Never-Ending Winter
Spring is a season where the winter-weary can hang up their ski coats and stow away their rain boots. Flowers bloom and treetops are once again adorned with flocks of birds returning to a warm climate. During this revitalizing time of year, everybody embraces the seasonal change with sunglasses, barbecues and a renewed enthusiasm for the outdoors. Well, almost everybody.
While most people are stocking up on grass seed, weed killer and sun block, there are a select few winter warriors who aren’t quite ready to give up on Oregon’s record-breaking 2008 winter just yet. The ski season at Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort is still in full swing, which very unusual for Aprils in Oregon. In April alone, Meadows ski resort has received more than 20 inches of snow, which already matches the total snowfall April in 2007.
Mt. Hood Meadows is only a 90-minute drive from the city of Portland, Ore., but the climate conditions are as discrete as night and day. Once you’ve passed the cities of Sandy and Gresham and have ascended above 3,000 feet, you’ll begin to notice the remnants of a once mighty Oregon winter. The shoulder of the road is splashed with tire-worn slush. Fallen tree branches still obstruct entrances to Mt. Hood hiking trails, and the sky is suspiciously becoming greyer by the moment.
By the time you’ve reached Mt. Hood Ski Resort at 5,000 feet, these remnants are now towering proclamations of the potency of the 2007-2008 Oregon winter. Snow plows still regularly pave and gravel the roads, fog consistently spreads across your windshield, and the sky casts a sinister grey hue across the landscape. The frosty and still winter air compose an intoxicating mountain scent that almost seems to warn people they are entering an area where nature still rules over man. But for skiers and snowboarders, this climate creates a sense of anticipation. They know these conditions are conducive to a thick, heavy winter season -- conditions that are perfect for riding.
In the parking lot, you’re greeted by a team of personable parking attendants who gently direct you to your parking space and offer convenient access to parking passes and resort information. The atmosphere of the parking lot is electric. Hundreds of energetic people gather outside their cars, trucks and SUVs while equipping themselves with goggles, wool hats, and waterproof gloves. Car stereos blare an eclectic collection of classic rock, hip hop and punk artists, whose musical qualities are as diverse as the mountain-going population itself.
In the early morning, some riders stockpile calories with Powerbars, energy drinks and fruit, while others indulge in an early morning Bloody Mary or Mimosa. There are those die-hards who need to be the first ones up one of the resort’s 11 chairlifts to make “first tracks.” There are also who would prefer to spend majority of their days sipping hot chocolate in the resort’s five-star restaurant and lounge. But no matter what type of rider are, there is an undeniable (and unspoken) bond among all mountain-goers.
But sadly, most ski seasons come to what feels like a premature end by the beginning of April. Not this year though. Mt. Hood has received a record annual snowfall this winter and has recorded 650 inches of settled snow. At Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort, there is still more than 200 inches of settled snow at the base of the lodge, and fresh snow is expected to continue falling during what seems to be a never-ending winter.
James Lutes is an avid snowboarder with extensive experience at Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort. He is studying public relations and economics at the University of Oregon.