Spring Break at Timberline

Once again Team Kettle members were blest with late season powder. We, Verelle and Travis rode at Timberline ski resort on Mount Hood for our spring break vacation. We were able to ride for two days. With 13 inches of freshy on Thursday and 3 (a lot more during the day) on Friday we had endless runs of untracked lines.

We did our usual late night drive from Ashland on Wednesday and stayed at our Aunt and Uncle's house in Newberg. Kyle, Verelle's step-brother, met up with us for our first day of riding. Kyle is new to the sport of snowboarding and this was only his second time riding a lift, but he is picking it up quickly and by the end of the day was flying down the hill and having a blast. We primarily rode the newest lift at Timberline, which is also the longest lift in the state. Jeff Flood offers access to the largest portion of terrain on the mountain and we tried to ride all of it. We got hooked on one run and completed it a good 10 times. After riding Mt. Ashland it is a treat to ride long runs that offer so much variety in terrain.

Snow so deep he can't see his feet!

Hoodoo

Hoodoo! Hoodoo!! Hoodoo!!! Incredible snow, terrain, and a friendly ski/board patrol are the memories we will retain from this small Oregon ski resort.

We got lucky again with late season fresh snow. This team trip included Cullen, Brad, Steph, and baby ninja Jonah! We were stoked to have them join the team for some turns. After eating an unpleasant breakfast in Sweet Home we journeyed out Santiam Pass to the ski resort. We were all excited to see the parking lot practically empty and a lot of fresh snow on the ground.

With a high speed quad chair that allows for access to whole mountain it was easy to quickly learn our around. The views from the summit are indescribable.

Dan and Travis taking in the views at the summit.

Cullen and Dan taking a break in the basin.

Cullen goes for a little air.

Travis taking on a cliff.

Dan looks rad on his skis.

Willamette Pass

On Friday March 13th Team Kettle went on a team trip to Willamette Pass Ski Resort . We were accompanied by our good friend Angela Bombacci on this trip, and it was the first time riding at Willamette Pass for all of us.
Angela, Verelle, and I left Ashland around 10 pm and arrived in Corvallis at Dan and Cullen's place around 1:30 am. Going to bed right away was not an option because Thursday was the fourth annual Irish Car Bomb night. After a couple beers and a Car Bomb we all crashed on the living room floor.
We had a late start to the day due to the late night we had, we managed to be at the ski resort by 11:30 am. Even still there was plenty of fresh powder to spare.
The snow was amazing. It was very light and plenty deep. The forest that Willamette Pass is in is very mature and had little to no underbrush which meant amazing tree runs for us. The tree's are spaced out perfectly and we got some of the best tree runs we have ever had. Willamette Pass is also home of the steepest run in the state of Oregon. Dan and I ventured down the 52 degree slope, and it was definitely steep.
We rode hard until 4 pm and then jammed it back to Corvallis and dinner at Mcmenamins. The combination of good snow, good friends, and awesome hosts (thank you Cullen and Dan!) made for an awesome trip. Willamette Pass is a resort we will definitely ride again soon!

Enjoying a lunch break.

The lodge at Willamette Pass.

One of the many beautiful trails.

Washougal River: III (IV)

On Friday, Jan. 11th, it rained. It rained a lot in the Columbia Gorge region. It rained enough for the Washougal river in southern Washington to get pretty high. What is normally a class II/III- residential run had turned into a fast big-water section. Even with the extra water, the run was mostly class II with a couple III's and one class four: Big eddy. The one rapid was fun with big waves and holes scattered across the river for a few hundred yards. Other than that, the most difficult part was the put-in.
Ryan convinced us to launch on the NF of the Washougal, which would add an extra mile of river and some excellent play waves. The access here is decent for kayaks, but challenging for rafts. We ended up belaying the boat down a hillside until it got stuck. From there we played around with throw ropes off the bridge for a while until we could finally board the raft.

Once we launched, the river was very fast. In the first mile we encountered several outstanding surf waves. Unfortunately, I was in my creekboat and couldn't take full advantage of the playboating all down this run. I was able to surf my Huka on some of the longer, faster waves however where displacement hull got up on plane.

Ryan enjoying one of the smaller features.

Further downstream, there were many more small surf waves with great eddy service, such as the one pictured above. I had trouble staying on the waves with my sluggish boat, but Will and Danielle in the raft did just fine.
We made our way to the take-out without incident, other than me flailing through some of the big water in a boat designed for steep creeks. Damn, I shoulda brought a playboat! As per usual, beer and kettle chips awaited us at the take-out and we gladly indulged.

I would consider this run fairly comparable to Lake Creek into the Siuslaw River, only without the world-class playspots. It's best when it's high, the rapids are all pretty easy with one big class IV, the river is littered with surfing waves, but consequences are fairly high. With the wide, fast river, a swim could easily mean a lost boat. This is not a run for kayakers with unpredictable rolls. Be careful out there and have fun!