Ski House Gone Red

Valentine's Day is coming up this weekend, but for a more important reason, February is Heart Month (according to the CDC).  In addition, the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women / Wear Red Day is today...to call attention to women's heart health in particular.  According to this organization, heart attacks are the Number 1 killer of women (more than all cancers combined).  Even we women skiers can be at risk for cardiovascular disease, like Leann who experienced a heart attack while she was skiing.  But it is empowering to note that (the American Heart Association says) 80% of all cardiovascular disease may be preventable!

My interpretation of the "Go Red for Women" program is that maybe each time we see something red (whether it's a red dress, red shoes, red car, red skis, red ski parka, red mittens, red home decor, red furniture, red house ...anything) let it be a reminder about our own heart health.

So, in honor of "Go Red for Women," I'll offer today's Ski House of the Day as a gentle suggestion to us all to find out about our risk, know the warning signs, and have a plan about what to do in the event of a heart attack.

The Ski House of the Day is the Aquila Lodge in Sunriver, Oregon.  Why did I select this one for today? Like women who take control of their heart health, it's bold, beautiful, strong, and in its own way it's got GO RED written all over it:

Check out the red leather furniture in this cozy living room - it  is gorgeous!

Bold and beautiful log bed and red decor in the bedroom.

                                                   Pretty red towels in the bathroom.

(OK...the hot tub is one thing that isn't red, but maybe some apres-ski red wine could complete this inviting scene):

Whether in a lovely ski house like this or elsewhere, take notice of everything red and empower yourself this February.  

Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn showed her support for "Go Red for Women / Wear Red Day"...and similarly we can all do the same by wearing something red (skiing or not) this month, as a sign of support, awareness, and most importantly as a reminder to ourselves that we each have the power to take action for our own heart health.

Go Red for Women!

Reed College Ski Cabin

It's back-to-school season...so I thought it would be a good time to check out a school's ski house.   The Ski House of the Day is the Reed College Ski Cabin, located in the village of Government Camp, on Mount Hood, in Oregon.

The ski cabin is located about 60 miles from Reed's campus...a little over an hour's drive.  (Reed is among the most unusual colleges in the country combining intellectual rigor with non-conformity and social freedoms.  With much less structure than most other colleges, Reed College has produced many Rhodes scholars and others of distinction, and produces a very high percentage of students who go on to complete their PhDs and other graduate degrees.  Reed College is said to be characterized by an absorption in thinking, something which the rest of the country could use more of ).  I guess it's safe to say that the skiers in this ski house are independent thinkers...and that's a good trait for skiing on Mt Hood where there are various ski areas, plus some very challenging back-country skiing for experienced adventurers.

The ski cabin was originally built in 1949 by the college Outing Club.  Well used over the years, the cabin took its share of wear and tear, and evolved into a ski house with a quaint and quirky aesthetic....like its well-recognized candy-cane striped poles supporting the front porch...

But, recently a group of alumni (including a very generous mountaineering enthusiast, an architect, a furniture-makers, and even the owner of a sustainable forest who donated the Douglas fir wood to be used)  from the decades spanning the 1960's through the 1990's, came together to produce some serious upgrades to the ski cabin that was so meaningful to them during their years skiing there.  Renovations included a newly added front deck...

....plus many upgrades to the interior...

 They even created a finished basement with game room and work/ski wax area...nice feature in any ski house, but particularly in one for college kids!

A beautiful, functional college ski cabin is the end result:

On its centennial website, Reed graduates are said to be identifiable by their willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, wide-ranging curiosity, and their conviction that the world can be a better place.  In its own small way, this ski house bears that out...these Reed graduates challenged the conventional original 1949 structure of Reed Ski Cabin, engaged their curiosity to envision the wonderful improvements, and made the world a better place by creating the upgraded cabin for future generations of independent-thinking skiers to continue the Reed Ski Cabin tradition.   Check out the video tour of the newly renovated Reed Ski Cabin.

Back-to-school...think of the possibilities!

Clear Lake Lookout

Today is National Get Outdoors Day, an annual event (started in 2008) designed to encourage healthy, active, outdoor fun...particularly in the many beautiful public lands in the United States.

And here's a house on public (US Forest Service) land that will certainly get you outdoors, but this isn't your average ski house.  The Ski House of the Day is the Clear Lake Lookout, a former fire-tower perched on the side of Oregon's Mt. Hood (near the NW corner of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation):

Amazingly, you can actually stay in this place...the US Forest Service rents it out (for $50/night according to their website).  But to get there you'll have to ski, snowshoe or snowmobile the 3.2 miles in from the road.  And you'll have to bring your own water with you.

