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Willamette Pass, Oregon

For my brother's bachelor party we had toyed with the idea of heading to Whistler. This was a rather exciting thought, as I have yet to make my pilgrimage to the holy mecca of DH Radness. For one reason or another, the plan was scuttled, and we settled for the next best thing within a few hours drive, Willamette Pass. It was a last minute decision, as Mount Shasta and the Entertainer Trail was calling as well. We ended up with a small and manageable crew that worked out well, as the Gondolas fit two riders in each, and we could all squeeze into our buddy Merch's truck. This worked out well for us, as Merch had a radar detector and a lead foot.

the boys

We got an early start on the day arriving at the ski area at around 10am. We quickly geared up and got ourselves ready to ride. In the parking lot the boys eyed the hill next to the parking lot. It was pretty steep. My brother Izaak couldn't resist the calling a few of the boys hit it up.

So yeah, even the parking lot is pretty cool. Technically it was the overflow parking, as they were doing some kind of street racing in the main parking lot of the resort. Random.

I was surprised to find the lift ticket price was only $14.00. This seemed pretty reasonable. Considering that we ended up getting 8 runs in during the course of the day, we got our money's worth.

The Terrain

Like many ski areas, a lot of dust was kicked up in the wide open areas making visibility an issue. Goggles were key. Fortunately Jared had a few extra pairs in the truck and set me up. Breathing through your nose was a good idea as well, unless you enjoy dirt in your mouth. All things considered though, the trails were in good enough condition; if you were riding a full blown DH bike. I was loving it on my Demo 8.

All the runs were accessible via a gondola which made for a nice relaxing ride to the top of the mountain. With the second bench folded up, the gondolas seated two riders and their bikes comfortably. Unlike chair lifts, removing gear and eating snacks wasn't a problem.

The sport course had a descent riddled with braking bumps and ruts at the top. The loose soil was fun and challenging, and after a few warm up runs where I became familiar with my downhill bike again, I found that although the course was loose and rough, it was possible to keep it wide open and point it down the trail and through the turns. A minimal amount of rocks made for a lack of consequences and we took advantage of it, opening up the gas. After the fast rough-and-loose top section, the trail opened up into a freeway section for a quarter mile before heading into the trees and a fast single track littered with berms and rock and ladder drops.

The pro course had a lot more of the same, although it featured multiple rock lines at the top, and more rocks in general. It was all fun. Another trail of note was called "Dirty Sanchez." It featured the most technical line of the bunch. Think steep, rocks, and controlled chaos. More good stuff.

the view from the top: getting ready to drop in

Willamette Pass was definitely worth the 2.5-3 hour drive. If they added a mountain cross course or something similar to A-Line's Legendary Jump line, this place would cement itself as a destination in Oregon. For racer types and those that love to rally their DH bikes, consider adding to your list of spots to check out.

For more info and directions:

www.willamettepass.com/

DH and Super D (a real Super D, not like the excuses we see here) are held here as well. For more info on races:

www.obra.org

The Resort also features a popular Disc Golf Course.