Words/Photos: Rian Rhoe

Ah… sunny slushy spring days. The Pacific Northwest has had so much snow this season that most of us have been riding powder all winter long. Spring conditions last through the summer and mega fun park conditions are on the horizon.

Sunday we rolled up to Timberline with Bonfire riders Jarad Hadi and Bev Vuilleumier, for some slushy summer runs. The parking lot was mostly full of Oregon locals, trying to use the final days of their $99 spring passes. The kids from Exit were parked next to the van from Betty Rides and we parked the Subaru next to our friends from Airblaster.

Bev was visiting from Tahoe and couldn’t believe that there is still 174 inches at the base lodge. Jarad Hadi grew up riding hood, and even he’s amazed by how much snow there is.

We went straight for the Magic Mile chairlift and scouted the mounds of snow that will soon be the public halfpipe and park jumps of summer. It’s hard to explain why ollying boulders of snow is so fun. We passed a group of three dudes taking their first runs ever on snowboards and tried to cheer them on, but they just caught edge after edge, and fell most of the way down the hill.

We kept things hectic with high speed ollies and scouted out all kinds of unexpected car-sized gaps that have been created by tree wells melting.

After a few mellow runs we realized that the spring park was still open. Just off the Stormin’ Normin chairlift they have two medium sized jumps followed by a hip, some rollers and a few rails. The real star of the park though was a feature that at one time must have been a quarter pipe. It was kind of amazing. The snow melt and riders’ tracks created endless possibilities. Bev and Jarad were both doing sick stalls to fakie, while other kids we’re riding it like a high corner in a banked slalom. I should have taken a picture. I blew it on that one.

From there, the run just got more fun with mini tree jibs and a snake run through the trees. Wherever you are in the world right now, empty your piggy bank and try to make it up to hood this summer. It’s going to be all-time. We’ll see you there.