I am just about to begin my fifth year as a pro patroller at Willamette Pass Ski Area. Last year was extra fun because, in addition to the regular great crew, I hired my good buddy and climbing partner Craig as a part-time patroller. Although he spent alot of his winter training, we still got to spend two days a week together working and skiing.
We had another strange winter here at Willamette Pass Ski Area for the 1999 - 2000 season. About 90% of our snow fell in one week in early Frebruary. Eleven feet is a lot of snow to get in such a short time. Some nights, I could barely find my car in the parking lot. The rest of the season, the weather was warm and wet with little quality snow. Maybe we were just spoiled from the previous year being such a powder buffet, but it sure seemed like we were always waiting for that cold storm to come along and remind us why we do this job.
