Knowing that it would be one of those relatively rare cold powder days with sunshine and minimal wind on Mt. Hood (the classic Ray Atkinson photo) we made the pilgrimage to Mt. Hood Meadows to celebrate the solstice. Arriving in the parking lot geared up and ready to get first chairs we were surprised to see that the lifts were loaded and moving skiers up the hill a full 15 minutes before 9 a.m.! Wow. Nice of the management to let the early birds get the powder. : )
The mountain was all open except for Heather Canyon, which looked a bit nasty, windscoured and loaded. (Could hear avalanche control happening). The ski area seems to be in pretty good shape after the big storms, although there were some early season obstacles that could not be seen from uphill angles and ski patrol had not marked - scraped a few rocks and stumps.
It was a great solstice celebration, genuflecting through the powder in homage to the return of the light, powder spraying like cold smoke from behind our heels. Toasting the season and a great day in the mountains with Wassail. That's Wassail from the Full Sail Brewery in Hood River!
Happy Holidays Tayers!
