Mt. Hood Meadows, OR, Conditions Report: 50,000 Vertical Feet for a 50th Birthday Report from Tuesday, January 28, 2025 My buddy Russ is old. Way older than me. He recently turned 50, and to commemorate the milestone, he wanted to ski 50,000 vertical feet in one day. Of course, I was more than willing to do it with him. With enduring high pressure and a forecast for sun and high temperatures in the […] Conditions Report Brent Thomas | January 29, 2025 0 Comments
Mount Hood, OR, Backcountry Report: Fresh Snow on a Big Base Report from Tuesday, December 10, 2024 There are a lot of ways to enjoy the south side of Mount Hood, Oregon. With a sunny day between storm cycles, I wanted to test the area west of Timberline Resort. In particular, I wanted to ski around the Little Zigzag River. I skinned from Timberline to a few hundred feet above Palmer. […] Conditions Report Nicky Blumm | December 12, 2024 0 Comments
Timberline Lodge, OR, Announces Final Day of Skiing While most ski resorts in North America have been closed for months, there is still time to hit the slopes at Timberline Lodge, Oregon. August is synonymous with summer, but there is still snow at Timberline in the Pacific Northwest. Timberline boasts the longest ski season in the country, usually operating well into September. The skiing takes place on the […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | August 15, 2024 2 Comments
Top 7 Resorts for Night Skiing in the U.S. A select number of resorts offer night skiing and riding across the United States, and those who have experienced it before know that the feeling of riding under the stars is second to none. Night riding is so popular because runs are less crowded, and experiencing the thrill of snow at night in the dark gives a mystical feeling. It’s […] Industry News Jack Bynum | July 25, 2024 1 Comment
Mount Hood, OR, Backcountry Report: Summiting Hood Report from May 19, 2024 Mount Hood presides over the city of Portland, Oregon, from 11,249 feet— the highest point in the state. Summiting Mount Hood is a feather in the cap of any Pacific Northwest mountaineer or backcountry skier. On Sunday morning, I met two riders from Washington— Adam Pikielny and Moses Lurbur— in the Salmon River Lot of […] Conditions Report Nicky Blumm | May 20, 2024 0 Comments
Mt. Hood, OR, Backcountry Report: Snowy Celebration Report from May 1, 2024 Starting May with a foot of fresh snow is one of the reasons I cherish living in the Pacific Northwest. I treated myself to a late start, skinning from the Timberline Lodge, Oregon, up toward Crater Rock around 8:00 a.m. Within ten minutes of leaving the parking lot, the clouds had cleared, the sun was […] Conditions Report Nicky Blumm | May 2, 2024 0 Comments
Mt. Hood, OR, Backcountry Report: It’s Hard to Hate Spring Report from Monday, April 8, 2024 Even though it’s hard to hate spring, I really do resent it. The extra hours of sun eat away at the snowpack and erase all the dust from the trees. Sure, it’s the natural seasonal cycle, but it feels like spring comes early every year. My first spring tour was up Mt. Hood’s east slopes. I […] Conditions Report Nicky Blumm | April 9, 2024 0 Comments
Mt. Hood (Wy’East) vs Crater Lake (Giiwas), OR, Historic Snowfall Comparison When it comes to big snowfall totals in the state of Oregon, two sites remain supreme for their heavy annual snowfall and greatest snow depth recorded at one time. These sites are Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon and Timberline on Mt. Hood in northern Oregon. You might be asking why I chose these specific sites in Oregon. I […] Brains Matthew Oliphant | February 26, 2024 0 Comments
Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, OR, Backcountry Report: Ice Above and Powdery Trees Report from January 15, 2024 After the incredible storm system of the past week, I couldn’t help but double dip with a second weekend trip to the Ski Bowl area. The road from Portland to Sandy was mostly clear with snow in the middle and frozen slush on the shoulders. Heading up the pass, road conditions deteriorated to packed snow […] Conditions Report Nicky Blumm | January 17, 2024 0 Comments
Tom Dick and Harry Mountain & Ski Bowl Backcountry, Oregon After so long without a base, Oregon terrain has finally received enough snow to make it feel like real winter. Although Timberline is currently #2 on the North American snowpack list, I went to a local haunt to tour during the storm while Timberline was borderline whited-out. A tour up Tom Dick and Harry Mountain coupled with some hard-earned powder […] Nicky Blumm | January 12, 2024 0 Comments
