Every February, the Hood River Open convenes 20 players in the cozy Panorama Lodge to eat, sleep, and play together. The lodge is a charming log cabin in the woods, lit inside and out with festive Christmas lights year-round.  On the wide main floor, we have plenty of tables to accommodate all games and a massive snack table. Upstairs and downstairs are bedrooms and a second living area. From the playing space, players enjoy views of exquisite sunsets over the rolling hills and Mt. Hood.

Living in the same lodge for three days atop a snowy hilltop builds a unique cohesion among the group. From doing dishes and data entry to setting up the burrito bar and sharing bedrooms, everyone comes together to make the weekend run smoothly. The group of players varies each year, but we have always ended up with the warm kind of people who will dig each other’s car out of the snow and carry their friend up the hill when he’s injured. It’s that spirit and camaraderie that I love most about Hood River.

As directors, Evans and I try to make the journey to the tourney easy and provide a fun experience for everyone who walks in the door. It’s a ton of work, and we love it. Evans arranges airport carpools for all players so that most don’t have to rent a vehicle. The all-inclusive lodging fee pays for three nights of lodging and all meals, snacks, and drinks for $33/night. Evans keep food costs low for everyone by cooking the meals in-house from scratch, tailoring his tasty creations to our players’ individual dietary needs. Conrad Bassett-Bouchard’s grilling talents showcase meats and veggie burgers from the lodge’s outdoor grill. 

The Hood River Open features more than just the tournament. In the evenings, the outdoor fire pit becomes the site of crackling conversation. The town boasts several outstanding local breweries. Last year, our players split into four teams to solve a Scrabble-themed whodunit murder mystery, complete with confidential dossiers, interconnected alibis, and puzzles that I created specific to the players present. Evans took the lead this year and wrote an original puzzle hunt as a sequel to last year’s murder mystery, with plenty of solving challenges and tributes to the players attending. This year as well, trivia master Jeremy Cahnmann will host a trivia contest. Offering these types of after-hours entertainment brings our players together in new and fun ways, supplementing other common entertainment options including Anagrams, Things, Werewolf, and Codenames. 

Each year, I have created a personalized keepsake so that every player can take a piece of Hood River home with them. This year, to celebrate Hood River’s third anniversary, I custom ordered racks engraved with each player’s name or nickname from Kenyan Scrabble player Gitonga Nderitu.

With so much warm camaraderie in a winter wonderland, Hood River holds a special place in my heart. Evans and I do all we can to offer a unique tournament experience to both new and returning players. This year, you can follow the fun and games at Hood River live on the CoCo’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.