Safe Sex and Gore-Tex

The Line: Wy'East Face , 5,000+', ~42° max The Mountain: Mt. Hood, 11,239', Oregon Cascades April 13, 2025 Mt. Hood's Wy'East Face has occupied a top-three spot on my To-Do list since my freshman year of college, not more than a year or two after I first strapped on a pair of skins. The main thing that occupied my time on the chairlifts at Mt. Hood Meadows--besides battling hangovers--was fantasizing about skiing that wide-open, perfectly smooth face that descended from the crater rim. Alas, it wasn't until I left Portland that I developed the confidence to give it a shot. Even then, no matter how many times Zach and I agreed "dude, we're definitely going to go ski the Wy'East this year," we never quite got around to it. Until one sunny spring day in 2025...