2008, by powderjunky

Skiing the Cone, Mount Bachelor Backcountry.

Change. It keeps us honest. Maybe that's why our country is in such a mess right now. As soon as we settle into a routine, you might end up like ole Rip Van Winkle, and wake up years from now wondering where the time went. In an effort to explore while we can, my wife and I have decided to leave the backcountry paradise of Jackson in search of the new, the different, and the snow-covered.

Skiing up the Cone with the dog.

Our first stop this winter has led us to beautiful Central Oregon where volcanic skiing abounds along with an entirely new snowpack. Knowledge. Firsthand knowledge. Knowledge of past snowfall. Knowledge of weak layers. Knowledge of weather and wind history. All this knowledge is one's best defense in avalanche country. Skiing in unfamiliar terrain is a frightening experience, and as just arriving, we have no first hand knowledge of past conditions.

Fortunately, like weapons of mass destruction, winter has yet to really show itself. We find ourselves in a good place for understanding this winter's snowpack from the ground up. This fact was reassuring as we skied the only skiable backcountry, the Cone, off Mount Bachelor.

Usually the Maritime snowpack is a safer snowpack compared to anywhere else in the U.S. of A. However frigid freeze your nips off temps have dumped up to two feet of Colorado's finest in the Central Cascades. Leaving us to wonder, how will this affect a snowpack we know nothing about?

Like a kid at Christmas, we eagerly wait for more snow and coverage. Another thing we have recently learned (luckily NOT the hard way) is that lava rock destroys skis and people. That fact alone has us grounded praying for wetter snow. The forecast looks more promising than the automotive bailout plan and we wait for those epic storms you hear about in the Cascades. The ones that dump 10 feet in 24 hours, shutting down everything. We patiently wait....

Skiing the Cone at Mount Bachelor, Early Season.

FYI: Headcam courtesy of Go Pro. Full review soon!

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