I had an amazing solo adventure up Tumalo Mountain last night. The sunrise and first track pow turns this morning were unreal. Full of happiness and gratitude.
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The mountains have a unique power to enlighten a man. They can make a sad man happy, angry one kind and teach the simple concept of gratitude. I am so grateful for the storm that rolled through our suffering mountains this past weekend. Pray for snow! All photos were taken in the Three Sisters Wilderness near Moraine Lake at South Sister. The backcountry skiing opportunities there are endless. It is humbling to finally ski a zone I have been eyeing since the age of 12 when my father and I first summit this Central Oregon volcano. I am very grateful to have been hooked up by mother nature this December. Thank you for all the freshies and days like this with my girlfriend Nicole :) Cheers to 2014!
It was a Mt Hood cement powder day. After years of shredding at Mt Hood Meadows I just became used to this type of snow. A powder day was a powder day. My friend and I were stoked. At the time neither of us could drive, so we resorted to using the ol thumb and hitch trick. We got a ride to the resort, clicked into our skis, rode up Mt Hood Express and enjoyed a few runs. It was only our third or fourth run of the day. I was traversing across Show Off under Mt Hood Express to access a fun tree zone that few people journey to, and with reason. You have to cross a snow covered stream in order to access the zone. I had skied this area many times before, but never experienced what I was about to. I made it safely to the other side of the stream, unlike most times I stopped. Maybe this was instinct! Maybe not! I looked around and my friend Sean was no where to be seen. Out of the corner of my eye I saw two ski bases sticking out of the snow. The worst had happened. Sean fell head first into a five foot deep snow sinkhole and his mouth was inches from the stream. This meant he was trapped! His only hope was me. I paused for a few moments in disbelief. Did this really just happen? Luckily we were a short 50 yards from the chairlift and main run. Unluckily my screams for help meant that only maybe someone on the chair would hear me, inform ski patrol at the top and they would be at the scene 20 minutes later. Sean would have passed out by this time. I had no choice but to go into rescue mode. I crawled over to where Sean had fallen with my skis under my body to decrease the chance of me falling into the creek (which was rushing under six feet of heavy snow). I started digging with my hands. A shovel would have been great, but I did not have that luxury. Within five or ten minutes I had reached his thighs. The snow had literally packed in around him like cement. I could tell he was panicking. I continued to yell… “Sean I am going to save you. Calm down. Everything is going to be alright.” I do not know if my words calmed him down or his extreme lack of oxygen intake. A few minutes later I reached one of his arms. He began beating the snow with his arm in the area that his airway was. I began digging a small hole directly toward his mouth. I reached his airway and he gasped for air. At this point the only part of his face that was exposed was his mouth. For the first time in ten minutes I felt a cloud of relief. I was not going to lose a friend in my arms that day. The hole that I had dug was shaped like a funnel and that meant snow was going to cave in over his airway again. I informed him of what we were going to do next and that his mouth might get covered in snow. Sure enough it did, but we were making some serious progress in getting him back to safety. I continued to dig more snow out from around his shoulders. A few more minutes passed before I had his airway cleared again. Another gasp! This time I had more than a little air hole for him. His whole face was exposed. For the first time since the episode happened I could see his goggles, which had been stuffed with snow. He could still not see anything. Again I reassured him I am definitely getting you out of here Sean. Just breathe for a moment! It took a few more minutes to get enough snow dug out around his shoulders so I could bear hug him out of the hole. Had he been unconscious there is no way I would have successfully pulled him right side up and out of this five or six foot hole he got himself into. It took a few more minutes of pulling and digging to get him out. This was truly one of the hardest parts of the whole process. Finally he was coming out from the cement that had formed around his body. And, pop! He was out of the hole! We both sat exhausted, panting for a few moments before reflecting on the experience that we had both just gone through. Sean shared with me that there were multiple times in which he almost passed out during this process. I am grateful that was not the case. Had he passed out I do not think there would have been hope. I would have lost a lot of willpower in getting him out and it would have taken a lot more energy on my part to finally get him out of the hole. He also said that during the entirety of his stay down under the snow he could hear the creek rushing inches from his head. This was the scariest feeling he said. I literally felt like any moment my head could become submerged in the stream and I would drown. I told Sean how exhausted I was and how much energy it took to get him out. I was literally digging with my hands and skis for twenty minutes to break his body free from the concrete like snow that had formed around his body. After fifteen minutes of gathering our thoughts and breath we both decided that today was not a day to continue skiing. It was time to go home, rest and be grateful for life. That day I learned some pretty heart warming things about life that I have never really shared with anyone. Saving Someone's Life Will Change Yours Forever: My life has not been the same since this experience. I have become a more caring individual and truly feel grateful to have been there to save my friends life. Life is Fragile: No matter what we may have learned as kids watching TV shows. We not Superman and we are not invisible. Things Do Change Without a Moments Notice: Expect the unexpected. It might just happen. There is no feeling you will ever get that will compare to that of saving someones life. I did not write this with the intention of making you scared to ski in deep powder or take risks. In fact I hope you continue to live your life to the fullest and enjoy every moment. Do what you love, take risks, ski fast in the trees, mountain bike down trails at 40mph. Love the life you live. Summit as friends! Scott When most people were driving down the mountain I was headed up. Maybe this story will explain why my crowd of friends have