Westbound Boarder

Today I learned that Charlie Sperr of legendary, “Charlie’s Mountain View” restaurant and bar in beautiful Government Camp Oregon passed away in his sleep over the weekend. I had the very good fortune of sitting down with Charlie for about an hour this spring and found him to be a really open, engaging and an interesting part of our mountain heritage.

Charlie first came up to the mountain when he was 10 years old and spent a lot of his time both fishing and skiing. During WWII, he spent 4 years, 11 months and 6 days (he made sure to point out) primarily in the South Pacific. When he told me of his time in the war he got that far away look in his eyes that I’ve seen before when the old vets are telling of their time fighting overseas. After WWII, he went to OSU and was later drafted to fight in the Korean War. He had just bought a house, had a baby and was sent to California to become a transportation officer. He wound up managing the mail which he didn’t like very much and signed up for Naval training instead. From there Charlie went into psychological warfare training at Georgetown University. In the summer of 1951 he was sent to Voice of America and was shipped out to Idaho. This proved to be the perfect location for Charlie as he skied every weekend and even taught some too. Up until recently, Charlie had been to Sun Valley every year for 58 years straight!

Charlie opened the Mountain View on June 19, 1977. After speaking with Charlie, I was amazed by his memory and retention of every little detail. He opened the Ratskeller in 1963 and had the Ratskeller West in Cannon Beach back in 1969. Additionally he had the Inn Between both at the beach and in Government Camp. Last but not least, Charlie had the Tyee Valley Saloon, the Thunderhead and snow removal for the town. Quite the entrepreneur to the say the least!

In 1983 Charlie invested roughly $100K to build the infrastructure required to provide cable television in Government Camp. Charlie Vision as it is affectionately known to the locals. When asked if it made any money, Charlie sort of leaned back in his chair, smiled and said,”no, not really”. One of the more interesting aspects of Charlie Vision is the live camera trained down upon the town. In the winter, few things are quite as pleasant as curling up next to the woodstove; listening to Charlie’s classical music and watching folks stroll around in the snow.

Stepping into the dimly lit bar is a little like stepping into the un-official museum of the mountain. There are so many memories in that place you can almost still hear the revelry even when the place is quiet. In addition to live music, great libations and dancing till the wee hours, Charlie’s has also hosted a few different ski clubs and associations. Every year, usually in November there is a “Pray for Snow” party the Schnee Vogeli Ski Club hosts. In February, the Skiyiente Ski Club throw s a King Winter party in which one lucky (or unlucky depending on who you talk to) individual is crowned King Winter for the year. All the prior King’s photos are placed up on the wall and its great fun to go back in time and see the entire former King’s! You might just see someone’s Dad or Grandfather up there!

So, there you have it. A little history lesson on one of Government Camp’s founding Fathers. If you’re ever in Guvvy as we locals call it, take some time and stop in to pay homage to the best bar in town!

R.I.P. Charlie – You will be missed!

I like to think I am pretty tough. I also like to think that I am a pretty good snowboarder. With years of experience behind me not only shredding the gnar, but competing too, I have always thought of myself as one who could at least handle (even conquer) any snowboarding experience put in my way. Well Saturday March 27th (also my 25th b-day), was a humbling and also a near death experience.

Okay, okay, so near death, may be a bit dramatic, however I had an on hill experience that could have easily turned into something one would see on the 6 o’clock news (and those stories aint pretty…). We all know they generally turn into home viewers mocking the stupidity of the hiker or skier who was not wearing a helmet or carrying a communication device. You immediately judge them and think, “freakin’ idiot!!!” So here it goes, my story of idiocy and what in the hell I have learned (and intend to teach you) from it…

It all started with the nice pair of skiers my husband and I met on the chair lift. With a great sense of humor and a helmet cam to boot, these guys were a lot of fun. So accepting their invitation to cruise out of bounds to their secret heaven was an easy decision to make. They warned us snowboarders that the run requires a gnarly traverse out of a very steep canyon, even for skiers. Confident in my ability this warning didn’t even phase me. We cruised down to to what was the most glorious, unscathed, gigantic canyon I have ever seen. I was over taken with excitement as the snow conditions were magnificent and I was going to experience the run of my life, and on my birthday too…

We stopped to take in the view one last time before dropping into the canyon and stared in awe at Mt. Hoods Mississippi head behind us and the sun shining down in front of us – It was a text book perfect day (fresh pow + Mr. Sun). Anyways, the attitude and intensity of our new skier buddies changed almost instantly as they warned us we needed lots and lots of speed and had to stay high in the canyon in order to get out of it and avoid, ‘the point of no return.’ This is where I got a little bit nervous. I didn’t really let it get to me, as after all, I had no choice at this point, there was only one way out.

