Oregon’s 13 ski areas offer a huge range of skiing, snowboarding and other snow sports fun — from bombing the black diamond to chilling on the bunny hill. We’ve got terrain parks, snow shoeing trails and snow parks for tubing – not to mention summer skiing on Mt Hood. We capture below what’s new and happening around Oregon this winter for the 2017-18 ski season
Portland
Set against the backdrop of snow-capped Mount Hood, vibrant Portland offers a quirky yet cosmopolitan atmosphere with friendly, small-town warmth. Recognized for being one of the most livable cities in the US, Portland is surrounded by natural beauty. This hip, eco-focused city is known for its distinctive neighborhoods, beautiful gardens, craft beer, indie music scene, great shopping (there’s no sales tax in Oregon!) and restaurants whose chefs insist on local, sustainable ingredients to build their menus. Portland is just an hour from Mount Hood, a short drive from dozens of Pinot Noir (and other varietals) producing wineries, an hour-and-a-half from the rugged Oregon Coast and within 45 minutes of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Come to Portland and discover abundant opportunities to enjoy world-class arts and cultural offerings – plus easy access to outdoor activities, including hiking, rafting, bicycling, windsurfing, snow-sports and more!
- Beer: With 67 breweries (more than any other city on earth) and new locally crafted beers being tapped each day, it’s no wonder Portland is nicknamed “Beervana.”
- Tax-free shopping: Whether you’re in the market for a big purchase from a designer brand or looking for that perfect handcrafted souvenir, Portland has it — with zero sales tax.
- Culinary: Surrounded by fertile farmland and fresh produce, Portland is brimming with the country’s most ambitious, talented and inspired chefs, who often allow their weekly farmer’s market hauls to dictate their menus.
- Outdoor adventure: In Portland, you’re only an hour away from jumping off a ski lift or hopping on a snowboard at Mount Hood, windsurfing on the Columbia River or beachcombing on the rugged Oregon Coast — or you can hike or bike abundant, forest-lined trails without leaving the city.
Mt. Hood Skibowl
Less than an hour east of Portland, Mt Hood Skibowl is home to the Snow Tube and Adventure Park, offering snow tubing and a range of other activities, making it a favourite for families and non-skiers. Skibowl also features the largest night ski area in the USA with 34 fully lit runs. Skibowl also boasts the most black diamond runs in the state and some of the best terrain on Mt Hood. When night falls, Cosmic Tubing is another highlight where participants enjoy more than 600,000 LED lights, laser light shows, black lights, colored lights and rocking music all while tubing. Tubers don’t need to worry about walking up the hill with the large tubes but instead can jump on the tubing conveyor lifts and relax all the way to the top. www.skibowl.com
New and Notable:
- Winter Snow Tube and Adventure Park – An additional conveyor lift will increase the capacity of tubing for both day and Cosmic Tubing®, resulting in fewer lines and more tubing. Expansion of the Cosmic Tubing® laser shows and additional larger LED action screens. A live DJ on Friday and Saturday nights from December 15th-March 24th. Cosmic Tubing® expands operations to include Sunday nights from 5-10pm.
- More transportation – Skibowl offers a free shuttle service between Eastside and Westside on weekends and holidays. The Mt. Hood Express also offers transportation from Sandy and Government Camp. Visit Mt Hood Express for current hours of operation
Timberline Lodge & Ski Area
Timberline Lodge & Ski Area is Oregon’s only ski-in, ski-out resort with the base of the mountain at 1,829m. It boasts North America’s longest ski season operating year-round on Palmer Snowfield. The Pacific Northwest’s longest vertical drop at 1,125m is a highlight on the mountain skiing from the top of Palmer Express to the bottom of Still Creek Basin. The Timberline Lodge itself was built in 1937 and is famously known for being featured in the movie The Shining. Now a National Historic Landmark, Timberline Lodge is today still enjoyed by guests for both day use and overnight stays. www.timberlinelodge.com
New and Notable:
- Mt. Hood Brewing Co. presents their Timberline Tucker Double IPA – The Timberline Tucker Double IPA (featuring the Tucker Snowcat on the label) is a massive punch of grapefruit and pine, with a solid platform of rich malt to balance. Available in cans and on tap, Timberline Tucker can be enjoyed at the Mt. Hood Brewing Co. in Government Camp and at the Y’Bar and Phlox Point Cabin at Timberline Lodge.
