This story, dear readers, is like many of the tales I’ve shared with you over the years, a story within a story—this one about off road vehicles (ORVs). In this case it started out as a love/hate thing. What removed the hate part was the provider of the tale, Wade Bryant, and the fact that […]
Outside
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Humble, but Hearty
Dirksen Derby continues to grow, but stays the same
When Josh Dirksen first started the Dirksen Derby, it wasn’t intended to be a world-class event; it really was just meant to be a low-key community gathering, something to raise some funds for Tyler Eklund, who sustained a spinal chord injury while snowboarding. But over the past eight years, the two-day event has boomed—attracting top […]
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Go Here 12/11-12/17
Dog Sledding
Given how much Bend loves both snow and dogs, it should come as no surprise that one does not have to travel to the great white north to experience the thrill of sled dog rides in person. Turns out you need only travel as far as Sunrise Lodge at the base of Mt. Bachelor to […]
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Killing Wildlife for Family Fun. . .
. . .is no fun at all.
When I was a kid, “growin’ up on the farm” in Connecticut, my uncles and I had a Thanksgiving tradition of going waterfowl hunting early that morning. When we had our limit in Black Ducks—the East Coast equivalent of our Mallards— we’d return home mid-afternoon, clean our ducks and prepare them for my grandmother and […]
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Snow is in His Blood
Local company expands into snowmobile gear
Last year was a miserly winter, with poor snow pack on the West Coast and brutally low temperatures in the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard—and those conditions dramatically crimped both the Nordic and downhill ski industries, with major dropoffs in nearly every measurable indicator of those sports. Yet, at the very same time, another snow sport […]
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Go Here 12/4-12/10
Avalanche Preparedness
Last week, many of us gave thanks for the privilege of living in our own little Narnia, but as we step from the dinner table through the wardrobe, it’s important to remember with great gifts come great responsibilities. That is, Central Oregon is avalanche country and the risk of getting caught in one is very […]
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Go Here 11/27-12/3
Oh, Christmas Tree!
If the thought of spending the day after Thanksgiving shopping among the frenzied, pie-fed, bargain-seeking masses makes you punchy, consider another option. Trade black for green and spend the day grabbing your Christmas tree. A remarkably unscientific survey reveals nine out of 10 local outdoorsy types recommend heading past Sisters, parking where McKenzie Pass is […]
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Connecting the Dots
A second hut-to-hut system opens this winter
Although backcountry skiing is a common enough activity in Central Oregon, until Shane Fox and a couple of his buddies—”ski bums who build stuff,” he explains—started Three Sisters Backcountry, the idea of more formalized and semi-permanent structures in the backcountry was a novel concept here. Moreover, even though dozens of skiers have trekked out into […]
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Don’t Call It A Comeback
After a lousy snow year, Hoodoo looks forward
Last year was a tough one for skiers—and even worse for ski resorts that simply don’t have the luxury of chasing snow. (Um, duh, they are mountains and sort of rooted where they are.). Hoodoo, one of Oregon’s first ski resorts, was hit as hard as anyone. But, Hoodoo Ski Area has a history of […]
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Go Here 11/19-11/26
Ice Skating Season Opens
The cold weather may mean icy roads, but it also means that ice skating rinks have opened around the region. And there are plenty of options whether you plan to Apolo Ohno the skating rink (i.e. speed laps) or Kristi Yamaguchi (i.e. triple Salchow). Nope, not yet the bond-sponsored Bend Park and Rec ice rink […]