Much like the perception of a motorcycle gang, for snowmobilers, there is the view from the outside looking in—usually snowshoers and Nordic skiers considering the noisy machines and their riders with some sort of combination of fear, awe and derision. And then there is the vantage point from within the group—most often a kinder, gentler, […]
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Fat Bikes vs. Nordic Skis
With trouble brewing between two Central Oregon user groups, a few leaders went in search of a solution
Last January, David Marchi loaded up his aluminum Fatback-brand fat bike and headed to Virginia Meissner Sno-Park with his three-year-old son. It was a sunny, but cold day and the snow was bulletproof. With a ski trailer attached to his snow-ready mountain bike, Marchi was hoping for some wintry father-son bonding time. Marchi, the mustachioed […]
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Go East, Young Bendite
The snow may be scarce, but trails east of town are prime
Snow scarcity: Global warming or just a weather trend? Either way, the severe lack of snow—we’re inching further toward record lows—has shut down traditional winter. But, if Mother Nature won’t give us white stuff, she’s kindly offering the next best thing—warm days, clear skies and cold nights. The desert trails have rarely been more inviting. […]
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Here come the mooses!
Wildlife in your Big Bend Backyard
It had to happen. If the wolves hadn’t chased the moose from Washington and Idaho into Oregon, some sportsman’s group would have suggested it. After all, we have a turkey shooting group, an elk hunter’s bunch; why not a moose-hunting club? But moose-hunting won’t be like so-called “wild” turkey hunting. Turkeys have never been native […]
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The Big Slide
Avoid avalanches
with know-how
Last week, about 90 miles west of Denver, a massive avalanche scoured the East Vail Chutes’ steep backcountry terrain. The slide, which occurred on a beautiful day and not one deemed to be particularly hazardous, was described as a couple hundred yards wide, 10 feet deep and reportedly covered nearly 1,000 vertical feet. It buried […]
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A Facility for All Seasons
No snow? No problem. Cascade Indoor Sports offers adult dodgeball and more
On a recent Friday, I watched nearly two dozen peewee football players form tight huddles, each on opposite ends of a green Astroturf field inside one of the two Cascade Indoor Sports buildings. In a fit of giggles, the offensive team, in yellow pennies, unleashed an unorthodox trick play that can best be described as […]
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A Hawk by Any Other Name
Kestrels’ close links to dinosaurs
You’ve probably seen those little “hawks” that perch on power lines. Well, they’re actually falcons, and, from my experience, they’ll eat anything. You have to agree; the other day—at 15-degrees below zero—I watched a healthy-looking adult female perched on the power line just east of Sisters, in the process of gulping down what appeared to […]
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Bend on Ice
A new, full-sized public ice rink is little more than a year away
Ashley Chally thinks the next Kristi Yamaguchi or Mario Lemieux could come from Bend. It makes sense. Already, Central Oregon is the high-desert home to a healthy collection of the country’s strongest athletes—from runners, to snowboarders, rock climbers, cyclists (road, mountain and cyclocross), nordic skiers and whitewater kayakers. And with an ice rink befitting the […]
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Top Five Oregon Sports Moments
Also, top local outdoor feats and recreation upgrades
1. Blazers return! With two wins over the Jazz in less than one month, the Blazers have their best season start in 20 years! 2. Jacoby Ellsbury boosts Red Sox to World Series victory. The Madras all-star center fielder and former Bend Elk finished 2013 with 31 doubles and a league-leading 52 stolen bases. Before […]
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Going Big in Nepal
Bend climber Chris Wright records two first ascents deep in the Himalaya
Starting in mid-October, Bend’s Chris Wright, along with his partner, Scott Adamson of Utah, battled deep snow, frigid temperatures, oxygen deprivation and terrifyingly steep cliff faces to claim two impressive first ascents in Nepal. Snowy, far-flung climbing expeditions, however, are nothing new to Wright. Last November, the 30-year-old part-time Timberline Mountain Guide and area avalanche […]