By Jerry Vesselo

Jon Wiener and I skied Bennet Pass today, which is accessed from Hwy 35 on Mt Hood, across from Meadows. It is signed on the highway. There is parking which I would guess is pretty full on the weekends but was OK on a Tuesday that likely would have a big draw for skiers due to the crystal blue skies an amazing, amazingly rare, snow we had, and there is a restroom. There was about 12” of light fluffy, really true powder. Temperature ranged from 12-16F, so the snow preserved well, and likely was continuing to dry. We were both on AT gear, but I used to tele these slopes and the old clearcut mentioned below. We skied from a point about a mile up the road, just short of a junction with another road to the right. The left side of the road presents moderate slopes at that point and for several hundred yards before the junction, There are with some pillows, and it is treed, but they are well spaced. There is re-prod as you get to the bottom, but again, tree spacing was good..We had the area to ourselves. There were several other skiers in the pass area, either cross country or AT gear. We encountered one snow mobile. This is a great place to do some turns, easy access’s. I didn’t pack my altimeter, but I am guessing 5-800 vertical per run. There is an old clear cut further up the road that is very popular for downhill, but is pretty well sought after, making these short shots, not far from the parking lot, little used gems.

Attached is the GPX track if you wish to put it on your phone or GPS unit. From Kim Jones Gaia app –Title:Ray Benson – Little Nash

Date:2/17/22, 10:03:38 AM PSTDistance:9.2 miTime:05:18:24Average Speed:1.7 mphMax Speed:8.7 mphAscent:296.5 ftMin/Max Altitude:3,715.8 ft, 4,918.0 ftStarted:2/17/22, 10:03:38 AM PST – (44.40480, -121.86170)Ended:2/17/22, 3:22:02 PM PST – (44.43208, -121.95829)