Mountains give us life, in more than figurative ways. Besides being a summer-shredable alpine shrine worthy of holy pilgrimage, Mount Hood opens her high slopes every winter, freezing and collecting distilled Pacific water vapor as massive tons of cascade storm powder. When the snows return to liquid form, she filters it, drop by drop, through thousands of feet of volcanic soil. Where it emerges downslope, you'll find some of the coldest, cleanest water in the world.
