For the Love of Mountains

by guest blogger Heidi Medema from The Mountain Shop 

You may have
seen the plethora of photos and gleeful posts on Facebook following the Ram’s
Head Randonee last weekend. If you didn’t make it up to the race, you may even
be feeling a little left out.

Don’t worry
though, here’s a re-cap so you can live vicariously through those who made it
up.

In only the
second year of the Ram’s Head Randonee, we are tickled pink by how well the
event went! In the race we had a field of almost 50 competitors ranging in
skill level from professional athletes to first-timers. Paul Robinson swept the
field with a time of 40 minutes and 45 seconds. Close behind him came CAMP
athlete Brett Merlin (41 min 22 sec). We also had a super competitive field of female
racers (which I was personally stoked to see). First place in the Women’s Open
category went to Amy Krull (51 min 42 sec), while Connie Macomber held down the
Women’s Masters with a speedy time of 57 minutes and 43 seconds.

For full race
results click HERE.

For winning
first place Paul took home a pair of Dynafit PDG skis that he had been drooling
over all day. My theory behind his blistering time was his burning desire to
procure the PDG skis.

For her first place
win, we loaded Amy up with a sweet setup from CAMP that included a Zaino Rapid
260 pack, G Compwind gloves, Speed helmet, and an Outdoor Research Ferrosi
Hoody. Each of our category winners also received a full custom tune and wax
from the Mountain Shop, as well as a year membership to the American Alpine Club.

Following the
race, people migrated indoors to the Alpenstube where they were greeted by a
blast of warm air that carried the sweet musical notes of the live band. Race
and demo participants also received free beer and food (yes, you read that
right).

During set
breaks we threw down, and by threw down I mean we tossed a bunch of free stuff
into the crowd! People were stoked! And for good reason too. Prizes from the
raffle included packs, Mazama courses, jackets, shovels, probes, gift
certificates, ski racks, and even a pair of skis.

All in all, the
raffle was a blast and a half, but more importantly, some serious funds were
raised for the Northwest Avalanche Center. Ram’s Head participants raised over
a thousand dollars for this worthy organization! Good work everyone!

The main thing
I took away from the Ram’s Head Randonee was an appreciation for this community.
Here at the Shop one of our main goals is to support and grow the local
outdoors community. That’s part of why I enjoy working here so much. The Ram’s
Head brought together an amazing community of people and created a competitive,
yet supportive environment. I witnessed pros helping beginners, first timers
charging up the hill, and everyone coming together during the after party to
laugh and cheer. Looking around the room as I talked into the mic, I couldn’t
help but smile. I know that randonee skiing is a fairly new sport in the U.S.
but with a community like this behind it, I foresee this sport really taking
off in the next few years.

The feelings of
support and community were solidified by the host of amazing vendors present
that day. The reps from CAMP, Dynafit, Black Diamond, NW Alpine, and La
Sportiva were helpful above and beyond the call of duty. BIG thank you to them
for their support.

We also owe a
big thank you to the Mazama community for your support in making the Ram’s Head
such a success. Hopefully we can get even more Mazama members racing next
year!

I am so proud
of this amazing community that we at the Shop have come to call our friends. To
that effect, if anyone who was there has any feedback on the event, we’d love
to hear it! Please feel free to email me at Heidi@MountainShop.net.

Thank you, and
see you all next year!

(But also,
hopefully before the next Ram’s Head Rando) 😉

by Ally Imbody, guest blogger

• The purpose of the Live Your Dream grant is to support and promote unforgettable experiences for individual climbers or small teams of all climbing disciplines to achieve new heights and to inspire others. You don’t have to be an elite climber or be putting up first ascents in remote locations. You just have to have an achievable climbing goal you’re working toward. 
• The application period opens January 1st and closes March 1st.  Winners will be announced April 15.  All funds must be used within one year of application due date, so your planned climb should be completed by April 15, 2016.
• Grants are distributed by region, and climbers living in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska are eligible to apply for the Northwest Region grant. However, your planned climb can be anywhere.
• The grant is funded by The North Face and awards will vary depending on the prospective project, but typically fall in the $200 to $1,000 range.
• Grants are based on the project’s potential to have a positive impact on the grantee’s life and experience of climbing. Tell a good story, and make sure that you are choosing something that represents a significant progression of your skills but it still realistic. Do your research!
• The selection committee will consider the individual’s and/or team’s experience level, which must be appropriate for the proposed objective. Be honest- the application is being evaluated by experienced climbers who will be able to tell if you know your stuff. They don’t care how rad you are, they just want to know that you’re not getting in over your head. 
• Membership in the American Alpine Club is not required, but for funds to be awarded, membership must be acquired. However, since the AAC and the Mazamas offer discounted joint memberships and are strong supporters of one another’s missions, you should hopefully already be a member!

