Terry smiles too! Lana coming down!

Lana - smiling and in high gear!

Lana arrives - all smiles!

Bruce and Linda find another slope, beyond the big rock in the Outback.
Below is the road from Lakeview to Winnemucca.

Troy and Shelly! The European-looking, fast skiing, young couple! So fast, we could only catch them on the bus!!!

Mt. Shasta - Day 2 of the trip

Emilio is NOT pregnant. That's his camera under the jacket! Kurt has some doubts, though!

Linda and Bruce on the Coyote lift The Douglas Butte lift can be seen on the ridge in the distance..

Group photo with Mt. Shasta in the back.

Dick, Kurt K., Sheridan, Mindy, Gary, Jackie, Bruce, Linda, Steve, Kurt W.

Sheridan's fanny pack got stuck in the chair. Emilio (on far right), ever the reporter, takes photos for posterity.

Sheridan's fanny pack slipped though the bars, but wouldn't come out when it was time to get off.

The lift operators had trouble steadying the ladder. We hoped to see a rope rescue!

Jackie, Dick, and Mindy

Just enjoying the view!

Jackie, Sheridan, Kurt K, Mindy, Dick, Linda, and Kurt W.

Tom Arnold at the top of Douglas Butte

Cal, at lunch time.

Linda, with Mt. Shasta in the background.

Bruce, with Mt. Shasta in the background.

The two Kurts (the original one, and the "evil twin"), and Linda, at lunch.

Jan, enjoying what turned out to be a big plate of chicken and rice

Gary, the dinosaur man!

Gary with his dinosaur looking at Mt. Shasta.

Jan, injured, but smiling!

Fell on her shoulder at the end of her last run!

Troy and Shelly! The European-looking, fast skiing, young couple!

Mt. Ashland - Day 3 of the trip

Bruce and Linda at Mt. Ashland.

Gary and Suzanne at Mt. Ashland..

Bruce McG on rocket power!

Bruce carving left at Mt. Ashland.

Mindy on rocket power!

Mindy, carving left at Mt. Ashland.

Linda makes a splash!

Bruce McGavin enters the Bowl at Mt. Ashland

Bruce McGavin in the Bowl.

Linda, Jackie, Terry and Bill in the Bowl

Terry rips it up, while Bill rests.

Bill's turn to rip it up!

Linda and Bruce with Mt. Ashland

(early morning)

Suzanne packing her knee in ice.

A.k.a. "Lamb-chop on ice"!!!

Tom Arnold, Bruce Kuper, and Kurt Krueger looking at the Bowl at Mt. Ashland.

Bruce Kuper charging down the Bowl with helmet cam on.

Bruce Kuper, rocket propelled!

Bruce Kuper making it look easy!

Tom Arnold and Kurt Krueger. This was steep!

Tom Arnold, rocket propelled!.

Kurt Krueger in the Bowl.

Kurt. Hey, where's his famous jacket?!!!

Kurt zips around.

Kurt

Bruce K, Tom A., and Kurt K at the bottom of the Bowl! They made it in one piece!

Tom and Kurt at Mt. Ashland

A vie of Mt. McLaughlin from Mt. Ashland.

Shall we pick up these two hitchikers in Ashland?

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

1st PACRAT Race at Timberline

January 13 (Sunday) Our first race of the season. Beautiful sunny day. Lots of fun on the slopes, followed by an apres-ski party at the Mt. Hood Museum in government Camp (hosted by the Skiyente Ski Club).

Racers, waiting for their turn.

Scoping out the race course.

In the starting gate.

Racers ready?!

The "Drunken Losers" team

Chuck in the "Blue" course.

Chuck after fnishing the "Red" course.

Mindy in the "Red" course.

Tm in the "Red" course.

Kevin, one of our snowboarders.

Bob aims for the finish line.

Barb & Gary promote the NW Skiers' Directory.

Sandwiches, salads and beer. Come & get it!

Barb and the winner of a pair of ski poles.

Julie won a pair of gloves!

Winner of a bottle of wine.

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

Canada Ski Safari 2007

December 9-16, 2007. How would you like to ski an area that has over 20,000 vertical feet and over 13,000 skiable acres? That's the combined total vertical and total acreage of the 7 ski areas we visited on this trip. What a blast it was! Since we carpooled and shared the lodging expenses, the whole trip, 7 days and 7 nights, cost us only $312 per person for lodging and gas. Lift tickets were extra.

Several people dropped out at the last minute, because of concerns about low snow conditions, so in the end, only 3 of us went: Kay, Kurt, and Emilio. We basically followed Tom's advice, to "follow the snow". But what is the most reliable indicator of snow conditions? Is it the reported snow base? Or the hype on the ski areas web site? Or the number of lifts open?

Surprisingly, the reported snow base was the least reliable. Some ski areas that were supposed to have enough snow (in inches), did not open their lifts. The hype was actually more reliable. If a ski area was raving about how good it is, it meant they really did have something to offer. But, the most reliable indicator was the number of lifts and runs open. If everything was open, it was good.

In the end, we didn't care how deep the snow was beneath our skis, as long as we didn't hit any rocks. And there was snow aplenty, especially in the bowls, canyons and gullies. And so much skiable terrain that our legs surrendered long before we managed to ski everything in sight.

