Home > Trip Reports > September 28, 2014, Timberline Palmer Snowfield

September 28, 2014, Timberline Palmer Snowfield

9/28/14
OR Mt Hood
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Posted by Hawthorne on 9/29/14 12:26am
4pm start in tennis shoes up Silcox Hut access road to base of Palmer, then skins up the canyon to Palmer midway and what's left of the snowfield.  TLine has been track packing the field, and the canyon from the Palmer base equipment park to midway was a soft mess, might have been better to stay in approach shoes on climbing trail.  Once onto the field, the skinning improved. 

Changed over just above the top shack in amazing evening light.  Snow field skied great despite the cat tracks.  The canyon...was just better than terrible. 

Pushed too far down what's left of Mile Canyon on pretty heavy till.  Skis are going to need a base grind to correct the base grind.  Walked down in fading twilight.

Couple other skiers, lots of hikers. 

Looks like TLine is trying to push snow around for a reopening, or to receive some precip this week.  Going to be tough.  No snow at Palmer base or midway stations ramps or approaches.  Bare ground between the top shack and upper bench.   

71 Months.  Cheers.     
Timberline is scheduled to reopen the lifts this Friday, Oct 3, on a Fri-Mon schedule until full snowfall.  Very common for oct skiing to require a short lateral hike from the snowfield to Palmer mid station. 

Was the dust scraped off of Palmer snowfield?  Any new snow?

Good info on the hiking vs skinning, I would've given the snow trench a try also, now if I go I'll just hike up to Palmer.

thanks for the beta...I just moved to Bend from Edmonds and am staking out doing the Palmer on Saturday, October 18th hoping there is some new snow by then. Fingers crossed!

~Lara

author=john green link=topic=32300.msg135532#msg135532 date=1412014791]
Timberline is scheduled to reopen the lifts this Friday, Oct 3, on a Fri-Mon schedule until full snowfall. 

Do you have any "insider" info from Timberline?  I'm planning to get a season pass anyways so I wonder if I should try to beg off of work for Friday.  Last fall they opened Palmer October 11th which was the 2nd Friday of October and then, if I remember correctly, it was Friday-Sunday for a few weeks.  I think there are lots of factors besides snow and weather that will affect when they open. 

Here's an indication that went up in early Sept--generally they don't overpromise to the coaches:

http://www.timberlinelodge.com/ski-area/summer-snow/

I called the front desk today (couldn't get the ski desk) and she read from an info sheet that confirmed it--Friday through Monday, lifts open to the public.

FWIW, I stupidly bought the midweek only pass so I could save a buck, and now I'm locked out of half the days, or else skinning.  I may cry and scream when I get my pass and see if they'll upgrade me for the diff.

Generally speaking, October conditions on the Palmer are a lot of clear ice and sulphur.  OP's trip report and the weather forcast tell me it will be okay at least.


I think lane reservations have more to do with opening than weather. That is a good sign on their web-page. 

Here's a few pics of the snowfield and looking up the canyon from Silcox. 

There's a fair amount of dust mixed into the upper layer.  Not really enough snow to "scrape" it off.  I think they're trying to till it in.

Couple clean areas that I assume were new snow, but nothing real impressive or soft.   


Yikes!

Hopefully they will cut lanes by Friday, which should "scrape" off the dust (hope hope).

Here's Mother N. doing her part, 32 degrees at the top of the Mile this morning:

http://www.nwac.us/weatherdata/timberlineupper/now/

Hawthorne--that snow strip coming down Mile looks pretty good--oops, that's lower Palmer?

Yep, lower Palmer, and might look nice, but was shin deep mashers. 

Here's a pic of Mile Canyon.


Timberline's web cam in the parking lot shows a dusting of snow over towards Meadows:

http://www.timberlinelodge.com/wp-content/themes/Jupiter-child/cams/brunotop.jpg?nocache=1412107754

And here's a picture of something completely white, not sure what:

http://www.timberlinelodge.com/wp-content/themes/Jupiter-child/cams/palmerbottom.jpg?nocache=1412107754

Photographic evidence would suggest:  It's On!!!

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september-28-2014-timberline-palmer-snowfield
Hawthorne
2014-09-29 07:26:04