They guys dropped in and I followed in their track behind them.  I quickly realized that I had no where near the speed they did and I was loosing elevation quickly. The west wall of the canyon was steep and icy that afternoon and my edged failed to hold as I began slipping further and further down into the canyon, towards the bottom. At this point I could barely see the guys towards the top of the canyon and I was stuck and slipping further and further down the hill.

Out of bounds at the bottom of a 95% some oddish grade mountain was not a good situation to be in, and I knew it. I looked up to realize that there was only one way out. I had to climb this wall in my snowboard boots and with my snowboard in my hand. This was not a hill and there was no walking up it. If I wanted to make it to my birthday that evening (which was really the least of my worries at that point), I was going to be forced to climb this mountain.

So it began. The mountain was steep and I was forced to slam the nose of my snowboard into the ice to the side of myself for leverage and proceed to kick my toe into the wall in an effort to create a step to boost myself up, and one single kick was not enough. I had to repeatedly kick my toe into the snow to create a single step at a time (as hard as I could considering I was grasping the wall of the canyon using the dull nose of my snowboard to avoid falling backwards off of it or slide down it). I also knew that if I lost my footing that would be it – I would loose the ground I had covered and due to the steepness of the canyon, there would by no stopping myself if I were to slip off. I was to say the least terrified! I could not shake the thought of slipping down the hill, because I knew there would be no climbing back up the canyon at that point.

However through my husbands cheering, coaching and encouragement from the top, nearly an hour and a half later, I was near the top. Suffering from the greatest physical exhaustion I have ever experienced coupled with the beaming sun on my face, I was sweating bullets and my nerves were building even more as the steepness of the canyon was increasing towards the top.

Eventually (as one would guess as I am here to relay the message), I made it out of the canyon in one piece. One sunburned, exhausted, hysterical girl, but I made it. What did I learn from all of this??? A very important lesson and that is, don’t mess with mother nature. One wrong move while climbing up that mountain, and this could have turned into a dangerous and potentially life threatening event. Being in the wilderness and unprepared is an situation that is easier to end up in than I have ever anticipated and protecting yourself may be easier than you think. A few tips I have and suggestions that I am going to forever live buy are quite simple: (1) Always ride with a buddy (2) Have a means of communicating with the outside world. A cell phone, walkie talkie, GPS device etc, will save your life (3) Carry instant energy on you, a cliff bar, shot blocks, etc… (4) Planning on hiking or heading towards the back-country? Carry a camel back and compass. I had one out of the four of these items…a buddy, oh and apparently some luck, which if I were you, I would never count on when you are relying on mother nature to take care of you, she is a tough biatch. So if you are ever faced with the opportunity to ride the back-country or cruise out of bounds, really think about where you are going, and if you are truly prepared for what may be in store, no matter how solid of a rider you are…remember you are only human.

So you wondering where the skier guys disappeared to? Well, the moment I made it out of the canyon, there they were at the top, greeting me with chocolate covered peanuts, high fives and laughter. As distraught as I was, their smiles (and my husband’s too of course) were exactly what I needed.

Want to see the canyon I hiked out of? Check out the video below. The canyon in the backgroud at about 3:15 is my hike. Oh yeah, and the para skiers are pretty cool too

Tons of fresh snow on Hood and Im going to play in it today! Its looking like another late season… better late then never! Powder Patty anyone??!!

When Bud Valian moved from British Columbia to Oregon in 1954, things were a little different on the mountain. Timberline, where he taught skiing, had only one lift – the Magic Mile. In those days, “The Mile” was in a different location. It was actually east of the lodge and went all the way up to Silcox Hut. Bud said the lift tickets were only $4.00/each back then…ahh those were the days!

