It has been a rough year for powder hounds, and folks are getting desperate. So when the forecast called for fresh snow last Friday, the parking lot at Mt. Hood Meadows filled up early, and the line for first chair started stretching out a half hour before opening.

The mountain looked beautiful with some snow in the trees.

Only problem was, there really wasn’t that much new snow at all, and it was heating up quickly to melt what little fresh snow had fallen. The big storm turned out to be a bit of a bust.

Fortunately, we still have the upper mountain. And Marmot Ridge. And the Mazot.

 Snow depth is listed as 32 inches at the base of Meadows, but south-facing slopes are bare down to rock, grass and dirt.

Hang in there, people! The forecast is looking as dry as dust for the next week, but I do recall shredding powder last May, so it isn’t the season that didn’t happen yet.

Not quite yet.

Last modified: March 6, 2015