Northwest Recreation

Bluewood, located just outside of Walla Walla, WA offers its guests premier mountain views and terrain with only a short drive, quite unlike the passes in the northwest like Steven’s Pass, White Pass, etc.  Of course, a shorter drive means no getting up at the crack of dawn to head up, and that means more energy for you as you take to the runs.  Here are some stats on the mountain as taken from their website:

Overall, the mountain is very easy to navigate and a pleasure to ski or board.  They have some of the best tree skiing and boarding around, but beware: snow can be icy in the trees, and I had a problem with my board trying to keep from crashing into things.  Go after a fresh snow for the best powder and run conditions, but expect groomed runs pretty much anytime.  See you out there!

 Bluewood’s Website

As promised, a review of White Pass, WA, is due!  Although this is short, a few quick facts about the ski area, conditions, and times to go will be listed.  Stay tuned for more reviews and other awesome ski areas to go to!

WHITE PASS, WA

Location: White Pass, WA
Elevation: Bottom=4500′/Summit=6000″
Ski Runs: 32
Special Features:  Excellent terrain and tree skiing.
Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5

Conditions:  Can be extremely foggy with visibility reduced to <100 feet at times.  Views are spectacular when sunny.  Check prior to going for conditions at their website.  Trails are usually groomed or powder, offering excellent skiing and snowboarding conditions the majority of the time.  Crowds are thin on weekdays, even during most holiday times, but lift lines can become extremely long on weekends.

The Story:
Leaving early in the morning, we arrived at White Pass at 8:35 am.  Crowds were thin and tickets were purchased quickly.  Ten minutes later the lifts open and no lines were present.  Powder was excellent and covered most runs, although snow was sparse in some areas due to the recent opening of the ski area.  Most terrain was open and the runs were either groomed or powder.

The best part about White Pass is the superb terrain.  The trees along most runs offer you some of the best challenges you can tackle, and my favorite activity is boarding quickly through the trees in a fast paced, adrenaline pumping sport bordering on survival.  Jumps are present on the most runs as well, offering excellent opportunities to work on your freestyle and aerials.

If you plan to go, expect fair weather only 50% of the time, but skiable conditions 90% of the time.  White Pass is a smaller ski area, but offers far superior terrain and conditions present at larger resorts.  Happy skiing and boarding!

Winter is here and it is time to start thinking about season passes to ski resorts.  Although not all resorts have good sales regularly, many will be having Christmas deals, making the possibility of skiing both cheaper for you and giving the chance to give a pass as a gift to a family member or friend.

When purchasing a pass, try to calculate how many times you are really going to use it over the winter season.  At some ski resorts, a lift ticket is $55 and a season pass is $650.  If you don’t ski around 15 times, you won’t even make it close to bringing it below the lift ticket price, so unless you like to pay all at once, it isn’t worth it.

Also remember that location is key.  If you buy a lift ticket there, you are going to be skiing or snowboarding there a lot, so keep that in mind.  If you do decide to get a season pass and use it regularly, you can stand at the bottom of the run at the end of the season knowing you did well in making your purchase!

It’s official!  Official ski resort coverage for this year will include the following ski resorts in the pacific northwest.  The list may be added to as time goes on, but for now, this is the base resorts list that will be visited this year and reviewed on Nwrecreation.today.com:

• White Pass, WA:  A place of phenomenal terrain, this is one of the editor’s  favorite places to hit the slopes on either a snowboard or skis.  Endless skiable terrain within thinly treed slopes makes this a keeper if you like challenging terrain.
• Ski Bluewood:  A small resort outside of Walla Walla, WA, Bluewood offers tri-city folks a close place to ski at.  As the editor’s first time going, expect a fair and balanced review on this resort.
• Anthony Lakes, Oregon: As the highest base elevation in Oregon, Anthony Lakes promises to offer fantastic views or terrain.  Again, as the editor’s first time up, a fair review will be given.

Also expect to see plenty of high quality pictures of both ski resorts!

Snowboarding and skiing enthusiasts, the fluffy white goodness is on its way, and I am excited about this winter and about a new season of boarding.  As winter approaches and you have already gone over your gear checklist, it’s time to grab a checklist of all the stuff you need to do before heading up to the slopes.  Here is a small list to help you get started:

• Get chains or snow tires for you car
• Make sure your leashes and snow brakes work good
• Check your winter clothes
• Get appropriate first-aid kit and survival kit in your car
• Check around with ski resorts to see what the expected season will be like this year
• Make objectives list (if you’re that type of person)

Remember, winter is on its way folks, so get ready for some awesome winter fun!  See you all out there!

October first marks the 1 1/2 month period before the lifts possibly open.  As such, it is only fair to list what is the tentative schedule for ski resorts and ski areas that will be covered this year.  Although not an extensive list, and bearing the chance to get smaller, it is still a tentative list to look at for possible areas covered.  Granted, dates are unknown at this point, but will be posted as soon as schedules and opportunities allow.  The following ski areas are being considered for inclusion in the “Runs for Life” Ski and Snowboard category:

• Ski Bluewood:  A small ski area outside of Walla Walla, WA
• Crystal Mountain, WA:  A Boyne resort and ski area offering some of the largest territory in the N.W.
• White Pass, WA:  A terrain laden resort featuring some of the sweetest rides in the region!

Stay tuned for more info and reviews in the coming months!

As a hardcore winter sports enthusiast, I enjoy dry hands and warm fingers when out skiing and snowboarding.  That’s especially true when it’s 9 degrees out, snowing, and I’m having a bad day trying to take on the rough terrain on the upper mountain.  In other words, I am eating a lot of powder!  When I finally took off my old pair of gloves and went shopping for new ones, I ended up getting the Columbia Blackjack II gloves.  They are extremely warm, fairly water resistant, and comfortable.  Although technically ski gloves, they work well when doubling as a snowboarding gloves, too.  I have used them sledding, skiing, snow shoveling, and snowboarding for the last five years with excellent results and superior resilience.  If you need a good pair of gloves and want something for under $100, these are a pair you will definitely want to consider.

For those who have not skied before–you’re missing out.  As a snowboarder and skier, I enjoy the benefits both sports have to offer, each with their own unique traits, but there are a few things unique to skiing.

For starters, you have two devices attached to your feet, not one.  That’s somewhat daunting for those who have never tried it before, but it is actually very similar to rollerblading or in-line skating.  The balance and steering remain slightly different, but just the same, the feeling is close between the two sports.  The feeling of flying forward is almost inherent at certain speeds, and the skill it takes to master skiing well keeps many going.  Although many find boarding to be more fun, the mastery of skiing enjoys more rewards than boarding does.  Not many skiers can take on double black diamond runs and ski them well.  Hence, the terrain and low levels of crowds on more challenging runs make the results well worth the task of learning the sport.

Without making a huge generalization, skiing also offers most people plenty of adrenaline and challenge.  For most, it takes several years to master the sport well.  If you are looking for a fun sport with plenty of challenge, skiing is something you should try!