From all accounts, Bud was a bit of a wild man in his younger days and would often climb up to the top of Mt.Hood and ski down. When asked what his scariest moment was, Bud scratched his head for a moment and said that one morning he had just made it to the top of the mountain as was looking around when suddenly, KABOOM! Two fighter jets came screaming right at him, circled the mountain and then waved goodbye. This is of course just one of the many stories the man offered up. I have it on good authority from others that Bud is credited with straight lining the upper bowl at Ski Bowl more than once. For any of you who have ridden the upper bowl, you can only imagine just how fast you’d get rippin’ going straight down!

Bud and his wife Betsy have been together now for 26 years. They are the perfect mix of yin and yang to run their business. Betsy is the stylish one. She has that magic touch when it comes to decorating the shop and merchandising everything in the most effective way. Bud is the mad scientist behind the curtain. He has developed his own equipment which is nothing short of brilliant ingenuity. Going into Valian’s is almost like stepping into a time warp when ski shops were the only place to find goggles, hats gloves and get your skis tuned. “Betz” on the other hand really has an extraordinary flair for combining the old and the new. As you shuffle around the shop, you will see clippings from old Life magazines, newspaper articles, and the products that were popular back in the day. It takes you back to the days of yore and gives you that warm fuzzy feeling that all is right with the world. However, all of it too is mixed with the very latest gear to help you get your shred on.

I asked Bud how the culture of the mountain has changed and he gave me a reply that I had long suspected. He basically said that these days, everybody is in such a hurry to get up there and then get back down to their everyday lives. He went on to say that it used to be that everyone was much more laid back and personal but the sport itself was in many ways much more difficult. (think lace up boots and bear trap bindings!)

Responding to the question of whether or not he still skis, he said absolutely! However, at 76 he picks his days usually in the spring where he can “wear his sunglasses”. He went on to say that he had enough days teaching in crappy weather.

So, there you have it. Valian’s ski shop in good old Government Camp. One of the classics that I hope will endure in this world of Dick’s, Sport’s Authority and Big 5. A place where you can get real advice from a real pro who’s been there/done that and knows what’s best without the BS.

This is an article (the first of many) by Jim Callas, a new contributing writer on the Westbound Boarder staff.  Please join me in welcoming Jim to the team!  Jim has (drum roll, please) 38 years of experience on those sticks we snowboarders commonly refer to as #$&^* … I mean, skis.  (Don’t worry guys, he snowboards too!)  But all resentment aside, Jim is an awesome skier, and devout member of the Mt. Hood Meadows community, so we are totally stoked to have him write for Westbound Boarder.  He will offer a local perspective on the sport (as well as a bit of testosterone).  Now, back to the more important topic – avalanches!

A massive slab avalanche broke free and roared down Heather Canyon from the Wy’east face of Mt. Hood January 17. This amazing event happened around 7:00PM when fortunately everyone was riding on the lit slopes of the other side of the resort. I was skiing the next morning and didn’t even hear about it until I got to the run out and was absolutely awestruck by the devastation. The ski patrol did an amazing job of re-routing all us riders around the path of this giant. When I say this thing was massive, I mean huge! There were chunks of snow and ice the size of cars and trucks scattered about everywhere willy nilly. This slide had so much energy that it literally changed the topography forever. Nature’s landscaping if you will. Had anyone been riding in this area, it had the potential to have very ugly results. Matt Aimonetti, a volunteer with Mt. Hood Ski Patrol, was quoted as saying, “It was breathtaking. It was as if a glacier moved a mile down the mountain. Debris was stacked up as high as 30 feet.”

So, where does this leave us? It leaves us with a renewed sense of respect for the mountain. A humbling experience to be sure and also a reminder that whenever we’re up there riding, we are doing so on Mother Nature’s turf. Right after the avalanche ripped down the canyon, I was riding up the lift single and out of curiosity was asking questions of my fellow riders to see if they had heard what happened. Most folks I talked to had heard of the event but very few had known where it had happened. That’s a good thing as most folks choose to ride in the more conventional areas. After a little research, I have learned that an event of this magnitude only happens on Mt. Hood every 10-20 years according to the experts.

