Skiing and snowboarding are popular winter sports that take lots of time to learn, but once you do, it’s so worth it! Both winter sports give you a chance to enjoy the crisp, fresh, winter air, and admire the beautiful nature of the mountains. Yet, weather, snow conditions, cost, and more can impact your time on the mountain. With that in mind, which ski resorts are going to give you the best mountain experience?
Mt. Hood is a popular mountain for snow sports because of its relatively close proximity to Portland — about a two-hour drive from the city. There are three main ski resorts located on the mountain: Mt. Hood Skibowl, Timberline Lodge, and my personal favorite, Mt. Hood Meadows.
Meadows opened in 1967 and is in between Skibowl and Timberline. It’s located near the top of the mountain, which depending on the weather, can be good and bad — depending on the person and what type of snow they like. For example: fluffy powder, a little bit slushy, or perhaps, if you like slipping around, ice. The prices are considered reasonable as well; adult day passes are between $60 and $164, and kids 7-14 are $79 for seven hours. My favorite time to go is after 3:00 p.m. because night passes are the cheapest, typically around $45. The prices may vary based on the day, conditions, and time of the year.
This resort has a great diversity of runs with something for everybody. There are a vast variety of greens (beginner), blues (skilled), and black diamond (most difficult) runs for people who enjoy a variation of terrain. Additionally, it’s a good resort for beginners since they have a small hill that helps with practicing the basics of skiing and snowboarding.
Meadows also has relatively new chairlifts that can seat up to six people. Plus, they slow down when you get on and off, making it helpful for beginners who perhaps are using a chairlift for the very first time. The lines for lifts go by fast because they have technology that scans passes automatically. President and General Manager of Meadows, Greg Pack, says, “we use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology from Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) and SkiData to automatically scan guests’ passes as they go through the gates to get to the lifts, which is significantly quicker than individually scanning passes by hand.” This is helpful because Meadows is a very popular resort. Pack says the busiest days at Meadows have around 6,000 people.
Even with so many people on the mountain, Meadows is prepared for any emergency. Pack says, “It all depends on the situation, but we have an incredible ski patrol and avalanche dog team here at Meadows who work exceptionally hard to keep guests safe.” Pack also explains that they have an on-site mountain clinic run by Providence Hospital that is filled with doctors, nurses, and x-ray techs who provide first aid and medical care for anyone in need. Overall, Meadows is a remarkable place to enjoy or learn how to ski and snowboard because of its lower prices, variety of runs, and safety features.
Skibowl can be found at the base of the Mt. Hood and is the smallest as well as the oldest of the three resorts, opening back in 1928. The prices there are moderate; adult day passes are $89 and kids 3-14 as well as seniors day passes are $58 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Night skiing is around $59. The runs they have are relatively harder than Meadows, though they do have some greens. Unlike Meadows, their chairlifts seat two people and are older so they don’t slow down when you get on and off. They also scan passes by hand, which takes more time, however it’s not much of a problem as Skibowl is less populated. The weather can be a little bit warmer because it’s at a lower altitude, and some people may prefer that.
Timberline is the resort at the very top of Mt. Hood. “It opened in 1938, and is one of the first U.S. ski areas to embrace snowboarding and building world-class terrain parks,” explains Timberline’s Marketing Manager and leader of Timberline’s DEI group Emily Stoller Smith. This allows the resort to promote greater diversity, equity, and inclusion as they have a wider variety of customers.
Since the resort is closest to the top of the mountain, it has beautiful views. Adult day passes are $145, teenagers 15-17 day passes are $119, and kids 7-14 and seniors day passes are $79 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It is the farthest from Portland, but not much farther than Meadows. It’s considered a family friendly resort, offering runs for beginner to intermediate levels. They also have relatively new chairlifts that sit between two and four people, making the lines not too bad. Stoller Smith says, “We use Siriusware to sell lift tickets and passes. Siriusware also provides the tech to scan.” According to Stoller Smith, with this technology they’re able to sell between 10,000 and 13,000 season passes per year. Their busiest days are winter weekends when there are up to 3,000 people on the hill.
Safety, like at all ski resorts, is a top priority. Stoller Smith says, “we employ a team of certified ski patrollers who work full time at Timberline. Their work is supplemented by trained volunteer patrollers (the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol) and Portland Search and Rescue as necessary. Our patrollers are constantly out on the mountain, preparing it for opening, patrolling throughout the day, and closing it out at the end of the day. They work by radio, so can be easily reached if someone is hurt and needs to be assisted. We also have a ski patrol room in the day lodge where the team attends to injuries. Additionally, many of our upper level managers are trained in basic first aid procedures.”
Overall, Timberline and Skibowl are great ski resorts, but I still prefer Meadows because of their chairlifts, runs, and faster technology. However, not everyone agrees with me that Meadows is the best ski resort. Samuel Meyer, one of the current coaches for the Eastside Ski Team, says his favorite ski resort on Mt. Hood is Skibowl. “Although it is smaller, it has my favorite runs, and it almost never has long lines, and is the best priced,” he says. Meyer has been skiing since 2004 at age two, and started racing at 7-years-old so he also has an expanse of knowledge about the mountain.
This winter, if you’re thinking about going skiing or snowboarding, or learning how to, I recommend you start at Meadows! Meadows has run options for any skill level, moderate prices, fast technology and chairlifts, and will make you feel safe while on the mountain.
