snowboarding - The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

Many apologies for the lack of a forecast yesterday. As many of you know, I work for Mt. Hood Meadows, and yesterday’s nuclear force mountain winds didn’t give me a chance to write a forecast. It’s such a bummer, because I should have said something about the wind up there and the wind on the water. Anyway, please accept my apologies. I will try not to have that happen again.

So, on to today’s forecast. At 5am, it was mostly clear skies up on the slopes and a perfect day for you to skip work. Meadows and T-line are open today, but Skibowl is closed Mon/Tue at this point. I’m going to suggest you check out what the storm left behind. I can’t promise you 23” of powder across the whole mountain. It was far too windy yesterday for that. But there are going to be super-awesome powder stashes, and super-cool wind features. It’s probably worth dragging a camera around with you today on the slopes, or at least bringing a cell phone camera.

The forecast for the next couple of days shows rain on the slopes, a huge bummer on top of all this new snow. Fortunately, models show most of the moisture heading north of us, meaning we’ll just get a dusting of the wet stuff. Wait, you can’t have a “dusting” of rain, can you? A brief shower? A??? I’m too tired to be creative this morning.

As for the wind in the Gorge, it’s not looking very promising for the next couple of days. There’s a chance of light easterlies tomorrow, and slightly stronger east winds on Wednesday.

Finally, we had two unique items stolen from the Hood River Snow Show on Saturday, and if you can help us look out for them, that would be great. The first is a pair of Black Diamond Megawatt skis (188cm, Blue/Black/White). The second is a Unity snowboard (164cm). Please see the pictures below. There is a reward for information leading to the return of the items. And to the person who stole them: you stole that gear from a fundraiser event, and it would be nice if you had the heart to give it back. No questions will be asked.

Have a great day today!

Temira
Megawatt snowboard

Good morning!

6-11” today. 5-8” tonight. 4-8” tomorrow. I can’t do the math on that one, because I can’t count that high. I do know that means epic powder the next couple of days. I’m saving the best of my legs for Sunday, and hoping that everyone else will be tired by then.

If you want to ski today, wait until this afternoon for the powder. If you can’t, don’t despair. It’s really good up there, or was yesterday afternoon. Coverage is excellent. There are a few icy patches in wind-scoured areas, but there isn’t much ice (and I’m an ice-weenie, so you can trust me on that one).

If you want to mountain bike, head to Syncline. Please stay out of Post Canyon, as it’s muddy enough that your tires will do more damage than good. Your tires may even cause more damage than the stoke your brain receives, and that’s saying something.

As for windsurfing, Saturday afternoon looks windy at the coast and in Seattle, but there’s not much going on in the Gorge. You might catch a desperation kite or slalom westerly session late today, but that’s unlikely. A better chance exists for Sunday morning in the desert, as weak high pressure builds at the coast behind a passing front.

Do not forget that Saturday is the Hood River Snow Show at the Hood River Inn. If you’re not there, Pepi, Wally or I will personally kick your butt. Seriously, it’s going to be a lot of fun, it’s family friendly (and yes, you can get a beer, but your 5-year-old cannot), and you can win a season pass, a pair of skis, or a snowboard. $5 gets you in the door, and $1 gets you a raffle ticket (but you’re going to buy lots to support the kids, right?). Proceeds benefit local ski/snowboard teams. Check it out: http://bit.ly/k6yS3

Have an awesome day today!

Temira