always been a little bit crazy, rebellious, trouble making, rule breaking bad asses. At 4 o'clock PM I headed toward the Tumalo Mountain Trailhead. My gear was packed and mind was ready for a new adventure. I would be sleeping on top of Tumalo Mountain in Central Oregon, at 8000 feet with no shelter. I camped in the back bowl last year while filming a backcountry ski video with REI, but never on the summit during early spring. I started skinning up Tumalo around 5 o’clock at which time the trail was still slushy from a warm afternoon. I took the hike one slow step at time. My body was still a bit fatigued from a ten mile trail run only hours prior. Over the course of the last 500 feet the wind started to really pick up. On the summit I would meet a consistent breeze of 20 MPH. This was enough for me to know that without a wind block I would have a miserable night. I got to work! On the summit I found a place to build my shelter that would provide me with a view of the mountains and sunset from my sleeping bag. (see photos below) I built a wall that would protect my body from the wind, which was becoming more fierce. After the wall was complete I crawled into the protection of my sleeping bag. Aww! What a beautiful view and amazing place to relax. I thought! I enjoyed a pre-made dinner, read some pages from my book “The Passion Test” and the sun began to set. As the sun set on the snow capped mountain tops my mind drifted into a meditative state. I was reflecting on life in general. It is really incredible to see how much my relationships, happiness health, physical fitness and passion has changed over the last year. I asked myself some deep and rather personal questions on the mountain top that evening. And, today I think I found the answers. It is amazing what you can find if you just look inside yourself. Calm your mind, listen and stop looking around. The answers will come. I spent the night sleeping under a star filled sky with moon lit mountains in the back drop. Each time I awoke the mountains were there. Peacefully sitting still in the vast wilderness. The wind never died down during the night and I wrestled with getting good sleep, but one poor night of sleep was worth the experience. It is amazing where our feet can take us with a little willingness to do things outside of what others would perceive as a normal adventure. My friends and I have always been those swho seek an extraordinary adventure that creates stories of amazement. That will never change! Now, I am off for another ten mile trail run in Shevlin Park. Let this wonderful adventure of life continue.......... Summit as friends! Scott Powder skiing for breakfast……. What the heck is that you may ask? I did not literally have powder snow for breakfast, but while most people in America were sitting at the breakfast table I was busy hiking up the Cinder Cone at Mt Bachelor with my skis. My co workers / friends Garrett, Ernie and Rex joined me for a little sunrise powder skiing today. We woke up at 530am, drove the 30 whopping minutes up the ski resort and hiked to the powder stashes before the lifts were open. Sure. I was really tired and had to push through the challenging voices in my head telling me to sleep in. Well my bed will be here when I get home after work tonight. I told myself! I made my breakfast smoothie, packed up my rig and drove into the darkness. When we arrived at the resort the sun had still not peaked over the horizon, but we could see a clear silhouette of the mountains in the backdrop. The sunrise is going to be beautiful this morning. Rex said! We enjoyed a smooth 45 minute skin to the top of the Cinder Cone. During the hike I was reminded of why I woke up so early. I LOVE THE MOUNTAINS! The mountains are peaceful, crisp and bring a sense of serenity to my life that I find no where else in this vast world. It is really amazing to get the opportunity to experience a sunrise with the kind of view we get in the Central Oregon Cascades. Nothing short from marvelous. I really did get an overwhelming sense of gratitude today upon realizing how amazing this places is. As we hiked higher the sun began to peak out over the city of Bend, OR and the Sisters Wilderness was painted in a pink sunrise glow that words cannot describe (see photo below). My mind began to drift into envisioning the smooth blower powder turns the next hour would bring to my life. After taking in the cold, crisp early moments of the day we collected our gear and prepared for an awesome decent. The moments that followed were filled with hoots, hollers, smiles and some of the best powder turns I have ever had before 730 in the morning. We even took a few photos of powder skiing during this sunrise. We hiked the Cone two more times this morning and each one got better. The sun continued to rise and so did our spirits. Each turn I felt like my mind was nowhere except present, which is really where it should be during all moments of life. There was really no best run today. They were all amazing and we had created the perfect atmosphere for a great time. Friends, cold blower powder and one beautiful sunrise. We shared some words of positivity and laughter during a regroup at the parking lot, hopped into the car and made it to the office by 900am. Just in time for Pancake Tuesday at G5. :) Today, I was reminded of what skiing really means to me. It is more than just a sport. It is a way of life, a passion and something I simply can't not do. Skiing has brought more to my life than I ever imagined at the age of 5. I have enjoyed some of the most amazing moments with my family, built new friendships, experienced some of the most amazing sensations and come to find a place of zen. Skiing has been woven into my soul like another line of DNA. Skiing happens to take place in one of the most beautiful arenas in the world. The mountains! I have learned a lot in the mountains and come to truly respect them. They have taught me the value of nature, family, friendships, spirituality, physical and mental strength. The mountains are a place of complete peace, freedom filled with crisp air and endless opportunity. Skiing brings me to places that instill a feeling of peaceful freedom. Without it my life would not be in such simple balance. A balanced life is seemingly a challenge for us all. We race from job to job, task to task and often forget that slowing down is a key to the success of keeping the scales balanced. I am looking forward to another amazing season of backcountry skiing in Oregon with my good friends. We will surely create some amazing stories, videos and photos that will open others minds to the sheer beauty that we are so blessed with in nature. There is truly no feeling like skiing down a mountain. Summit as Friends! Scott |
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