I keep telling people on Mount Hood that uphilll/downhill races are way more fun than you might think, but relatively few people seem to believe me. Well, this year’s Ram’s Head Randonee served as proof that skinning it up and tucking it down followed by beer, barbecue and prizes can be an absolute blast. So long as you avoid doing what I did near the finish line.
The original plan was to race up from the base of Mt. Hood Meadows to the top of the Stadium lift, then tuck it down to Shooting Star, climb up Shooting Star Ridge, and race back to the base with a boot-it-up detour at Roach Bowl. That sounded like an excellent course, but unfortunately the fancy-pants snowboarders in town for Superpark 18 got priority and Shooting Star was closed off to the riff-raff so they could build some death-defying features up there.
No worries. As Mount Hood racers know, Stadium is plenty steep. Especially when you climb up without one of those new-fangled chairlifts, and then straight-line it down on three-pin bindings.
The revised course involved a climb up Ram’s Head, a quick shush down to skier’s left, a climb back up to the top of Stadium, and a downhill run back to the base. Then you had to do the whole thing over again.
An enthusiastic crowd had gathered at the start line, and the racers set off with gusto. The photo below (along with all the pics in this piece) was shot by Jeremy Roper of the event sponsoring Mountain Shop. Thanks, Jeremy, nice shots!
Before long the euphoria was replaced by wind-sucking and the occasional groan. Those of us who spent the winter riding lifts instead of training in the gym and on the Nordic trails quickly rediscovered the power of gravity.
For the steep section near the rocks the best tactic was to take off your skis and boot it up through the spring slush.
By the time you reach the top you are sweating and gasping for air. So you rip your skins off and tuck it down, and before you know it you have to skin up and climb again. Then finally you get the long downhill, and it can get pretty interesting if like me you opted for light, skinny, three-pin telemark skis to facilitate climbing.
Tucking it down Stadium at 50 or 60 miles an hour in Alpine gear can be exhilarating. Tucking it on three-pin tele boards is really exhilarating. A bit too exhilarating, as I would be learning shortly.
The first time down, I handled it just fine. In fact, I loved it. I wasn’t necessarily thrilled about climbing the whole course for a second go, but I was definitely riding a high after that screaming downhill. The adrenaline carried me about halfway up, and after that it was just a matter of accepting your suffering and vowing to get in better shape for next year.
I wised up on the second run and kept my skins on for the short downhill, eliminating two transition times and passing three racers in the process. They would be passing me shortly, however.
The problem was, it was May, and the day was warming. Spring corn was giving way to slush with patches of Cascade Concrete. Tricky stuff for anyone ripping down it without heel support in their bindings. The lower down the hill you went, the worse it was.
By now you have probably figured out what happened to me. I was neck-and-neck with a racer named Paul Mayhew, tucking it across the hill to set up the left-footed turn and the final steep tuck to the bottom. At this elevation the snow was not ideal. In fact, it was crap. We were tearing down Stadium like rockets, and that sticky snow kept grabbing our ski bases and throwing us off balance at high speed. I veered over to the right to make sure we wouldn’t collide. The snow was even heavier there. My skis stuck and my weight went forward, and I flailed to regain my balance, just in time to hit a heavy patch of snow that was basically glue.
It wasn’t pretty. My face hit the snow and my long skis prevented me from rolling, so I basically skidded face-first into a heap, and just lay there for a while, debating whether I needed a patrol sled. It took me a full four minutes to get up and cross the finish line, and it felt like longer.
Lucky for me, at the after-race party I met the winner from the women’s Master’s division, Connie Macomber, and she helped me out with four Advils and a big plastic baggie filled with snow to ice my neck. Before long I was feeling human again, and able to enjoy the festivities. The Mountain Shop raffled off some excellent stuff including a beautiful pair of G3 Zenoxides, and quite a bit of money was raised for the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center, a key institution for anyone who loves the Cascades in winter.
The winner of the overall race was also the winner of the Men’s over 50 division, Paul Robinson, who finished in 40 minutes and 25 seconds. Brett Merlin of the Men’s Open division finished a close second in 41.22, followed by Paul Klein in 41.55.
Amy Krull won the Women’s Open division in 51.42, and Connie Macomber won the Women’s 50 and over division in 57.43.
I will paste in the full results of the 2014 Ram’s Head Randonee below here, and I want to encourage anyone who loves Mount Hood to consider participating next year. I for one will definitely be back – with sturdier bindings underfoot and a helmet on my thick head.
Ram’s Head Randonee 2014 Results
Men’s Open
- Brett Merlin, 41.22
- Paul Klein, 41.55
- Ben McKinnley, 44.37
- Louis Bartlett, 44.51
- James Little, 45.1
- David Dietzgen, 46.09
- David LaGreca, 47.18
- Ian Kyle, 49
- Kristan Carver, 50.16
- Matthew Harris, 55.11
- Ian Downard, 57.58
- Miles Pederson, 1.00:05
- Drew Lesch-Wragge, 1.03:09
- David Novak, 1.04:03
- Ben Jacklet, 1.05:19
- Jeff McVeigh, 1.06:57
- Paul Schornack, 1.12:28
- Robin Stein, 1.13:25
- Tony Hyun, 1.28:03
- Sean Gertz, 1.36:16
- Steve Shaw, 1.37:15
- Rommel De Leon, 1.56:51
Men’s Open 50 and Older
- Paul Robinson, 40.45
- Mark Colville, 49.46
- Guy Trombley, 54.32
- David Clarke, 58.49
- Paul Mayhew, 1.01:55
- Jay Stagnone, 1.26:35
- Paul Ramsey, 1.28:22
- George Malay, 1.30:45
- Douglas Briedwell, 1.40:29
- David Clugston, one lap 49.50
- Bernard Klatte, one lap 49.50
Women’s Open
- Amy Krull, 51.42
- Lisa Luna, 1.24:00
- Natalie Shaw, 1.37:15
- Judy Lundeen, 1.40:40
Women’s Open 50 and Older
- Connie Macomber, Women’s Open 50 and Older – 57:43:00
Last modified: May 9, 2014
