February 2026 Recap
If a sunny and beautiful month of January can be called “June-uary,” what do. you call a sunny and warm February? Whatever it is called, we go it out here in Oregon. The snow eventually did come down on Mount Hood, but we made the most of the long stretches of sunshine with lots of fun features up at Meadows.
Our skiers and snowboarders had success on the road in Quebec, Vermont, and Tahoe where they put down some podium worthy runs. Our mountain bikers enjoyed the last few weeks of their epic trip to New Zealand before returning home at the end of the month. Back at home, our skaters have been toping the podium in our local Seek Series skate events and our every podium at the local USASA Mt. Hood Series event has been filled with Wy’East skiers and snowboarders. College acceptance letters continue to flow in for our seniors. The rest of our student body is preparing to take the PSAT and SAT on campus in March.
On of our highlights this month was cheering on Academy Alumni Nick Goepper and Konnor Ralph in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. It was a special gift to watch Nick get coached by his former roommate and fellow Olympian, Lyman Currier. We loved having a local NBC film crew on campus to capture our watch party.
The semester is flying by, just like it always does, but we all look forward to two more months of improving lives together!
Mike Hanley, Head of School
Student life
February was an exciting and busy month where travel and competition-filled took center stage. We are continually impressed by the way our students balance the physical and mental demands of competition with their academic and campus responsibilities.
When students weren’t on the road or competing, we made time for some well-earned downtime and community-building activities. Highlights included relaxing evenings at the Mt. Hood Oregon Resort hot tubs, ice cream outings, thrift shopping trips, bowling nights, and off-campus group dinners. These moments of connection outside ofo training are essential for team bonding and overall well-being.
One of the most notable weekend adventures was a trip to the Portland Rock Gym, where a small group of students challenged themselves in a new way through bouldering.
We also had the unique opportunity to welcome NBC to campus for a watch party as Nick Goepper competed in the Olympic halfpipe finals. While we didn’t see the finish everyone was hoping for, it was inspiring to watch our students celebrate the achievement of competing in Goepper’s fourth Olympic Games. It was a powerful reminder that excellence is not defined only by podium finishes, but also by the dedication it takes to compete at that level.
Throughout February, our cafeteria turned into an Olympic viewing hub. Students gathered around the big screen TV to cheer on athletes from around the world, especially Konnor Ralph, a Wy’East alum and Olympic rookie. As we head into March, we look forward to continuing strong competition performances while also prioritizing recovery, academic focus, and positive residential community life.
Academics
As the term continues, we’re pleased to share that things are going smoothly on the academic front. Our students have been doing a great job balancing their coursework alongside a busy schedule of travel and competitions. Teachers report that classes remain focused and productive, and it has been great to see students staying engaged, communicating with their instructors, and keeping up with their responsibilities even while representing the school. We’re proud of the effort they’re putting in and appreciate the continued support from families in helping students stay organized and motivated during this busy stretch of the semester.
Athletics
Although it took a while, winter finally showed up at the end of February. All of our teams are taking advantage of fresh snow and spending quality time on hill. Travel season is very busy and every week, groups of students and coaches are traveling the world to compete in world class competitions. We are excited for next couple of weeks of competitions and cannot wait to see what type of hardware our students return with.
FOCUS OF THE WEEK
Week 1: Train at a level beyond planned competition.
Week 2: Cheer on Konnor Ralph in slopestyle and big air at the Olympics.
Week 3: Cheer on Nick Goepper in halfpipe at the Olympics.
Week 4: Keep up on individual athletic feedback with all of our athletes.
HIGHLIGHTS
Lots of cross discipline camaraderie and support
2026 Milano Cortina Olympics
Great athletic feedback from students
Freeski
In order to hit all sides of the competition circuit, the crew has been dividing and conquering. With trips across the states, Canada, and Europe, the team has been busy learning and working hard.
