Mar 6, 2011, - Nash Crater near Santiam Pass

A recent neck re-injury gave me an opportunity to grab my snowshoes and scout out a hill I've had my eye one for a few years: Nash Crater near Santiam Junction, Oregon.  Nash Crater is that smallish nearly perfectly conical mountain that seems to sit alone just south of the ODOT station at Santiam Junction.  I wanted to see first hand if it was suitable for skiing.  Access is good and it appeared steep enough for my tastes.

I went into full scientist mode to examine it so here's the data.

Park: Little Nash Snow Park on Hiway 126
Conflict potentials: CC skiers and snowmobiles use the trails, no snowmobiles seen or heard, snowmobile trails seemed lightly used
Elev top: 4800
Elev bottom: 3900
Hike to bottom: ~1 mile
Hike up: < 1/2 mile
Slope angles degrees: (bottom/mid/top) 25/27/30 west side, 33/35/30 NE side

The NE slope is thinned top to bottom which makes a nicely shaded and protected slope steep enough to pound out 900 vert ft of turns.  There's not much variety as it's all tree skiing on all aspects.  If avalanching is a risk, you have your choice of slopes.  It appeared all non-thinned slopes had a consistent mature tree density with plenty of space between them.  I'd ski the whole mountain but I think that NE slope is the tastiest.

I was there the weekend after the big dump so everything was covered well.  I would imagine this place will melt out fast in a few weeks.

The secret crater near the top is pretty cool.  From the top you get a great view of Three Fingered Jack's west side.  The second picture is a view of the NE slope from the top looking down to the flats below.  It turns out two others were out scouting too.