The BulleTin • Friday, March 19, 2021 B9
Columbia Park access closure
As of July 22, Deschutes River access is closed due to safety con-
cerns and to prevent further erosion to the river bank. The access
point will be closed until further notice. For more information visit
bendparksandrec.org
Fire restrictions
Fire danger is currently listed as Moderate in the Deschutes Na-
tional Forest. Fire danger is listed as Low in the Ochoco and Willa-
mette National Forests.
Industrial Fire Precaution Level is currently at Level 1 for the De-
schutes and Ochoco national forests and the Prineville District — Bu-
reau of Land Management.
Submitted photos
Bend’s Barry Wicks enjoys skiing some backcountry turns on Broken
Top recently.
Continued from B1
Like Wicks, Keddie also
logged most of her vertical feet
at Bachelor, but also ventured
to Vista Butte and Tumalo
Mountain. Backcountry skiing
is at the heart of the event, and
both Wicks and Keddie are
avid backcountry skiers who
love venturing out into the
Central Oregon Cascades to
earn their turns.
Wicks said he enjoys sum-
miting and skiing vaunted
Cascade volcanoes such as
Broken Top, Mount Jefferson,
Mount Thielsen and Mount
McLoughlin, especially in the
spring when the snowpack is
typically more stable.
“In the springtime, that’s
when you can really go ex-
ploring, getting up in the big
mountains and high alpine,
where in the winter it’s super
stormy or super dangerous
avalanche conditions,” Wicks
said. “In spring you can do
massive tours. Spring is my fa-
vorite time to go touring.”
Wicks said he would have
preferred to log all his verti-
cal feet for the VertFest in the
backcountry, but Bachelor
made it much more conve-
nient, as the resort has ava-
lanche controls and a set skin
track.
“I didn’t have to worry
about avalanche hazard or
anything skiing at the moun-
tain, so that was pretty sweet,”
Wicks said. “It was very pop-
ular. A lot of people were out
there doing it. For me it was
just a personal challenge. I re-
ally like backcountry skiing
and touring. Coming from
a cycling background, just
being able to go out in the
woods and explore and travel
around is really appealing to
me.”
Most backcountry skiers
use alpine touring gear and
apply climbing skins to their
skis to skin up the mountain.
With AT gear, their heels are
free for skinning and then can
be locked down for skiing.
Snowboarders do the same
with split boards. Backcountry
snowriders should be prepared
with transceivers, probes and
shovels and know how to use
them in case of an avalanche.
The Central Oregon Avalanche
Center (coavalanche.org) pro-
vides avalanche forecasts and
backcountry observations on
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Vertfest
athons this coming spring,
summer and fall, including the
Moab (Utah) 240-Mile Endur-
ance Run in October. Back-
country touring is actually an
effective way to train for ultra-
running events, Keddie noted.
“Lots of miles, lots of vert
and no injuries,” Keddie said.
“Little impact on the joints,
and a great way to build
strength in my legs.”
Wicks, meanwhile, also
plans to continue to enjoy the
backcountry with friends.
“The aspect I like about the
touring is it’s not really about
the skiing,” Wicks said. “That’s
kind of a misconception about
backcountry skiing. When
you’re touring you don’t actu-
ally ski that much. It’s a lot of
walking around the woods and
a little bit of skiing. If you’re re-
ally into skiing, I don’t know if
it’s best. But if you’re just into
being outside and going for a
long walk with your friends
and having really good snacks
out in the woods, it’s a really
great thing to do.”
QU
S
Bend’s Emily Keddie makes her way along the skin track up Mount
Bachelor as part of the Virtual VertFest earlier this month.
its website as a way of inform-
ing backcountry enthusiasts of
snow conditions and avalanche
risks.
Wicks, whose father was
a ski patroller at Timberline,
grew up skiing at Mount Hood.
“If you look at the ski in-
dustry, backcountry skiing is
the fastest-growing segment,”
Wicks said. “There’s huge
numbers, this year especially
with the pandemic. Backcoun-
try is really having a renais-
sance moment, and terrain
near Bend is just so accessible.
There’s so much cool skiing
you can get to, if you’re willing
to put in that effort and that
physical exertion, there’s just
sort of endless things to ex-
plore.”
Keddie moved to Bend 3.5
years ago from Lake Placid,
New York. She learned to ski
just six years ago and had her
first backcountry experience
on Whiteface Mountain.
She said she plans to climb
and ski Mount Hood, Mount
Adams and Mount St. Hel-
ens this spring, and she is also
training for several ultramar-
IRIE
Central Oregon’s Best
Kept Secret
Reporter: 541-383-0318,
mmorical@bendbulletin.com
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