Bloated Skiing: May 2007

May 29 - June 2, Panorama, Lake Louise, Banff

The Canadian Rockies is a place I need to ski! My parents were ready to see Lake Louise and invited Francine and I to accompany them on their trip. Thinking of all the Mt. Biking possibilities we loaded up the bikes and headed to Panorama to begin the loop. Then it was up to Lake Louise to watch as the ice receded from the lake surface in amazing warm weather. The scenery is incredible and even though I have skied the ski area I am dying to come back and ski some of the beautiful backcountry ski lines! Truly an inspiring area.

May 22, Anvil Rock - Muir Snowfield

I hadn't made it to Paradise since the floods last fall shut down the park, and with the weatherman predicting only one clear day this week, I decided to convince Greg that he needed to get out of the house and drive me to Paradise 5,400'. We discussed destination options, decided the Nisqually chutes were getting too much sun, didn't really need to visit camp Muir again, how about Anvil Rock 9,500' with a little foray onto the Paradise glacier to jump a crevasse?

May 19, Teanaway Area with Bob

It was Bob's annual camp-out on the Teanaway river. Francine has made it the past few years, but it has been awhile since I have been able to attend. We were scheduled for Friday-Saturday, but Friday was gorgeous and I had some new motorcycle tires for Francine's bike. So at least we made it for one of Bob's rides. We left our house in the rain and drove down to perfect riding in the Teanaway. Our group started out at about 25 people from BBTC, then splintered in half for a longer/shorter ride. All in all, nice to see old friends and meet a few new ones.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=300296

http://bbtc.org/

May 8 - 10, Hood River Mountain Biking

Hood River was the destination for the second week of May. Always a favorite for the variety of excellent trails and the great town. Tired of camping, and thinking it was a little cold, we rented a small house just blocks from downtown. We used the rationalization that we could save money by cooking at the house. Unfortunately, Hood River has a great selection of restaurants and we ended up eating out for all three nights. Brian's Pourhouse, for a burger and fish tacos, sweet, HorseFeathers for $1.00 appetizers, and finally 3 Rivers Grill. Actually didn't like the food at 3 Rivers Grill, but they have a great deck. We were able to eat outside all week, since the temps were near 80 degrees. The riding was perfect; day 1 - Whoopee trail, day 2 -Post Canyon, and day 3 -Hospital Hill with a descent on triple bypass.

Francine in the trees on Whoopdee trail

Mt. Adams in the distance

Triple Bypass was good and narrow

May 5-6, Mt. Baker - Coleman/Deming - Close?

It is springtime in the Northwest, and for backcountry skiers, that means it is time to start skiing the volcanos. Knowing that Paradise would be a zoo on opening day, and wanting to minimize drive time, we decide on Mt. Baker via the Coleman and Deming glacier route. Unfortunately due to high winds and bad visibility, we called it a day at 9,100 feet. 1,600 feet shy of the summit. We still got some good turns in, and I even got a good sunburn.

Frank and Greg traverse to base camp at 7,100 feet.