Words and photos: Ethan StoneVideo: Jeff LoeweBright sunlight is pouring through the windows as the front door bursts open, jolting me from sleep. 8:00am sharp on Friday, the third and final day of the West Coast Session shoot at Timberline Lodge before the open park jam on Saturday. Time to go, before the snow on the inrun softens too much.Pulling in at the lodge, we can see the cornice step-up above us, carving up the wall of one of Mt. Hood's numerous gullies. Looks reasonable... the inrun's been salted and is staying firm, but the landing needs to be cleared of snowcat debris, and the riders are having trouble negotiating the perilously long and winding track into the gully. Soon enough though, Andrew McIver rockets in first, buries himself into the top of the cornice and flips dank over bonkneedle onto the flats.After the guinea pig is roasted, the first hint of doubt arises. Adam Battersby comes flying in like a bat out of hell but only barely clears the gap, and three of the Canadian Crew—Andrew McIver, Charles Grant and Charley Ager—all hit the wall within seconds of each other in a team hit. Finally we ditch the step-up regretfully, except for Jonny Marks, who decides to hit the booter as a hip, and tomahawks out of a huge 720 into a flat foot of slush way down the wall.No need to fret, though—in the park, under the blazing sun, the jib goblins have arrived and are beginning to get warm. Now comfortably ensconced in the flow of Timberline's Paintbrush terrain park, the skiers of the West Coast Session are going nuts.

The Goblin Strikes BackGroups of riders are lapping the park together, watching and sometimes joining one another. There's the gang from Utah: Tosh Peters, Adam Battersby, JP Solberg and Jonny Marks, breezing by on their way to or from some new ski insanity.
Utah meets the Goonies at the S-rail.Or the Theory-3 Media posse: Jeff Thomas, Max Hill, Charley Ager, Charles Grant and Andrew McIver, steadily logging laps in a follow-cam frenzy that's putting bomb holes—usually with two clean tracks riding out of them—at the bottom of every hit in the jump line.
Max Hill shifties the shit out of a bs switch-up on the somewhat burly down-flat-down box.The Surface duo of Jordan Seldin and Blake Nyman slide aloofly by from time to time, and the carload which arrived mid-morning after a straight drive through the night from Tahoe—Sean Logan, Garrett Russell, Katie Williamson, Neil Sotirakopoulos and Rom Marcucci—is getting its ski legs back after 12 hours in the car. Justin from Offtrail Productions is filming Jonas Marcinko on a dirt gap out of bounds, and Giray Dadali and Tyler Muntz are laying down their game alongside the others in the park. And then there's the Goonies, the Bonk Shredular: Walker, Witty Cent, T-Barnes, Martini and the Goblin, constantly talking nonsense and skiing in a similar manner.
Walker carefully compels this cab 9er to remain silent.
Tyler Barnes relearned rodeo 5s today for the step-up. When that jump was abandoned, we decided to use the trick in a project equally as challenging: the photo followcam.Every feature all across the park is under constant siege. Impromptu trains are forming. Cab 9s are being thrown in the mini park and smoke is rising from the trees. Skis are grabbed as never grabbed before, and the shifty is everpresent. The stoke level is high.
The Shifty: A Tale in Two Kinks, by Witt Foster.
Doubles action on the rollercoaster S: Witt exits as local ripper Scott rides on.The session continues until final chair with no let-up. But the day isn't over yet: merely a few hours later after some brief R&R back at Windell's, we're back in the Timberline parking lot, anxiously awaiting the sleds that are supposed to pull us back up to the beautifully sculpted out-of-bounds table that we had hit on Thursday. The stage is set for a sunset session on the booter. Finally the sleds start laboring through the soft snow with skiers in tow. The clouds light up: the session is on.
Anticipation mounts.
Martini and the Machine.As the sun drops slowly into a sea of clouds and rolling, forested hills, the official unofficial photo shoot of the West Coast Session comes to an end in truly fine fashion. In the waning light the riders display the future of terrain park skiing before an unforgettable backdrop as the filmers gawk dumbfounded through their viewfinders. The level of excitement is unbelievable, and a few tenacious skiers keep lapping long after the light is gone and the cameras have been put away. Everyone present agrees: this session was groundbreaking. 
Garrett Russell, making the impossible look easy.If you've enjoyed this article, then perhaps you'll also enjoy viewing the West Coast Session Day 3 Teaser video created by Jeff Loewe. Hold on to your seat for more from the West Coast Session, and if you live within 300 miles of Mt. Hood, we'll see you in the park today for the West Coast Session open jam and Newschoolers member gathering. Peace.