This mountain was nowhere on my radar. I had never heard of it until Ben sent me a text asking if I’d be interested in coming out to Oregon and skiing its dramatic slopes. I can now say that Mount Thielsen offers a lot in a small package. There’s several entertaining lines to ski, a small scramble to the summit and a prominent viewpoint. We skied 3 lines and each line had its own pleasant vibe. The day before climbing Thielsen, we attempted to ski Mount Diamond but were driven back by the wind, visibility and bullet proof surface conditions. We were concerned that the conditions would be the same on Mount Thielsen.
On Mount Thielsen’s Wikipedia page we are told that all the ski slopes are rated black diamond. So that’s cool. The mountain is also referred to as Big Cowhorn. However, I prefer the more electrifying title The Lightning Rod of the Cascades. You can tell I enjoy the name because I repeat it several times in the video. The internet claims that Mount Thielsen is struck by lightning more often than any other mountain in the range. There’s even a type of mineral? Or rock? that appears when lightning strikes it's summit.