JoeMack

No, it was some fellow named "philfort" that's to blame: Link:Turns All Year Jinx

I agree with the recommendations for the Mountain Shop. I got a pair of Dynafit boots and bindings there a few years ago. They spent a bunch of time helping me with the purchase and did a great job fitting the boots. If you want to save some serious $, go during their pajama sale (you have to wait until February). I got the gear for something like 30% off. It made up for having to wear a pair of PJs into the store!

1) I took up snowboarding for a few seasons because my son (who was 10 at the time) wanted to try it. He got very good and I stayed mediocre. 2) I have a lot more fun on skis because of the varied terrain that I can handle. I only like snowboarding in pow with no/few moguls.

38th Annual Ski Swap in Corvallis (Oct 20-23) and Eugene (Oct 27-30). Find New and used ski (alpine & nordic) and snowboard gear, winter clothing, etc. Sell your old gear. Proceeds benefit the Santiam Pass and Willamette Pass Ski Patrols as well as the Corvallis Mountain Rescue Unit and the Willamette Pass Backcountry Patrol. For more info, see here

Climb: Shasta-Hotlum-Wintun Date of Climb: 8/13/2005 Trip Report: Went down to Shasta from the Eugene area, leaving around 7:15am on Saturday. Went down via route 97 which was a nice alternate to to Hwy 5. Got to the Brewer Creek trailhead about 12:30 or so and got on the trail a little before 2 after having lunch, finishing packing, and figuring out the permit situation (2 permits needed: wilderness (free) and summit ($15)). The Brewer Creek trail is dusty and mellow. Still plenty of wildflowers out. We made it to a nice campsite climbers left of the trail near one of the gullies that still had snow (maybe 8500 ft). After setting up camp we took a few runs on a nice little pitch near camp. Hit the sack early. We enjoyed watching a bunch of shooting stars after the alarm awoke us at 4:30am. Started climbing slightly after sunrise. We used crampons and carried the skis as the snow was hard. We kept the crampons on until the summit, even though the snow had softened for the most part. Here's a photo of the route we climbed and skied We climbed in shorts and the weather was fabulous: a slight breeze would cool us off every few minutes. I did pretty well with the sunscreen and didn't get a burn, but I think I did get a sunburn on the roof of my mouth. Weird. The last 1500 feet was on some nasty snow and made the climbing difficult. Big runnels/penitentes with some water ice patches here and there. Summited aroun 12:30 and left the summit just after 1:00pm. Here's a view looking down our descent route from just below the summit. The top wasn't as tough skiing as I feared due to the softness, although we did a bit of sideslipping in some of the radiator fin like snow. There were a couple of short carries across the ridges and down lower to get to the gully near our camp. Here's a buddy getting some nice August corn. Made it back to camp at 3:00; we figured we got about 5500 ft of vertical. We packed up, relaxed a bit and then headed back down the trail. Got out of the trailhead parking lot at 5:30 and back in to town at 10:30. Gear Notes: Skis, crampons

I agree with mfaoro 100%. I have the Dynafit TLT 700s (with thermofit liners) and find them very comfortable for both climbing and skiing. I would suggest renting an AT setup a time or two to make sure it's your cup of tea, though.

Nice work. Excellent report. 2 questions: 1) Was it as easy as you make it sound to get a solo permit? 2) Would having skis make the slog down easier? Thanks, Joe

Climb: Mt. Lassen-Grandma's route (south climbing trail) Date of Climb: 7/10/2005 Trip Report: I hesitated posting this because it really isn't a climb (it's a hike) to the summit of Lassen, but I can't always be a lurker. We drove down Saturday in 2 vehicles, so we decided to do the car shuttle and ski the Devastated Area on the north side. There was about 2500-3000' of soft snow that made for a fun afternoon ski and not too heinous schwack. Skied the south side snowfield on Sunday as well as a nice little pitch on the other side of the road. Gear Notes: Skis Approach Notes: Trail to the summit is mellow

Yes, there is no snow and the access roads (FS Roads 2149 and 2160) are clear and in good shape. You should have no problems with getting there in a Civic- just watch out for the deer in the road!

The only time I saw any skeeters was when I returned to the truck. They usually don't bother me, but this time I had to rush the clothes change/post-climb beer to avoid the bloodsuckers.

Climb: Diamond Peak-Southwest Bowl Date of Climb: 6/18/2005 Trip Report: Parked at a log landing at about 4,900'. It is south of the trailhead for Pioneer Gulch. Lots of blue sky, but as I got higher, I could see the clouds coming in fast. Got a little too far east as I was climbing and had to scramble over a chossy mess of a ridge to get to the bottom of the Southwest Bowl. Got to the snow at around 7,000 ft. The schwack through the underbrush had slowed me down considerably and the tiptoeing over the chossy rubble necessitated changing to boots. Once I got to the snow, I was much happier. I was able to slide my skis uphill skinless for a bit before the slope angle got to be too steep. Rather than putting on skins, I booted it straight up. The snow was great for kicking steps and I wanted to get up as quickly as possible: gray storm clouds were coming in over the peak now. Made it to a point near the summit ridge (GPS said 8,544') and it was very low visibility. The winds were howling and it was snowing sideways so I decided I would forego the summit and start heading down. I didn't hear any lightning, but I didn't want to be on top if it did come. Thankfully, I had goggles, heavy gloves, and a wool hat. The skiing in the bowl was really nice. My tracks are slightly visible in the picture... I was able to follow some fingers of snow down to about 6,500' before I had to start bushwhacking back to the truck. The GPS was indispensable. Gear Notes: Skis

Big up to ya! Way to get sum May freshiez!