What to do if caught in an avalanche? Well you can certainly try and outrun an avalanche like you see on the Warren Miller movies but more than likely, it’s going faster than you can ride (picture a surfer going over the falls at Waimea) and you will soon be the victim of a hostile takeover. Most big mountain skiers agree that the best strategy is to try your best to ride to the side and let the monster go on its merry way.

Why did it happen this season and not in the recent past? This season has been just plain weird thanks to El Nino’. It started out early and with much promise. In November, the snow was light, cold and without much water content. As the season progressed, we didn’t receive much more snow and in fact, the snow we did receive was fairly wet and weighed down with a significant amount of rain. Yes, the dreaded “R” word. So, here we have heavy dense snow stacked upon a light fluffy base. Think of it like shaved ice stacked upon the top of freshly waxed snowboards and tilted 50 degrees.

One of the things that fascinates me the most about this was that there was a moment that was the tipping point. Was there a subterranean lake formed on top of the soon to be slide and it just got a little too heavy to support all that snow and ice? Was there a small tremor? If an avalanche happens when no one is around does it make any sound? I guess we’ll never know…

As the snow season is literally right around the corner, it is time to start thinking about season passes. As there are many resorts to choose from, we have decided to bring you the gist on the best resorts in your neck of the woods. Most of you already know, Andrea and I are located in Oregon and California, respectively. With that said, we have a number of resorts to suggest to you in far west states although don’t worry, we won’t omit the legendary inland resorts…

Oregon -Mt Hood:

Timberline Lodge: Despite what some may call it (Flatline), Timberline Lodge is known for their killer parks and extra long season. In fact, I had so much fun spring riding there this year and had such a long season (my spring pass was good through June 14^th!!!!), that I am going to be riding Timberline exclusively this season. On top of the epic terrain parks and extra long regular season, Timberline Lodge has partnered with Ski Bowl and is again (for the third year in a row) brining you the Mt. Hood Fusion Pass.

• The Fusion Pass: The Fusion Pass is an unlimited, all access pass to both Timberline Lodge and Ski Bowl. $449 (Adults, 23-64), $349 (Teen, 15-22), $249 (Junior 7-14).  Fusion Pass prices good through October 31st.
• Weekday Plus Pass: Ride unlimited weekdays for only $209.
• Flex 5 Pass: $175
• Flex 10 Pass: $325
• Timberline Only Pass: Don’t bother as it’s more than the fusion pass…
• Prices good through November 8th.

Mt. Hood Meadows: If you are looking to purchase a season pass to Mt. Hood this year, it is never too early to getchya pass on (they have been selling them for quite a while now).

• Group Passes: Buy your pass in a group of 2, 3 or 4 (depending on your age) for $229, $339 and $449, respectively.
• The Mt. Hood Meadows group deals (4×4, 3×3 & 2×2) are back and the best prices of the season are good right now through October 31st

Ski Bowl: Known for America’s best and largest night ski area, Ski Bowl is a must ride at some point in time. Not only are they located in the heart of Government Camp, OR, but they have some super steep and diverse terrain. At this time Ski Bowl is offering the Mt. Hood Fusion Pass, exclusively.

• The Fusion Pass: The Fusion Pass is an unlimited, all access pass to both Timberline Lodge and Ski Bowl. $449 (Adults, 23-64), $349 (Teen, 15-22), $249 (Junior 7-14).
• Fusion Pass prices good through October 31st. 

Snow Summit: I am not sure this is the best place to buy a season pass, although if you want to learn to ride this season, Snow Summit is the best and most economical place to do so. Also located in the heart of Government Camp, Snow Summit is literally two single runs and one chair lift.

• Season Pass Prices: $175 (13 & Over), $125 (12 & Under).
• Lift Tickets: All Day for only $25!

Central Oregon:

Mt. Bachelor: If central Oregon is the place you call home, then it is likely that Mt. Bachelor is too. Bachelor boasts the largest resort in Oregon and deserves every praise that it gets. With a little something for everyone; backcountry, terrain parks, the bunny hill, sky high summit riding and a variety of season pass options, Bachelor is guaranteed to satisfy you’re your Winter spirit. With unlimited season passes, 10 time passes and even passes that are used based on the quality of your experience you are sure to find a pass that fits your needs at Mt. Bachelor this season. Check ‘em out!

