A New Way

Mid-Winter 2016

Above: Our Valley, can you see why we can't leave?

It just occurred to us the other day, that we haven’t left our valley in over two months! That must be a sign that we like it here in Mazama.

The winter has been cold, and relentless. Many extra hours have been spent snow blowing, and shoveling -only to do it all over again, and again. The funny thing is, we’ve been happier than ever in our ‘snow cave’ of a home. 

We thought we had an unexpected visitor at our door the other day, when we heard a strange rumble on the porch. Only to find out it was our roof-top glacier collapsing, and crashing (literally) through the front door. See More Here 

Betsy can’t see out of her studio anymore, now that the snow has covered most of the windows. Pitkin had to exhume our reserve firewood from under a blanket of snow and ice four feet thick.

Above: Betsy making the Commute 

We had to chuckle a bit when we realized that we’ve put more miles on our snowmobiles, than our cars in the past few months. That’s a first for us! We have some of the most fuel efficient snowmobiles available, and they use considerably less gas than a car. Not to mention they are much more fun to drive than most cars.

Above: Our Friend Doug threading the needle

The one thing that makes all this winter hardship worth it, is the fantastic skiing we’ve been doing this year! A great run in the backcountry can keep you smiling for days! 

Obviously, all this snow has been pretty distracting, but we’ve been making a conscious effort to keep things at Intertwined Designs moving along. Betsy has been busy designing some great new things for the upcoming year, and we are getting excited to finish the new screen printing studio this spring.

We also have released a NEW item on our website, the Men’s Hemp Backcountry Hoodie. It is a comfortable, and durable Mens Hooded Shirt, that is going to be very popular. See It Here

We Love Winter!

Above: (L) Betsy booting up to the top of her run | (M) Pitkin & Betsy soaking up the sun | (R) Betsy surfing the Powder, Photo: MKB

It's no secret....

We Love Winter!

Washington Pass closed this week, and the next day we were buried under 2ft of snow! This is the way winter usually announces itself in the Cascades... loudly, and without warning.

Although we spent a lot of extra time shoveling snow this week, it does not lessen our love of winter. It is a time of quiet reflection, for us here in the valley.

The highway traffic slows down, and so does the pace of life. We are greeted daily by nature's wonder, being expressed in endless frosty forms.

Most importantly a new playground starts to take shape as the snow soothes, and softens the rugged landscape. 

Above: JB of eqpdgear.com surveys the playground | Photo: MKB

Truly our most favorite part of winter is backcountry snowboarding (..and skiing!). When the highway closes, it becomes the domain of those lucky enough to own a snowmobile. The deep access, and dangerous conditions, keep the crowds away, but those willing to put in the effort will always be rewarded.

We were fortunate to get out skiing a few times before Thanksgiving this year. It was a blast hanging out with our 'winter' friends, JB & MKB from eqpdgear.com . They share our passion for the outdoors, art, and quality handmade products.

It's not even December, and it feels like we've already had a lot of winter adventures - and looking forward to many more!

Above: Betsy feels her love of winter Photo: MKB | (R) Half Moon, Wallaby, & Liberty Bell guard the playground

Follow us on Instagram ( @intertwined_designs ) Twitter (@intertwind_D) or Facebook  -to see more photos, and hear more stories.

Thanks,

Betsy & Pitkin