Like Jim said, we drove up to Mt. Hood yesterday morning to play in the snow, and to give me my initiation into telemark skiing. Telemark is a style of skiing that utilizes a free heel binding system with a more flexible boot. Just as in cross-country skiing, only your toe is attached. But telemark skis are designed very much like downhill alpine skis. Because of the free heel, telemark skiing requires a telemark position for going downhill, which is basically a deep lunge. So lunging, back and forth down the mountain...sounds like fun, right? It's hard work! But, the benefit is, you can "tour" on telemark skis, just like on XC skis. By affixing climbing skins (think of them as one-way nylon carpet), you can actually ski UPHILL. Since we like to get outside so much, and lift tickets are expensive, telemarking is a great way to enjoy the sport. This really gives a new versatility to something that I absolutely love.

Here I am putting on my skins at the car. Yes, they are a very awesome purple. The skin-manufacturers put a glue on the skin that adheres the skin to the bottom of the ski, but still allows it to come off very easily when you want it to (at the top of the hill). There's a loop in the front, and a clip in the back which keep them in place all the way up.



Climbing up at the Timberline Lodge resort before the sunrise. We left town at 5 and were climbing at 7, so with the exception of a few climbers, we had the place to ourselves.

Looking up toward the summit of Mt. Hood.



Taking a picture of Jim...taking a picture of me.

We passed Silcox Hut and the top of the Magic Mile, and continued climbing above the groomed runs toward the top of the Palmer Chair for a while. But the snow got a bit too windblown and icy for my first time on tele gear, so we turned around and I (not-so-gracefully) made my way back down to the groomers. Jim looked good, but unfortunately...there's no video proof. Once we got to the groomers, I was getting more comfortable with the telemark position (my only practice had been in the living room at home), but sad to say, my quads were burnt! So it just got uglier and uglier. Jim caught a few of my turns on video. Nothing too pretty, but I was just glad I didn't get a facefull of snow or knock my teeth out on the tips of my skis.

If nothing else...enjoy the view of the mountain.