• Full Season Pass: $799 (Adults), $349 (Young Adult, 19-23), $249 (Teen, 13-18), $149 (Youth, 6-12)
• 12 Day Pass: $399 (All Ages – Watch out for black out dates!)
• Mid-Week Pass: $519 (Adults)
• Prices good through September 30th.

HooDoo: Also in Central Oregon, HooDoo is a smaller resort and more affordable too!

• $349 (19-25), $299 (12-18)
• Family Prices: 1st Pass – $515, 2nd Pass – $395, 3rd Pass – $285, 4th Pass – $245, Additional Passes – $185 Each.

Southern Oregon

Mt. Ashland: Although Mt. Ashland is not the largest resort out there, it is a great option (and the only one) for those living in Southern Oregon.

• Unlimited Passes: Adults ($449,18-64), College Students ($350), Junior ($315, 13-17)
• Week Day Pass: Adults ($249), College Students ($249)
• Prices good through October 15th.

Washington

Crystal Mountain: Not only is Crystal the largest ski resort in the state of Washington, but with the purchase of the Gold Full Season Pass described below, you also get 10 free days at other Boyne resorts.

• Unlimited Season Pass: $799 (Adult, 18-69), $699 (Youth 11-17), $50 (Child, 0-10)
• Prices good through October 31st.

Mt. Baker: Located in Northern Washington Mt. Baker is 2 hours from Vancouver, B.C. and 2.5 hours from downtown Seattle.

• Unlimited Pass Prices (with tax): $680 (Adult 18-59), $600 (College), $485 (Youth, 16-17), $273 (Child, 7-12)
• Prices good through October 31st.

Are we missing any? Let us know what Mountain you call home and we will be sure to give our readers the skinny on it.  Look out for Andrea’s Resort Picks tomorrow as she outlines the lowest pass prices of the season in the state of California!

It is hard to believe that winter has already come and gone. The good news is that spring is hear and so is the Mt. Hood Meadows event of the season! That is right, the 3rd Annual Sno-Kona Pond Skimming Competition will be here April 25th (or the 26th depending on the weather!).This event is brought to you by Kona Brewing Co. and All About Hawaii Travel, which means, Hawaiian music, drinks, food and costumes! Costumes?

All participants will receive one attempt to cross the 80-90 foot pond successfully, those who do so will advance to the ‘skim-off,’ where if more than one contestant makes it to the other side during the ‘skim-off’ the winner will be based upon the following: best skim style, best Hawaiian costume, best showmanship, best Best crowd reaction. Second and third place winners will take home their very own longboard, a skimboard, two backpack coolers and two beach chairs.

Haven’t convinced you yet? Well leave it to the grand prize. The top three skimmers, the best splash, best impression made by a women contestant, and best Hawaiian costume will walk home with a prize, one of which is a round trip vacation for two to Hawai’i!

Registration is $25 and includes your comp fee and a Sno-Kona towel, so hurry up as space is limited to 100 participants! I will be there, costume and all. So let me know if you plan on attending the event by leaving a comment or shooting me an email, (westboundboarder@gmail.com) because I would love to have a ‘skim-off’ with YOU!

Well it’s Wednesday, and for those of you who don’t know, it’s time to talk snowboard camp. We warned you a few weeks ago that each Wicked Wednesday Andrea, Rochelle (our NEW contributing blogger!) and myself are going to be giving you all the dirt on upcoming snowboard camps. Last week Andrea told you all about HCSC and today it is all about Windells!

As a Windells alumni myself, I am here to tell you that this camp is legit. It is all included – from unlimited professional coaching and video review, a weeks worth of lift tickets, unlimited 2009 snow and skate demos, 3 square meals a day, all of your transportation & lodging, state of the art skate facilities - these guys will even pick you up at the airport!

On top of all of the aforementioned perks, there is more. This place is truly known for their quality terrain parks and dedicated coaches. The camp diggers work tirelessly to groom, sculpt, salt and perfect the snowboard park of your dreams, so you can really take your riding to the next level. With a low coach to camper ratio – you are assigned a coach that will work with you every step of the way, wherever it is on the hill that you want to focus your improvement.

