ABOVE: Clearly Miles Fallon’s form steals the show here, but there is so much more to unpack. The long shadow line drawn under him from the midday sun, the squiggles splitting the rocks in the upper West Crater bowl, and the onlookers enjoying the fruits of a very dedicated stretch routine. But, back to Miles: I’m not sure what makes his style better, the perfection that is that handplant or hair flow that even Troy Polamalu would be jealous of.
Each summer, sunny season snowboarding on Mt. Hood, OR draws together riders from around the world. From Olympic teams to their aspiring predecessors, rail riders keeping their skills sharp on dull edges, and everyone else dedicated enough to keep shredding through July and into August.
This summer I spent countless days on Mt. Hood’s glaciers, camera in hand, capturing moments with snowboarders of all skill levels, catching up with old friends and forging bonds with new ones. Those relationships stick with me more than the jibs, spins, or massive airs I photographed. A sense of community feels like an understatement. After months of riding, eating, and laughing together, it becomes something else entirely. Something closer to family.
In the late spring and early summer, weather on Mt. Hood can be hit or miss. Generally, you can count on it to be bluebird and warm, rarely a bit of rain, and even more rarely you get the elusive partial inversion. When those days come around, I don’t miss them. Thanks to Jonas Hasler for hitting the perfect spot to line up a dive right into Trillium Lake pictured in the distance.
Have you ever had the problem of remembering someone’s dog, but not remembering the human’s name? Well, this was a classic example. I met Honey Bear’s family in the parking lot at Timberline and immediately had to make friends with the little furball. As one who is very partial to Aussie Shepards, I quickly won her over. That afternoon I saw Honey Bear at the bottom of the pro pipe with her owners. She had her own personal tent set up to protect her from the sun. Then came her favorite human, Cruz Rodriguez (whose name I had to track down later), coming down from a lap.
Those bonds, strengthened by long days atop slushy snow and under golden sunsets, will stay with me. From salmon rice ball lunches in the parking lot to gummy bears passed around on the knuckle of the pro jump, every small exchange carried more than the mere physical—each carried another reason to smile. It’s only September and I already can’t wait to do it all again next summer.
Until the lifts start spinning again--which won't be long--you can count on a few die-hard locals continuing to keep the flame alive, hiking to find their slice of fun until the snow starts falling in a couple months’ time.
If you’re familiar with the Summer Solstice Party on Mt. Hood, you might already have an idea in your head of hordes of people and large jumps. Rather than stick around for sun cups deeper than VW Bugs, Ian “Pinky” Smith and a small crew of friends ventured to another spot nearby. Pinky eyed this volcanic jib and nailed it. Thanks for always sending the sketchy stuff, Pinky!
Shortly before this picture was taken, my good friend Nainoa Holland yelled at me to “go say hi to my friend Jake Canter!” As I can barely ID any pros, I took him at his word and walked right up to Scotty James and said “Hey, are you Jake Canter? My friend over there says he knows you.” After some laughs, Scotty continued his walk up the pipe and proceeded to absolutely crush his training session. It’s always risky trying out new techniques, but I really like how this filter worked out on a few. I’m even more glad that it worked when a 7-time X Games Halfpipe Gold medalist flew by.
Summer at Timberline is all about good times. Sure, there are plenty of pros there training, but when they’re not learning new tricks, they still love to enjoy their favorite sport and session for fun. Toby Miller (in the air) and JJ Thomas did a few iterations of this tandem lap through the public pipe and each time it was jaw-dropping.
I had been trying to link up with Sean FitzSimons all day to get a couple of photos for Timberline, but like ships in the night, we kept missing each other. Finally, at the end of the day at the top of the pro park, we connected, and Sean sent two back-to-back front 3’s with timeless style. I would have loved to shoot more with him, but the landing was bumpier than a summer beaten washboard forest road.
I’m a big fan of being completely transparent with my photography. In the day and age of AI and Photoshop it’s hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t. That said, this is very much real. This image is comprised of two photos blended to create a focus stack. The first image was shot of the snow and snowboarder, Conor Carroll, in focus, the other image was taken seconds after of the moon in focus without moving my position. So, this is truly what it looked like to the naked eye… if your eye could zoom-in to 600mm.