The trip began at Timberline, where we celebrated the opening of the new lift (see earlier entry below). From there, we drove north, and spent a day at 49 Degrees North (abt. 1.5 hours north of Spokane). We paid our respects to a Nordic snow god, rang his bell for good luck, and liked the area so much that we'll have to organize a club trip there some time.

From there, it was on to Panorama, then 3 days in Banff (skiing at Sunshine Village, Mt. Norquay, and Lake Louise). Then on to Kicking Horse. After that, we were almost ready to head home, but we stopped for one more day at Silver Mountain (Idaho), which was amazing. Lots of tree skiing.

Emilio, Kay, and Kurt at 49 Degrees North. We all agreed we have to organize a club trip here some day. Lots of tree skiing. Lots of long trails! Friendly people and a great mountain!

Exploring Cy's glades, with the 7 deadly sins! Pick your sin, and enjoy the tree run! There are actually 8 marked entries, but you could almost drop in anywhere!

A group of friendly local ski hosts gave us a tour.

Chair made of skis in the day lodge at 49º North

Friendly cashier lady at 49º North

Kurt & Kay by the Nordic god holding the bell.

Emilio, Kurt and Kay at the "Top of the World" at Panorama (in British Columbia)

Kay shows how it's done at Panorama.

Check out the powdery snow under his skis!

Kurt swooshing down a mogul field at Panorama

"View of 1000 Peaks" trail at Panorama

Kay bites the bark. OK, this was staged. But notice the depth of the powder he is standing in!

Kurt examines the terrain below him at Panorama, at the top of the "View of 1000 Peaks" trail.

"Come to Canada with us," says Emilio.

It's picture perfect!

(Sign near the top of Panorama.)

See video!

Yes, this was a Monday, but do we really have to share the parking lot with ONE other car at Panorama? You just can't get away from the crowds any more!!!

Sunshine Village: Kurt and Kay

Kurt attacks the nice, soft moguls at Sunshine.

It got sunnier in the afternoon, on Goat's Eye mountain, at Sunshine Village.

Close up view of the hole in the rock that gives Goat's Eye mountain it's name.

Emilio at Mt. Norquay, with Banff in the valley below. It's larger and steeper than expected from what we thought was a relatively small ski area.

Emilio and Kay at Mt. Norquay. These are just the bunny slopes here, but the rest of it gave us a quite a workout.

Kay examining the options at Lake Louise (Alberta) All the lifts were open.

We had lunch in the cabin at the botrom of Larch Mountain (at Lake Louise).

Grizzly Gulch was full of wonderful snow. A long canyon. "A mini-Heather Canyon" said Kay.

At the top of Lake Louise. The wooden fences are there to collect more snow.

Emilio and Kurt near the Lake Louise gondola. This is a groomed run. We just had to be aware of some fast downhill racers practicing here.

The Ponderosa Inn in Golden gave us 3 queen beds for about $88 (all taxes included). That's less than $30 per person for the 3 of us!

Kay and Kurt standing at the highest point at Kicking Horse, with the Columbia River valley down below. Three wonderful bowls await us!

Emilio caught in the act of filming at the top of Kicking Horse! (Kay's photo)

See video!

By now, Emilio was tired, and Kay & Kurt just zipped by, not waiting. So, all Emilio could do is film their tracks in the fresh snow!

Kicking Horse kicked our butts!

It is almost impossible to capture the enormity of Feuz Bowl and its steepness. The tiny dots behind Kurt and Kay are other skiers. Best of all, behind that ridge is another bowl, full of skiable trees.

The gondola at Kicking Horse will lift you 4,000 vertical feet in 12 minutes. And it's just outside the Glacier Lodge. True ski-in/ski-out!

In Kellog (Idaho), we got a queen bed and two single beds for about $59 at the Trail Motel. That's just $20 per person! Cheaper than a hostel!

Emilio and Kay at Silver Mountain (Idaho). It finally started snowing seriously! Several inches of fresh powder, and it kept snowing!

Kay sprays some powder in the trees. We kept playing in the trees, run after run! We have to come back here some day too! See video!

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

But, you really have to see the Video from Canada as well!

New Express Lift Inauguration at Timberline

December 8, 2007. (Saturday) The new express quad chairlift serving the Still Creek Basin was inaugurated on this day. The lift was named "Jeff Flood" express, in honor of Timberline's longtime head groomer, also known as a pioneer of shaping freestyle terrain. Jeff lost his life in a traffic accident a few years ago.

The inauguration began with a breakfast and an indoor celebration, in which Jeff Kohnstamm, the current manager, explained how the new trails were named, each in honor of someone associated with Timberline.. Then everyone skied down to the bottom of the new lift, which was then formally christened by breaking a bottle of champagne on it's base.