Mt. Bachelor, OR, Resort: Ringing in the New Year and Hoping for Snow Report from 1/1-2 at Mt. Bachelor/Bend and 12/31 at Mt. Hood. Ringing in the beginning of 2024 at Mt. Bachelor bodes for a good year to come. A group of six of us traveled from Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA, to Bend, OR, to celebrate together for the first two days of the new year in my hometown. We were […] Nicky Blumm | January 11, 2024 0 Comments
Mt. Hood Meadows, OR, Report: Delayed Opening, First Chair, and Deep Powder After a Blizzard Report for Wednesday, January 10, 2024 I had planned to ski Mt. Hood Meadows on Tuesday this week, however, due to the first official blizzard to hit Mt. Hood in over a decade, the resort was closed. Thankfully, I was able to work my schedule to come the next day. As forecasted, the morning report showed 31 inches had fallen […] Conditions Report Brent Thomas | January 11, 2024 0 Comments
Mt. Hood, OR, is Experiencing the Worst Start to a Ski Season in 34 Years The snowfall across much of the U.S. this winter has been disappointing. Although plenty of resorts are open, the average snowpack is well below historical averages. Perhaps nowhere else is this more apparent than on Mt. Hood, Oregon. The current settled snow at the base at Timberline Lodge is a measly 26 inches. Typically, by January 1 at the resort, […] Industry News Brent Thomas | December 31, 2023 0 Comments
Mt. Hood, OR, Backcountry Report: Ice on Mt. Hood Report from Sunday, December 17, 2023 When it is your buddy’s birthday, and he drives up from California for a tour, you go touring, even if the turns are less than silky. Sunday, December 17th, on Mt. Hood, Oregon, was a saga of ice and… shaved ice. Although Timberline Resort had Bruno, the Miracle Mile, and Palmer up and running, […] Conditions Report Nicky Blumm | December 19, 2023 0 Comments
Mt. Hood Meadows, OR, Suspends Operations Due to Rain It has been a slow start to the ski season in the Pacific Northwest. It looked promising when two feet of snow fell on Mt. Hood at the beginning of December. However, that was quickly squashed by an atmospheric river that dropped over seven inches of rain. The rain decimated the snowpack, leaving the snow more brown than white. Another […] Industry News Brent Thomas | December 13, 2023 0 Comments
Paid Climbing Permits Have Arrived at Mt. Hood, OR, with Quotas Likely to Follow Climbers and skiers attempting to summit Mt. Hood, OR will soon have to pack an extra piece of gear: their wallet. The Forest Service announced that starting in January 2024, climbers and skiers venturing above 9,500 feet will be required to purchase a $20 climbing permit. The collection of this fee is intended to fund a Climbing Ranger Program, to […] Zach Armstrong | November 21, 2023 0 Comments
Mt. Hood, OR, Backcountry Report: Early Season Turns on Crater Rock Report from Monday, November 20, 2023 When I saw how snow-covered Mt. Hood looked from a plane this weekend, I knew it was time to get back on the slopes, especially after Sunday’s weather. While Sunday’s storm was not quite as big as we had hoped, there was still some new fluff to enjoy. I left Portland around 6:45 a.m. […] Conditions Report Nicky Blumm | November 21, 2023 0 Comments
The New Mt. Hood Express Six-Seater Lift at Mt. Hood Meadows, OR, is Officially Ready for the Season The Mt. Hood Express lift at Mt. Hood Meadows has been the primary workhorse lift out of the base area for the last 29 years. Originally constructed in 1994, over its life it has racked up an impressive 50,000 hours of service, including the night ski operations at the mountain. During that time an estimated 32.5 million passengers have been […] Industry News Brent Thomas | October 30, 2023 0 Comments
First Turns of the Season on Mt. Hood, OR — Get Pumped for the Season Report from Thursday, October 26, 2023 It’s here! It’s here! The first snow of the year touched down on the glorious south side slopes of Mt. Hood this week. Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to spend the morning (and most of the day) in the snow above the famous Timberline Lodge. Let’s start with the drive. From Portland, once I […] Conditions Report Nicky Blumm | October 30, 2023 0 Comments
[VIDEO] First Powder Day of Winter 23/24 in Oregon An arctic airmass has brought the first serious snowfall to Oregon, delivering some early season powdery delight to Oregon ski areas. The Santiam Pass between Willamette Valley and Central Oregon was covered in snow and the Oregon Department of Transportation (‘ODOT’) have been busy keeping roads safe. Mt Hood Meadows and Timberline Lodge have received around a foot of snow […] Industry News SnowBrains | October 26, 2023 0 Comments