NOTE: Terra Events is now Wicked Adventure Racing

Adventure Racers Brave Tempestuous Mt. Hood for Terra Mountain Sprint

By Mike Bitton

MT. HOOD MEADOWS, Ore. -- Athletes who swarmed Mt. Hood for the inaugural Terra Sprint Series adventure race faced more than punishing elevation gain on Oregon's highest peak. Mother Nature also dealt them the strongest storm the Pacific Northwest has seen in several months.

Wind and snow raged at the race start as athletes trudged up the temporarily closed Yellow ski run at the Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort. At times, the snow was so intense that visibility was limited to 20 feet. As the race wore on, the weather warmed. Blowing snow turned to sleet, and then to rain, turning the course into a slippery slush-fest.

Unusually dry weather in the Pacific Northwest had led race organizer Shane Gibson of Portland to change the name of the race from Terra Sprint - Winter, to Terra Sprint - Mountain. In fact, snow was so scarce the week before the race, Gibson reworked the course to add a 20-mile mountain bike section.

New snow cancelled the bike leg, as six-to 12-inches of the white stuff was on the bike route come race day. The ropes section was also cancelled because of weather. Avalanche danger was simply too high, Gibson said.

Adventure race photographer Mike Bitton said he'd never worked in such wet weather. "I felt like I was trying to take pictures underwater, but without an underwater camera!" Bitton said. He used a giant golf umbrella to keep his camera gear from getting soaked. "After standing in the rain for three hours, I started to wonder if a PFD should have been mandatory equipment."

About Mike Bitton
Educated as a photojournalist, Bitton worked for a decade at daily newspapers in Utah and California before becoming an elementary school teacher. He now pursues adventure when school's out, with an emphasis on cultural exchanges and adventure races. Bitton's journeys have taken him to the most remote parts of the United States, Mexico and South America. Bitton lives in Vancouver, Wash., USA.