Tuesday's new snow had to be some of the best of the season. It was probably our last shot at a winter powder day. We always seem to get new freshies at the end of April and into May, but it never really feels like winter. Waiting for the lift to open with a lot of the usual suspects found on powder days, I was once again debating which spot to hit first. Grotto was first, then Red lift line, then Olaf's. Once Northwest opened up, that was the place to be. After 3 runs down the west bowls, I thought I had a great idea: since EVERYONE goes to the west bowls, I figured I'd check out a run like Snapshot to get some fresh tracks. Well, as it turns out, not everyone just skis the west bowls. Nice experiment for one run, the next few runs I headed far west again.

Thursday was a beautiful spring day. I couldn't believe Tuesday was only two days before. My best and worst run of the day was Cow's Face down to the east catch line. It was wonderful chalky snow for most of the way, and then all of a sudden, I couldn't even turn in the heavy deep glop. I still saw nice tracks below me, and realized that those tracks had to have been made yesterday. I was thankful to reach the catch line in one piece. With Sunrise closed, the getback to Skyliner is quite creative (thanks to Ryan Gage and his grooming crew for making it work so we can still ski the majority of the mountain).

Nancy Mc.

Why is it we learn all of the cool stuff in high school and forget it by lunch time? At least I did.

While skiing the other day, a friend suggested we seek out our manifest destiny. I knew I used to know what that meant. (for about an hour) Was it a doctrine?, a law?, a Marlon Brando movie?

None of the above. It was a newspaper article written by John L. O'Sullivan in 1839. The piece basically states that we are a nation of nations with a clean slate and it's our duty to make things happen for ourselves and our young country. Specifically in the regions yet to be explored (if you don't include Native Americans.)

Manifest your destiny, or in layman's terms, Go West! That was the point my friend was trying to make. He's smart.

There were quite a few folks fulfilling their manifest destiny duty today, searching out that untracked real estate and putting their mark on it. (nice tie-in, huh?)

The snow was the driest, lightest snow I have skied all year. And no wind! I thought the trees down low would be kind of nasty after the rain on Sunday, but no, it was even better than the open bowls. Deeper.

With these conditions, I was feeling like a greedy land grabber. After all, this may have been my last powder day of the season in the west bowls. Northwests last day is Sunday. If it was my last trip out there this year than it was a perfect way to end it and remember it through out the summer. All my favorite spots in perfect condition. I definitely staked out a lot of territory.

If you want to read O'Sullivans article, you can find it on the web. It's a pretty interesting read. Wouldn't it be great to take high school history now? Maureen C.

With some of the great powder skiing we've had recently, it's hard to believe that the season is actually winding down. The new snow last week made Friday and Saturday a couple of my best days of the season. Summit opened bright and early on Saturday, and we had blue skies. Cow's Face was where it was at. The first few runs down it we went back to catch the Summit chair. After that, we went all the way to the catch line. I was really surprised at how many fresh track runs we were able to get.

It's true, the Nordic Center is closing this Easter Sunday. I was out on the trails yesterday with my friend Max (see him skating on Rich's Range). I think we timed it pretty well hitting the trails about 10:30. In the shade it was on the slick side and in the sun it was a bit on the sticky side. It seemed to be a good average. And, it was so warm and sunny that we both skied in short-sleeved shirts. Truly a great spring day for skating. As in years past, the Pole Peddle Paddle course will be groomed on Wednesdays and Saturdays until the PPP for training, so there will be some more chances to hit the nordic trails after this Sunday. The lodge will be shut down, so rentals won't be available. However, if you have your own gear, it's free since a trail pass isn't needed.

See you on the trails!

Nancy Mc.

It has been a while since I posted. I have been busy starting my new job. Since February I have been working long hours to ready a retail space. Well, I can now say the doors are open. I have opened a Stark's Vacuums on the corner of Hwy 20 and Dean Swift. Starks is still a family owned business which started in Portland in 1932. Bend is their ninth store. Stop by and say hi if you are in the neighborhood.

Monday I took the morning off to ski. It was an incredible Spring day! I arrived at about 11am and jumped on the Skyliner lift. Sharing the chair with three smiling skiers, we chatted on the ride up. They were visiting from California. They all agreed that the weather and skiing were top notch. The groomers below looked fast.

I exited the lift stage right and bombed down to Pine Martin lift. Up and over to Ed's Garden. More go Fassssst. Arriving at the bottom of Northwest, I hung out to find a friend. Then up for another lap. Though I did not ski summit, I heard it was great. I finished at about 1pm and took the Cliff Hanger back to the Skyliner parking lot.

