Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Tam Mac Pleasant Splitty Surprise

A storm rolled through Central Oregon late last week and did an awesome job of re-freshing the local snowpack.  We rallied for a trip to TamMac and were slightly unsure what the road conditions to the area were going to be like.
There is a 6 mile approach via sled and the big unknown was whether or not there was enough snow on that road to make the approach bearable.
Upon entering the sno park, our fears were alleviated as there was snow in the parking lot and we could not even see the asphalt.  The approach in was going to be a big thumbs up.

The skies were crystal clear on the way in and we were anxious to see what the snow conditions were like closer to the magic spot.  After about 15 minutes, we got to our destination and readied for a day in the backcountry.   Pretty soon, we were in skin mode and touring up the mountains and giggling and just how good the weather and the snow pack seemed to be.  CHA CHING!!!

We had a banner day - the snowpack was not super deep, but the recent snow was awesome - especially in the trees where the wind did not disturb it as much.  With the storm, high winds moved some snow around along ridges so we stayed away from wind loaded areas.  We also navigated some icy spots in search for the sweet white nectar.

It sort of felt like we were in our own little paradise and no one else was in on it.  It was an amazing day with some great turns to boot!  It was so clear that we could see all the way up to Mt Hood and Mt Adams.













Monday, March 2, 2015

Central Oregon early riding

We had a small window here in the high desert where the trails were riding well depending on what time of day you went.  The area has not received a lot of snow this year and as a result some trails are accessible thanks to the lack of snow.  The trick is finding a window where the ground is still frozen and has not turned into muck yet.
I was able to sneak a few rides in when the temps were still cold and the ground was frozen.  The ground was super tacky and the riding was phenomenal.  Unfortunately, it has warmed up a little and the trails are no back to going through freeze/thaw cycles which means they turn into a mess as soon as it warms up during the day...
It is all a bit of a moot point at the moment considering we got recent snow but it was fun while it lasted and we will mostly likely have access within a few weeks.
Until then, some pix of the last joy ride -