"It doesn't get much better than this! I can't believe we hadn't gotten up here sooner." is the perfect quote by Brad Calahan describing this season of skiing on Mount Hood. However my favorite and most relatable quote was by his daughter Reagan "I have to pee!"
Fuel prices are under $2.00 a gallon and the news channels seem to be lost without drama to report. So instead the drama of this winter has been what a terrible snow year we are having and how the skiing/snowboarding must be not so great. Coffee shop and water cooler conversations are about to do a fast 180 if we just head for Mount Hood. Mount Hood Meadows is the prime example of how the hard work that takes to run a ski resort can be redirected to keeping it open and fun for us Oregonians.
We can tell all the little people it's magic elves that come out at night to make snow out of thin air while magically transporting tons of snow to make the groomed runs so perfect you'll feel bad making the first turns down it. The reality is its a crew of dedicated employees that transport snow from all over the mountain while Oregon sleeps to fill in the runs and terrain parks we love so much. These men and women aren't like Santa Clause enjoying all kinds of glory, they are like all his little helpers that make it happen every night.
This year Mount Hood Meadows grooming crew converted a snowcat into a dump truck. YES, a dump truck!! They take snow from the parking lot and nonessential areas and transport that snow to create the best groomed terrain on the mountain.
I don't know what quantifies a perfect day on the mountain but I have had many in my four decades plus skiing all over this planet. The perfect ski day is a little different for all but what is on everyone's perfect mountain day list is:
- Sunshine
- Good friends & family
- Lots & lots of laughs
- Adventure
If the world tells us to go left why should we go right?? As we get older life becomes a calculated version of cost vs risk. We forget, no we ignore our inner voice that sometimes it's best to go against the grain or social norm. Unfortunately what happens is we do nothing. Instead of packing up the family truckster to head for the mountains we wake up late, have some coffee, and the kids play video games all day. As the weekend ends we believe the best choice was to stay in town because the news and my 'expert' neighbor told me the mountains haven't much snow.
So pack up the family or friends and commit to a little adventure this week. If you don't have a single laugh or even a little bit of fun you can reaffirm to everyone around the water cooler how the mountain sucks this year. However just maybe, just maybe you'll have so much fun that it'll be hard to contain your smiles, photos, and stories from your Mount Hood adventures.
-- Asit Rathod, Special to Mt. Hood Meadows and Travel Oregon
Meadows Note: If you have a family adventure you'd like to share, send us an email!