It's great to live so close. I will be back for more. Now, back to the vacuums.

R.V.

Last week I had an opportunity to demo a few different skis at Mt. Bachelor. For those who may be unfamiliar with he program, Mt. Bachelor Demo Center is a terrific source to try before you buy. With over 40 different skis in a variety of sizes; their total inventory of over 100 variations, you shouldn't have a problem finding something you fancy. They even demo boots. If you are in the market for new gear, this is the only way to go. And these guys know their stuff. They get you in and out in no time. $45 to try up to 3 pair a day. And if you decide to purchase, they will take the $45 off of the purchase price - which by the way is currently marked down 40% off! (Limited to stock on hand.) You can even reserve your ski so that you'll know it will be there waiting for you. Give the shop a call at 382-2442 ext. 2119.

I've had a hankern' to try out some of the new fat pow skis. I tested the Rossignol S7, Salomon Czar, and K2 Coomba. It was a sunny day when the Summit and NW opened after a big storm, offering although heavy and wind-packed, deep powder. Oh how I wish that I conducted my survey on March 9th! Still dreaming about that snow...

The first ski that I tested remained to be my favorite of the bunch. The Rossignol S7. That ski is a hoot! It's got so much going on, it's hard to list. Fat, rockered, spatula shovel, traditional camber under foot, pin-tail, and reverse side cut (if that made any sense). Bottom line is that this ski offered the most diversification of the three I tested. It happened to be the first rockered ski that I had ever been on. But what impressed me is how it behaved on that long groomed cat-tack back to NW. You can actually turn both edges over and carve this baby! Did I mention that due to it's radical shape it has only a 17 Meter radius? Most fat skis out there are 20+. I felt that this made the ski very lively and fun to pump more turns in the pow and made it more responsive in the trees. And that rocker tip made all the difference in the world. It forces the ski back on top after each dig. Some turns really did fell like surfing.

The Salomon Czar disappointed me. I had higher expectations of that ski, as I've had good experiences from Salomon products in the past. (My current pow ski I'm looking to replace is the Salomon Pocket Rocket.) However the Czar was not my cup of tea. It loves deep. Period. It was worthless on hard-pack, which in my book doesn't fit Mt. Bachelor. I want a powder specific ski that can also handle ripping down a groomer (or cat track) when necessary. When I attempted to turn this ski over, the downhill ski would just wash away from me. No edge grip whatsoever. I realize part of the problem is that 34% of the ski isn't even touching the snow on hard pack (this ski has a huge 620mm rocker.) But the ski wouldn't even hook-up when thrown way out there. So I had to skid them back to PMX, which is not my preference.

Then there's the faithful K2 Coomba; a ski that I've been wanting to try for a long time. It would be been my pick if it wasn't for that S7. It's more traditional in every way - camber, shape, and a powder channel in the tail. This is an awesome ski that can do it all. Prefers the deep, but can survive on ice, carving and all mountain terrain. But since I have carving skis, I personally want something that is designed to eat up the pow all day long - yet can get you back to your car (or lift) on the groomer with a smile on your face. Plus it's not rockered - which I discovered is sooooo much fun.

I have more on my list that I wish to try, and I'm sure you do too. And remember that Mt. Bachelor also offers a huge selection on carving and all-mountain skis too.

Happy Skiing,

David D.

Spring Break is here! This week was Oregon and next week is Washington and California. I had my niece and nephew from PDX in town this week (8 and 10). What a whirlwind of activity. Monday was Sun Mountain Fun Center. We did the batting cages, go carts, bowling, arcade, and now they also have bumper cars (which turned out to be way more fun than I expected). On Tuesday we headed up to the mountain. Three inches of new snow greeted us. I always like my carver boards on days like those because it feels like more snow. We skied the whole mountain, except for Summit since it wasn't open. We also hit the Super Pipe, and checked out the I-Park. My niece, of course, picked Dilly Dally Alley, probably just because she loves the name... They hadn't skied Northwest, so we headed there for a couple of runs. See photos of the kids coming down Old Skyliner and the Super Pipe.

Friday was a sweet day. Great weather, and not too many people. I expected it to be more crowded. I heard Thursday was a bit crowded, so maybe the locals stayed away thinking it would be worse. Anyhow, the groomers were great, and so was off-piste. The backside was surprisingly nice up top (kind of buttery) and then it turned to glop just before the catch line. I skied until it got really grabby at the bottom, and then realized that skate skiing would be even worse, so I skipped it.

There's more snow in the forecast this week. Hopefully we'll start April off with some good powder days!

Nancy Mc.