Have we convinced you yet to get off your home hill and visit the nations only year round ski resort yet? (That’s right, Windells takes place at Timberline Lodge in Oregon, the USA’s only resort open all year long!!) Well, wait, there is more. On top of having state of the art terrain parks at your disposal and access to a plethora of coaches, you will have the opportunity to ride with the best snowboarders in the industry! Pros that we know you admire, such as Eddie Wall, Danny Kass, Todd Richards, Hannah Teeter and Kelly Clark frequently stop by camp to ride with you and show you how it is done!

Whether you ski, snowboard are young, old, boy or girl, man or woman, like spring, summer or winter riding, there is a Windells session that is just for YOU!! So take your riding to the next level and join those who for the past 21 years have made Windells the breeding ground for the best snowboarders around! (Oh! FYI, 92% of X-games medalists have attended Windells) That is right, the pros – before they were so – came from near and far to attend Windells and gain the skills and confidence in order to put themselves on the snowboarding map!

So check out the Windells home page, and get your butt to camp, because who is to say that you can’t lead the same path the pros have been blazing for the past 21 years?

Well, its Wednesday, and you know what that means… another Wicked Snow Camp Review!  In case you haven’t been following along, we’re profiling one of the top snowboard camps for females each Wednesday, every Wednesday, and this week we’re profiling High Cascade Snowboard Camp (HCSC).

Thought you couldn’t snowboard in the summer?  Think again.  Thanks to the glacier Timberline at Mt. Hood, Oregon sits on,  riders from around the world can enjoy the resort all year round.  And one of the most well-known camps in Oregon is back again this summer with the 20th Anniversary of their Signature Sessions.

High Cascade is “an all-inclusive 9-day summer snowboard camp determined to show you the best time of your life.”  What does that mean, exactly?  Well, at HCSC you’ll spend 9 consecutive days riding with some of the best pros in the industry, including Darrell Mathes, Tara Dakides (!!!), Jamie Anderson and JP Walker. (I’m pretty stoked about Tara Dakides coaching this summer.  Being the woman to basically up the anti for lady riders nationwide, if there’s one thing that would push me over the edge to attend HCSC it’d be her.)

You’ll spend the morning riding with your coaches and then have optional sessions in the afternoon, and later in the day (this is my absolute favorite thing about HCSC) – you’ll meet up with your coach for video training where they’ll analyze your riding from the day and give you tips on how to improve.  Back in the day when I used to compete, I found that video training was one of the best ways to see how you think you ride versus how you actually ride, and then tweak your style based on that.

Another really cool thing about HCSC is that the camp has optional sessions just for girls, coached by girls, so if you find it intimidating to ride with guys, you absolutely don’t have to.  Sometimes it can be helpful to have a female coach because they understand how women learn and how they need to be taught.  They also have adult camps (this year June June 15 – 23 and August 8 – 15) if you’re 21 and up and don’t want to hang with the kiddos all week.  ALSO (yes, there’s more) they have awesome photo and video workshops if you want to learn the creative art of photo storytelling or filmmaking straight from the pros.

HCSC has a ton of fun activities in store, including dodgeball, trampoline sessions, paintball and white water rafting (check out what a typical day might look like here), but of course the focus is on the riding.  I must admit, the camp is a little spendy, but its pretty much all inclusive so you get a lot of bang for your buck. (Heck, just a summer pass at Timberline can run you nearly a grand!)  And from what I hear, HCSC is one of the best snowboard camps to stretch your ability and really get you to the next level.

Fore more information about HCSC, visit the Web site, and check out the dates and pricing here!

As the Mt. Hood Fusion Series is well underway, it’s not too late to get your competition on! This weekend, Sunday February 22nd, Mt. Hood Skibowl is bringing you the ‘Speed Trap.’ One by one, competitors charge straight down the hill while they are clocked by the radar gun at multiple points throughout the course.

You get two tries to get it right and the top three fastest clocked speeds of each competitive category take home the prize. Entry is only $5. So what are you waiting for?

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