Mountain Profile

Name: Hans Erik Vognild

Place of birth: Portland Oregon St Vincent’s

How long on the Mountain: 29 years

If you were not brought here as a child, what brought you to the Mountain: Trees, rivers, mountains, climbing, wide open spaces, rural lifestyle, clean air, clean water that tastes good, small town life, job.

Profession: Produce merchandiser, sales, customer field rep for a wholesale produce company.

Other professions: produce department manager

Favorites:

Movie/and or Musical: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Actress and Actor: Christian Bale and Kristen Bell         

TV show: Grand Tour/Top Gear aka Old Guys With Cars (what the kids and I call it)             

Book: Desert Solitaire by Edward Abby. Many other faves but this inspired my love for the high desert.        

Type of music: All music has its place depending on mood and setting. And Tool!!!!

Food: Any Indonesian food and any grilled meats!            

Hobbies: Skiing, fishing, skiing, fishing, skiing, fishing, skiing, fishing.

If offered a dream vacation, where would you go, and why: Japan. Food, architecture, fast trains, Japanese car culture, fresh POWDER.

Best lesson learned as a child: I was being a typical kid and I was bellyaching about not wanting to eat a broken cracker. My father takes a cracker and breaks it in half and proclaims in a gruff voice, “I like the broken ones, they taste better!” To this day, I will snap a cracker in half before I eat it and remember my father in a fond way even though he was full of bull that day!!

Defining moment in your life or your greatest accomplishment: I slid down Mount Hood back in 2001 with a broken leg for over a mile after the resort was closed. Broke my leg around 7:30 pm and it took me two hours to get to the lodge to holler for help. I slid face first laying on my skis, using my poles as both brakes and a way to pull myself forward on the flat parts. I often go back to that for perspective when I’m facing challenges in life.

A memorable dinner: The times at the Zig Zag Inn when I’m with either child in my life individually. That one on one bonding over a milkshake and dinner sticks with you.

A funny moment from your life that you can share: My daughter had a homework assignment back in grade school. It was one of those "tell us about yourself" questionnaires. Favorite color, food, hobbies etc. One of the prompts was My father is... and My mother is...  " My daughter's answer was Mom is a good “cook” and My dad is good “at losing his keys.” She was late to school a lot!!!

If you could invite anyone (past or present) to dinner, who would it be, and why: Any of my grandparents. It would be interesting to experience them from my perspective after 54 years on the planet. To hear stories that were never told and write down recipes that are now lost to time.

Describe yourself in one word: Chaordic; (of a system, organization, or natural process) governed by or combining elements of both chaos and order 

When you're not reading The Mountain Times, what book/author/magazine/other do you read: Edward Abby, David James Duncan, Malcom Gladwell

If your life were made into a play or movie, what would the title be: High Functioning Ski Bum

Pet peeve: LED headlights

Bad habit you’d like to break: Losing my keys. See above!!!!!

Famous person(s) you have met, and the circumstances: Met Watsky at Warped tour with my daughter. Fished with a reclusive old timer and his kids  on the Deschutes for multiple seasons only to learn that was one of the people credited with a ton of the historical fly tying patterns. Dude that started dominoes pizza on a stage handed me a medal at a national academic thingy I went to in Florida in high school.

Favorite quote: when offered suger for my coffee. “No thanks, I’m sweet enough as it is” from the movie Snatch.

Favorite part of The Mountain Times: Community!!