Another Mazama team also received a Live Your Dream Grant. Team: Karin Mullendorf, Laura Pigion, and Candi Cook. Location: French Valley Torres del Paine Patagonia Route: Primary Objective: Aleta del Tiburon – The Shark’s Fin (1850m). Route Description: 11 pitches, Grade V, 5.9.  Secondary Objective: Eliana’s Chapel (Grade IV). Date: January 2015. (Photo of the area from Flickr)

by guest blogger Heidi Medema from The Mountain Shop

If you’re up at Mt. Hood Meadows this Saturday then you might see something amazing. Now, I don’t use this word lightly. You see, Saturday May 3, is the Second Annual Ram’s Head Randonee!

The Ram’s Head Randonee is an uphill-downhill ski race, complete with demos, a vendor village, prizes, and after party. It’s a day filled with good people, good fun, and it’s all for a good cause! Maybe you’ve heard of the Northwest Avalanche Center? They are the awesome folk that tell us when it’s safe to go adventuring in the PNW mountains, and they do so on a non-profit, shoestring budget. Proceeds from this event will go to support NWAC and all they do to keep us safe in the mountains.

This year the challenge has been cranked up a notch or two. The course now gains over 1,900 feet of vertical, and includes a boot pack section. Strap on your skis at the base of Stadium, then skin all the way up, around Ram’s Head, and back down.

If you’ve been interested in skinning, this will be a great opportunity to get involved and start learning. If you’re an experienced racer, this is your chance to shine! Although, we’ve had some pretty competitive types (Guy, ahem, ahem) talk some big talk.

If you don’t have your own AT set up, fear not! Your race registration includes free demos of the latest and greatest gear. Dynafit, La Sportiva, G3, Black Diamond, Scapra, and more will have their demo fleets for you to try. Don’t want to race, but still want to try out a sweet, lightweight setup? You can do that! For $20 you get full access to all the demos (plus lunch, beer, and two raffle tickets!).

Your $30 race registration also includes demos, lunch, beer, and two raffle tickets. The raffle is chalk full of great prizes from all our vendors! We’ve got skis, backpacks, jackets, subscriptions, a discounted AIARE L1 course, AAC memberships, full custom tune, full custom boot fit, and more! Plus, Mazamas has thrown in some sweet prizes in order to support NWAC.

If you’re a last minute kind of person you can sign up day of for $40. Registration at the mountain is 8am-9:30am.

The race starts at 10 a.m., and will be a hoot and a half to watch. Mixed in with the experienced, professional-looking racers, we also had total beginners and a few snowboarders. We even had one guy run the entire course! And he loved it!

Join us after the race for a ho-down, throw-down you won’t soon forget! Meadows will be grilling up some tasty food that you can wash down with an ice cold beer from everybody’s favorite brewery: Everybody’s Brewing. We’ll shower race winners with prizes, then shower all of you with prizes too! With the sheer quantity of donations we’ve received from vendors, everybody has a darn good chance of winning. Plus, all the proceeds from the raffle go to NWAC.

In order to prep you for the race, the Mountain Shop is hosting a pre-race clinic, Friday May 2. Join us for beer, snacks, and tips! CAMP will be here throwing down some knowledge, along with our very own Guy Trombley. These pre-race tips could be the difference between first and last place! Or, at the very least they will help you to look like a pro on the slopes, regardless of your experience level.

What it boils down to is this: The Ram’s Head Randonee has something for everyone, even YOU!

See you there!