firsT turnS

My first turns of the season were on a mountain I had never visited before on a glorious fall morning.  It was the Sunday before Halloween and I was itching to get back on the mountain for my second season of shredding.  After doing a little research I discovered that Timberline on Mt. Hood in Oregon was one of 3 mountains that were already open for the snowboarding season.  The stoke was HIGH…

It was a cool foggy morning in Bellevue, WA as I started my day.  I had woken up at 4:30 am, completed my morning ritual, and was in the car, coffee in hand by 5:00am (I packed and showered the night before).   Eager with excitement, I shaved about 30 mins off a 4 hour google maps estimated drive time with some assertive driving thanks to WAZE.

Once I got to the mountain, I geared up, got my lift ticket for $56 and headed to the chair. The lifts were opened promptly at 9:00 am althougha few hikers were already well up the mountain.  I wasn’t first chair, but I was in a chair nobody had sat in for the day and I was pretty proud of myself for that.

As I sat there rising above the clouds, taking in the beauty of the PNW cascades, theearly morning drive was immediately validated with the serenity one can only find in the arms of Mother Nature.  Breathe… As I stared up about 2,000 vertical feet to the top of the run, my stomach turned slightly as I was nervous as to whether or not everything I had learned last season would translate into immediate shred mastery on my first turn.  The mountain was intimidating me, while the fall air filled my everybreath.  On the second lift,  I sat and watched the first snowboarders come down the main face and into the canyon chutes, my nerves calmed and the excitement of tearing up the mountain started to take hold.

As I got off the Palmer lift at the top of the mountain, I realized I had strapped in the wrong foot. I ride goofy and had strapped in my rear (left) foot.  Rookie move, Jim… rookie move.  Thankfully no one seemed to notice my blunder or general awkwardness. As I positioned myself at the edge of the drop,  I strapped in while a class of young skiers stretched at the top of the face. I thought, let me drop in first incase I slip and accidentally mow over one of these pre-teens…

I dropped in for the first time of the season and within seconds my jello knees gave out as I glided over the freshly groomed piste only to fall over before even making my first turn… what a rookie, I thought. Meh… you got this.  I quickly pushed off the ground and regained my balance.  As I floated on my heal side and engaged the edge to make my first turn at speed, I stared down the 1000 foot face and then…blank… I got lost in the moment. When the mind shuts off while body and mountain become one in a rhythmic dance on a moving dance floor.  Moments become timeless as it all came rushing back to me.  The thrill of taking wide turns at speed and feeling the force transfer through the board up through my legs and into my center…yessir!  HE’s back, and He’s stillll got it…

After a dozen or so runs, I felt a slight tweak in my ankle going over an exposed rock down the narrow canyon chute. Satisfied with my performance overall, I decided to call it and headed to the lodge for a celebratory beer on the deck in the fall sun.

I left the mountain shortly after 1:00 pm, fully satisfied and looking forward to a scenic

drive home on a picturesque fall day.  I opted for a longer route home to pass through Pine Grove to see the vineyards in fall.  If you’ve never experienced Autumn in the vineyards, put it on your bucket list.  After a stop in Hood River at Double Mountain Brewery for some excellent brick oven pizza and a good IPA at River City Saloon, I hopped on i84 West along the Columbia River.

Day 1 was a success. As I sat back in my car with the windows down and a cool fall breeze wafting through the car, I was reminded of the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. There’s nothing quite like it…