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It’s not every day that your boss tells you to go snowboarding, especially in August. So when our creative director suggested checking out the summer scene at Mt. Hood, I headed to Oregon on a solo mission for some slush slashing at 8,540 feet.

Four months after the lifts closed at Baker, I found myself at the top of Hood’s Palmer lift looking down a massive field of glistening slush. Amongst chattering ski racers and die-hard summer shredders, all I could hear was the familiar click of ratchets. With my heart pumping in my throat, I straight lined half the mountain into a toe-side turn so low my face was practically brushing the snow.

After bombing the hill until high noon, I headed to my car to grab my camera gear and lunch. Much to my dismay, I spent so much time soul shredding and making a triple-decker peanut butter and jelly sandwich that the lifts were closing down by the time I got back to the hill. Thankfully I made it up for the last chair and headed to the park for some after hours hiking.

The parks at Hood are definitely worth checking out if you’re feeling desperate in the off-season. Most of the features were in the mini-shred category, but there are still some solid jumps and jibs to session in the public and private parks—if you make friends with the diggers and lend a hand.

August may be over, but Hood is still firing.