Oh, that Arlene Blum! I summitted at 3:00 and must've missed 'em.

There weren't any groups that I saw/met that matched that description. I wonder why a business magazine would be doing an article about Mt. Hood??

Climb: Mt. Hood-South Side Date of Climb: 4/30/2005 Trip Report: Left the T'Line lot at 10:00am Saturday. Skinned up through the clouds to clear blue skies at the top of Palmer. The weather was super fine: warm and no wind. Booted up to the Hogsback and tried to eat some lunch without gagging from the sulphur stank. The berschrund was easy to get around and the Pearly Gates were soft: didn't need crampons nor an axe (which was good since I didn't have them). I decided to ski down via the slope to climbers' left of the hogsback (Mazamas Route, I think, per David Waag's book "Oregon Descents" The traverse over there was on a ridge that was a little more exposed than I thought, but the snow was soft and there was some boot pack from a pair of British guys that had just come from that direction after climbing Leutholds. The untracked slope was beautiful and the snow was like velvet. Minimal sloughing. A cloud had rolled in and reduced vis significantly, but I traversed back to the hogsback and descended without a problem. Made it below the cloud at the top of the Palmer lift and cruised via the groomed slopes back to the truck at 5:00 for Happy Hour.

This is originally from John Prine. The guy with the "Illegal Smile"

I read that book in college( about 25 years ago). I still remember reading the story of a woman that was so depressed by her work that even the thought of Friday and the relief of a weekend wasn't sufficient to lessen her feeling of doom. She dreaded the thought of Sunday afternoon and the anticpation of having to go back to work on Monday. Truly chilling. Thank goodness for alcohol!

From the local fish wrapper: http://www.gtconnect.com/articles/2005/03/16/news/community/asheep.txt Sheep rustlers caught By Jennifer Nitson Gazette-Times reporter Deputy apprehends OSU football player, who denies any involvement in incident There's more ba-a-a-d news for Oregon State University's football team. Beavers player Ben Michael Siegert was apparently caught driving the getaway vehicle that whisked a ram away from the university's Sheep Center, according to police. A Benton County Sheriff's deputy found the animal in the bed of a pickup after pulling Siegert over for speeding on Southwest Whiteside Drive about 1:34 a.m. last Friday morning. Also in the pickup was former OSU football player Brent Charles Bridges, 22, and Whitney Susan Rodgers, 19, of Glendale, Ariz. Contacted Tuesday afternoon, Siegert said he recalled being pulled over, but denied any involvement with the ram. "I don't know anything about that," he said. "I'm from a city. I don't know anything about sheep." However, Benton County Undersheriff Diana Simpson confirmed the sheep tale. "Either Mr. Siegert's not being truthful with you, or maybe he was too intoxicated to remember," Simpson said. The ram lives at the research facility on 35th Street near Campus Way and is part of a study on homosexuality in sheep, said Sheep Center manager Tom Nichols. It probably weighs about 200 pounds, he said, and it likely took both men to get the ram into the bed of the pickup. "I'm sure it wasn't an easy job," Nichols said. Sheep rustling, it seems, is not uncommon at OSU. "We have at least one prank a year where we have to go to a dormitory or a sorority house and pick up a ram or a lamb or a ewe," Nichols said. "It's one of those springtime pranks." Fun and games aside, Siegert, 20, was arrested on an accusation of driving under the influence of intoxicants after failing field sobriety tests. Almost an hour and a half after being pulled over, he registered .14 percent blood-alcohol content on a breath analyzer at the county jail. A worker from the Sheep Center retrieved the animal, and the deputy chose not to arrest anybody for taking the ram.

Thanks for an enjoyable diversion this Friday morning. Great pictures. Way to get the goods!

The Dude thinks otherwise

Or a Caucasian. If you're into the whole brevity thing.

YellowMan Israel Vibration And if you've never seen Toots live, by all means check him out next time he's in the area.

Way to get some. I just wish it wasn't such a long drive out to the Wallowas!

For me, Bachelor=Flatcherlor. However, I've never been there on a day when the summit cirque was in. And I've been there ~10 times. My view is that if you want good steeps, trees and bumps, (and if you want to stay in Oregon) go to Willamette Pass. Conditions are real nice there now, btw. And lift tickets are cheaper. And you don't have to drive as far.