Alpine Terrain, Stormy Weather Dominates Resorts Around Oregon's Mt. Hood
Among the nation's oldest, the ski resorts on or near Oregon's Mt. Hood that are known for their variety of size, terrain, conditions and vibe are standing the test of time.
All three of the ski and snowboard layouts -- Mt. Hood Meadows, Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Timberline Lodge -- attract thousands of skiers and riders from outdoor mecca Portland. Regardless of harsh Pacific weather, they come for the vertical drop, mile-long pitched runs, timberline exposure and a distinctly Northwest feel.
Open in 1939, Timberline Lodge climbs out of the trees and up the snowfields to 8,540 feet on southeast slope of Mt. Hood. It's America's only year-round mountain; snowfields host summer freestyle and alpine camps. High-end terrain parks move around the mountain for all seasons.
Layout is a bit quirky: Parking is at mid-mountain, so is eponymous lodge. Expert runs are only open in the summer, and a long, single runout ends at town hill Summit Pass in Government Camp.
Six of Timberline's eight chairlifts are detachable high-speeds. Lights shine late on Fridays and Saturdays, and only beds are at the historic lodge. Timberline Lodge is in Powder Alliance.
Around the cone to the east is Mt. Hood Meadows, open first in 1967. The largest of the four resorts at 2,150 acres, it's on the Indy Pass.
Every day, a half dozen chairs do the heavy lifting to get folks onto 2,000 acres of terrain. Learning zones are ample, and the super-pipe gets its own lift. Once above timberline, all alpine trails drop-in to Heather Canyon and hike-to Clark Canyon on the skier's far left, and long groomers cruise down on skier's far right.
Weekend crowds from close-by Portland can jam up traffic. Parking lots often fill up, necessitating shuttles, drop-offs, waiting lines. Part of Meadows, tiny Cooper Spur (50 a., 300 vert.) on the north slope is open Friday nights and weekends with one chairlift.
The village of Government Camp is home to Mt. Hood Ski Bowl (960 a., 1,500 vert.). Night skiing goes seven days a week, while lifts run in the daytime on weekends and holidays.
A Powder Alliance member, the lower mountain is tailor-made for leisure skiing and riding. But more than three-quarters of Ski Bowl is rated black or double black. That's because of the steeps that cover the upper mountain in a cirque between Ski Bowl Peak (5,027) and Tom Dick Peak (5,100).
First open in 1938, the mountain has an ancient lift system -- newest double Riblet went up in 1975 -- but the learning areas are amply staffed with short chairs, conveyors and platters.
