Book Review: Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Routes- Oregon
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Title: Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Routes: Oregon
Author: Christopher Van Tilburg
Year: 2011
Matt and I used this book while we toured through Oregon and Washington, skiing Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Saint Helens. From internet resources, we’d heard about Van Tilburg’s book. But, we hadn’t laid eyes on it. Still, it seemed like a book that would be useful to us. So, we went on a mad search through Portland for it. First we tried REI, but they are too mainstream to have a ski book in June. Then we tried the famed Powell’s book store. Even though the store is 5 times bigger than our local library, they didn’t have it either. We finally scored the last copy at US Outdoor. It’s a good thing too because this book quickly became our bible.
Van Tilburg did a great job putting this book together. For each route listed, there is all the normal statistics, like mileage, vert, time, level, recommended months, and USGS map quad. He also included pertinent trailhead info, permit info, route topo maps, and good route descriptions.
As suggested by the title, the book covers many peaks in Oregon. There are 31 different routes listed for Mount Hood alone. But it also includes routes for peaks like Mount Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, the Three Sisters, Broken Top, Mount Theilson, the Crater Lake area, Mount McLoughlin, Steens, and beyond. All in all, there are 86 routes in Oregon described.
However, don’t let the name of the book deceive you. The book expands beyond Oregon, covering southwest Washington and northern California. Specifically, Van Tilburg focuses on Silver Star, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, Lassen, and Etna.
One last addition that Van Tilburg included was an appendix that organized each route by skill level and then another organized by best season. This something that more ski guidebooks should include!
Essentially, if you are doing tour skiing volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest, this is a great book, as it encompasses the majority of the peaks. But, at the same time, this book does a great job of covering other routes also. If you live in the PNW or plan to visit and backcountry ski there, you should probably buy this book.
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