- New website – www.timberlinelodge.com – with a modern yet nostalgic feel and easier to use with lively photography that tells the unique story of historic Timberline Lodge and Ski Area.
- Meet Bruno: Timberline Lodge welcomes Bruno, the new St. Bernard Mascot. Meet Bruno at Timberline’s Wy’east day lodge most Tuesdays through Saturdays
Mt Hood Meadows
Mt. Hood Meadows offers some of the most spectacular skiing and snowboarding in the Pacific Northwest. Boasting more than 2,150 acres (870.1ha) with options for downhill, backcountry and cross-country skiing. With 85 trails, and 11 lifts, queuing isn’t an issue here and the wide-open terrain of the Cascade Express Lift offers incredible panoramic views half-way across Oregon. Meadows is a big mountain experience, with plenty of acreage to keep skiers and snowboarders busy for days, and enough character that they will remember their time on these trails. https://www.skihood.com/
New and notable:
- 50th Anniversary Season Celebration – Mt. Hood Meadows will commemorate its Golden Anniversary season with special events, 50th anniversary deals, a Golden Ticket giveaway culminating in a huge PARTY on January 27, 2018, with the awarding of a 50-year season pass!
- Buttercup Lift Replacement – Mt. Hood Meadows replaces a 2-seater beginner chairlift with a SkyTrac fixed grip quad doubling uphill capacity. The lift features a novel ChairKit loading carpet – a conveyer that makes it easier for beginners to load, particularly children with an automated height adjustment. The realignment of the lift will double the learning terrain available for the 17/18 season.
- Hood River Meadows Lodge Renovation – The base facility at Hood River Meadows is being remodeled to provide expanded seating and more culinary options for guests.
- New Live Stream Mountain Cams – View live video streams from two new high definition cameras located at the top of the Blue lift and the bottom of the Vista Express lift.
- Terrain Park Rated Top 10: The Newschoolers.com Park Poll has rated Mt. Hood Meadows terrain parks among the best in the North America. The Park Poll results were announced Friday and Meadows Parks were rated 7th in North America
Central Oregon
Mt Bachelor
Mt Bachelor is located next to the town of Bend, Oregon. Bend is to Oregon what Queenstown is to New Zealand or Banff is to Canada. The mountain is the sixth largest ski resort in the USA, offering 4,318 acres of lift-accessible terrain. The mountain features 11 lifts, eight of which are Express Quads. Mt. Bachelor also features five terrain parks, 56 km of groomed cross-country trails, snowshoeing, tubing, sled dog rides and summer attractions including downhill mountain biking. Mt. Bachelor is part of POWDR, a family owned and operated adventure lifestyle company. www.mtbachelor.com.
New and notable:
- Investment – POWDR is investing $2.5 million to improve the Mt. Bachelor guest experience this winter.
- Longer season – Mt. Bachelor plans to begin its 59th winter season in late November, weather and conditions permitting. The resort intends to offer one of the longest ski and snowboard seasons in the world again this year, with lift operations planned through May.
- Kids Ski FREE – Kids 12 and under ski FREE at Mt. Bachelor (no blackout dates or restrictions) with the advance purchase of a 3-or more day adult lift ticket.
- Pure30 Pass – Live like a mountain local for 30 straight days. Embrace the mountain way of life that flows through the outdoor mecca and microbrew capital of Bend, Oregon. The Pure30 Pass is valid for any 30 consecutive days during one of the longest winter seasons in the country with no restrictions, or blackout dates. Go for 30, and experience the pass that is beyond epic. https://www.mtbachelor.com/tickets-passes/season-pass/#pure30
Big Mountain Heli Tours
The Winter Wonderland Helicopter Touris perfect for Bend visitors who want to experience and explore as much of our magnificent snow-capped Cascade range as possible. The Cascades are a unique part of the Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire, the ring of volcanoes and associated mountains around the Pacific Ocean. In fact, all of the eruptions in the contiguous US over the last 200 years have been from Cascade volcanoes. You’ll be front and center to see the after effects of our last “big one” at Broken Top Mountain 100,000 years ago, revealing the colorful insides of our very own complex stratovolcano and high altitude glacial lake at 3048 metres. Flights are 1 hour in length and sell for $329USD per person with the third person paying $91USD.https://flycascades.com/heli-tours/