The "house" is a 14 ft. X 14 ft. room surrounded by a narrow wooden catwalk atop a 40 ft high tower.  Inside you'll find a bed, table and chairs, wood-stove, a propane stove for cooking, and solar lighting:

Nearby there's a shed with firewood, and an outhouse, too.  But I think that the main feature is the four walls of continuous windows onto its incredible view:

Not only can you get outdoors, you can gaze out at that view in all four directions and feel like you're outdoors even with a roof over your head.

The Forest Service warns that you must be an experienced back-country mountaineer with survival skills to stay here, and that the height of the cabin poses serious risks, and that the ladder / steps and catwalk can become hazardous in the ice and snow, and that the tower will sway during high winds...but, wow, what a view:

Historic Northwest Log Cabin

This Sunday marks the start of the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame's annual Skiing Heritage Week. The event kicks off in the historic Timberline Lodge in Mt. Hood National Forest.  The Timberline Lodge has a rich history having been built as an ambitious, elaborate WPA project during the Great Depression using large timbers, local stone, striking woodworking, and intricate architectural features (and later being featured in numerous Hollywood movies, and now an official National Historic Landmark).  During its dedication in 1937 FDR expressed his vision of the lodge as a winter sports playground for future generations...how right he was!  The Magic Mile chairlift (the 2nd chair in the country) opened in 1939;  and today the Timberline Lodge Ski Area enjoys the longest ski season in North America!  (**By the way, it looks like Timberline is rolling back lift tickets to $19.37 for Ski Heritage Week and to commemorate its 75th anniversary!).

As much as I'd like to,  I can't consider the massive historic Timberline Lodge a ski "house" but there is a ski house nearby that shares its history with the Timberline Lodge...so the Ski House of the Day is the Dancing Bear Log Cabin in ZigZag, Oregon, near Mt. Hood.

The Dancing Bear is an historic Steiner Log Cabin and (according to its rental listing) the Steiner brothers who built this cabin (and other local log cabins during the 1930's) also worked on the construction of the Timberline Lodge.  The Steiner style (just like the Timberline Lodge) used local trees and rocks to craft unique designs...often using naturally shaped wood to artistically create functional elements.  Steiner included signature elements such as tree branches for door knobs, Dutch-doors, and one-of-a-kind curved tree limbs for things such as banisters, and sometimes even windows.  You can see some of those Steiner signature elements woven into the Dancing Bear...such as the door knob and curved wooden window in the Dutch front door, and the stone fireplace with its thick custom stone mantle and unique rock ledges, and the unique log staircase with naturally curved log banister and split logs for stair steps.

The Dancing Bear Log Cabin is a 3-bedroom, 1-bath warm, cozy and historic step back in time (with a phone on the living room table that appears to be from the 1930's?).

I wonder how many skiers have enjoyed pancakes in the quaint log kitchen of the Dancing Bear before a day on the slopes. (Let's see...about 75 years worth of the longest ski season in the country...has got to be hundreds of thousands of pancakes!).

The Dancing Bear Log Cabin is located right on the Hackett Creek (with its own wood plank bridge)...and there's even a hot tub just a few steps out the door of the cabin.

This log cabin is an historic work of art as much as it is a ski house!
And with all of its quaint charm and historic significance it seems perfect for Skiing Heritage Week in the Pacific Northwest.

Storybook-like Lakeside Lodge

Today would have been the 107th birthday of Dr. Seuss, the well-known American author of children's books, so Happy Birthday, Baby.  You might be wondering what that has to do with ski houses;  well here's a place where you can connect with Dr. Seuss on skis!  According to the Mail Tribune, one Oregon ski area is "Cuttin' loose with Dr. Seuss" tomorrow.  Mt. Ashland is hosting their Annual Screamin' Tele Lizard Classic and this year it's got a Dr. Seuss costume theme.  (Check out their Screamin' Tele Lizard page to see the Cat in the Hat as well as Thing 1 and Thing 2 on tele skis!).  I don't know if Ashland has enough snow to resemble Whoville, and I'm not sure if The Cat in the Hat Comes Back to turn Ashland's snow all pink, but the event is a benefit for the Special Olympics, so it's  A Great Day for Up -- on Mt. Ashland!

The Ski House of the Day is the Lake Side Lodge, a cozy 3-bedroom log cabin a short drive from Mt. Ashland.

In A People House as cute as this, I think I'd feel as if I had stepped right into the pages of a storybook.

The snug master bedroom suite even has an antique claw-foot tub (just be careful about spreading any pink bathtub rings out onto the snow!).  And the cozy fireplace in this cabin looks like a comfortable and perfect place to read a Dr. Seuss book.

Step out the front door of this adorable ski house into the snow and Oh, The Places You'll Go!


So, on his birthday, and in the words of Dr. Seuss himself:
"Today is your day.  Your mountain is waiting.  So...get on your way."