FOCUS OF THE WEEk
Week 1: Multiple Run Options. Utilizing these at the right time for tactical success. Continuing emphasis on PCDE's and utilizing them.
Week 2: Multiple Run Options. Utilizing these at the right time for tactical success. Keeping emphasis on robustness and competitive mental skillset. Utilizing at home time to catch up on academics and reflection.
Week 3: Develop a social media engagement routine that can be executed daily to grow following.
Week 4: Multiple Run Options. Utilizing these at the right time for tactical success. Keeping emphasis on robustness and competitive mental skills.
HIGHLIGHTS
Skyler Nunez and Griffin Good both won a stop at the Futures Tour in Vermont.
Mountain Bike
The last few weeks of the New Zealand trip were so epic. The team worked hard both on their bikes and in school. We couldn't be more excited for this team and are excited to get them back on campus at the end of the month.
FOCUS OF THE WEEK
Week 1: Gorge road, mini dream, mulch jumps, and park sessions in New Zealand.
Week 2: Athletes cooking for the team to fuel the epic training that has been going on in NZ.
Week 3: Gem stone beach, wynyard park, shotover river, cornet sessions NZ.
Week 4: Riding with Loic Bruni and the commencal dh team at coronet NZ.
HIGHLIGHTS
Watou riding in McGazza Fest and getting laps in with the Transition Bikes Team.
Whipoffs from the Queenstown Mountain Bike Fest
Riding at Coronet peak with the Commencal Team while they were doing their preseason testing.
Riding with Loic Bruni at Coronet while he was doing his preseason testing.
Heading down to the south end of the island on the coast to gem stone beach.
Skate
The crew took advantage of the great weather in the beginning of February and then pushed hard with rain down on campus. We had some heavy training segments in BOB and peppered in some trips down into Portland and the surrounding areas. It's been awesome to get them all up to the mountain to snowboard.
FOCUS OF THE WEEK
Week 1: Team riding different skate parks and snowboarding at Timberline.
Week 2: Team mixing in with the Adidas and Tactics shoot on campus. Team riding different skate parks and snowboarding at Timberline.
Week 3: Team riding in adverse conditions and Seek competition stop
Week 4: Jam format competition.
HIGHLIGHTS
Lila won & Kyler took 3rd in the first stop of the Seek competition series.
Getting up to the mountain and snowboarding has been great!
Snowboard
The team has been working hard from the USASA local series to the Futures Tour. They have been taking advantage of training opportunities and good weather along with rising to the occasion in adverse weather conditions which has been most of our local USASA series.
FOCUS OF THE WEEK
Week 1: Express yourself through your competitive snowboarding. Opportunities to Win at sub-elite events. Multiple Run Options. Utilizing these at the right time for tactical success.
Week 2: Reflection from local comps, ramping up train at level above competing for bigger events.
Week 3: Express yourself through your competitive snowboarding. Opportunities to Win at sub-elite events. Multiple Run Options - utilizing these at the right time for tactical success.
Week 4: Reflection of past trip- strengths & weaknesses, good & bad decisions.
HIGHLIGHTS
Day student Andee Schnader won back to back golds at the Futures tour stops in Vermont Okemo and Mount Snow.
CULINARY
The Culinary team is running at full capacity. We have been making all the students favorites. In the mornings, Joe has been making awesome breakfasts including but not limited to breakfast tacos, pancakes, french toast and fried eggs. For lunches, Joe and Orin have been making loco mocos, Philly cheese steaks, chicken bah mi sandwiches and other great lunches. Dinners have been a great hit with Kellen taking the lead in producing steak and mash potatoes, Reuben’s, red curry with katsu chicken, meatloaf, and other amazing items.
The team has welcomed the low times during the first two months of the winter semester to take a step back and enjoy what they do. During this time, they can connect with students who are on campus and see what they would like to us to prepare. We have also started a new program where students can give the Culinary Team feedback on the meals they had.