The new lift is the longest lift on Mt. Hood, about 1.2 miles long. It opens up 8 new trails, which are much longer and in places steeper than what has normally been associated with Timberline so far. The new lift will make the older Pucci chair almost obsolete, allowing it to be used mainly by beginner and lower intermediate skiers. The lift begins almost 1,000 vertical feet below the bottom of Pucci, and ends a little higher than the bottom of the Magic Mile lift, thus making the two easily concatenated

Jon Tullis holding the trail sign for "Uncle Jon's Band", the trail named after him. Jon Tullis started the Ski Host Program at Timberline over 20 years ago. Jon is now Director of Marketing & PR.

Buzz Cut is one of the hairier new trails, narrow and through the woods.

The JoJaMi trail was named after the 3 Kohnstamm kids: Joe, Jack, and Mimi.

The "Mustang Sally" trail was named after Jeff Kohnstamm's lovely wife.

Jeff Kohnstamm, speaking about Jeff Flood, with several member of the Flood family behind him.

Group photo of all the new trails.

Ski hosts serving champagne.

Some champagne for the camera guy?

Kay, enjoying some bubbly at the bottom of the new lift. The trail under the lift is "Mustang Sally".

Notice the champagne still dripping from the corner of the lift's foundation.

Jeff Flood's sister with Jeff Kohnstamm

Kurt Krueger, Kurt Wilke, and Kay Kinyon on the Magic Mile , later that same day.

The lower building on the left is the bottom of the Magic Mile lift. The structure on the right is the top of the new Still Creek Basin lift.

The Still Creek Basin lift will double or triple the length of the average trail at Timberline, and will almost make the Pucci lift obsolete.

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

Also, check out the 6 minute video filmed that day at Timberline.

A November Day at Timberline

November 25, 2007. (Sunday) A perfectly sunny day at Timberline. A bit icy and some bare patches on the lower slopes, but the Pucci chair was open and usable. The Magic Mile was open mainly for transportation to and from the Palmer snowfield. But the snow on Palmer was surprisingly good! This was a great warm up for the Canada ski safari. Just getting those ski legs back! It was also interesting to see the new express lift serving the Still Creek Basin. Not open yet. It will open in a couple of weeks. It will officially be opened on Saturday, December 8, 2007.

Great view from Silcox Hut! .

The top of the Pucci Chairlift

Emilio at the top of Pucci, with the Palmer lift barely visible higher up on the mountain.

Sitting on the Magic Mile chair, looking down at the Still Creek Basin lift.

The Magic Mile had lots of rocks, and most people rode this lift back down.

Skiing on Palmer was great, especially before noon, before the wind picked up.

View of Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters

The Three Sisters (center) and Mt. Jefferson

Ready? Let's go!!! At the top of Palmer.

It got a bit windy in the afternoon.

No crowds!

View from 7,500 feet, like from a plane!

The lower building on the left is the bottom of the Magic Mile lift. The structure on the right is the top of the new Still Creek Basin lift.

The Still Creek Basin lift will double or triple the length of the average trail at Timberline, and will almost make the Pucci lift obsolete.

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

Membership Party

November 7, 2007. (Wednesday) Great party. Well attended. Lots of new faces. Lots of door prizes. The club provided the food. The beer was provided courtesy of Vail Resorts. Thanks, Vail! The Vail Resorts representative, Brian Flickinger, told us -among other things - about the new glades at Heavenly, where trees have been spaced comfortably for easy skiing, and tree skiing provided for intermediates as well as advanced skiers. Many people signed up for trips and for PACRAT racing.

Food, drinks, and good company!.

Vail representative., Brian Flickinger

Our President, Gary Stevenson, & the Trips table.

Kurt, Sue, & Terry at registration table.

Jim & Deridre

Mike & Diane

Blaise, Jaxine, Alice, and Chuck

Patty and George.

Marsha & Pat (winner of Heavenly gondola photo

Deirdre, Jim, Sheridan, John, & Lori

Pat, Denny, Cal, and Marsha

Gary distributes door prizes!

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

Ski Fever & Snowboard Show

Nov. 2 - 4, 2007. (Fri. - Sun.) The annual ski show at the Expo Center was well attended. Several people from local ski clubs helped to staff the NWSCC booth, where our annual Skiers' Directory was distributed. Also, each club brought their own flyers to distribute to the public.

Tom, Judy, and Emilio at the NWSCC booth

Kurt worked the Timberline booth. Ask him about the new trails at Still Creek basin.

Bob Burns (Bergfreunde Ski Club) distributed NW Skiers' Directories

Bob Burns at the NWSCC booth

Emilio, Deirdre, Jim, ....

Rail riding demonstration.

There were deals on ski eqipment.

Good deals for snowboarders at the Next Adventure store booth.

See more photos (and/or order prints or CDs) in our Snapfish Photo Albums.

Ski Fair at the Monarch

Nov. 1, 2007. (Thursday) Our annual gathering of ski clubs and ski areas at the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas was a success. Mt. Hood Meadows donated a chair from the Yellow chairlift to the NWSCC, and this was auctioned off. Our Mountain High booth won this year's prize for best decorated booth, despite Gary's protest note that "Skiyente always wins". Everyone coming to our booth was offered a free baloon hat, made by our Prez, Gary Stevenson. Everyone could select a Native American hat (pointed up like a feather) or a Davy Crocket hat (pointed down).

Suzanne (aka "Lamb-chop")