Resort Skiing and Riding
Let’s face it. Mt. Hood is stormy. It’s the highest point around for hundreds of miles. What do you expect? That doesn’t mean you can’t have excellent skiing in the middle of a storm.
Storms bring powder, duh.
Come ski season, you’ll find the snow/rain/storm forecast here. Until then, go train for turns!
There are four ski areas within an hour of Hood River: Skibowl, Mt. Hood Meadows, Cooper Spur and Timberline. Mt. Hood Meadows’ most coveted feature is the experts-only open bowls of Heather canyon, along with the top-ten rated Superpipe. In spring, ski hikers can access Superbowl’s black-diamond terrain by skinning or boot-packing an additional 1700 feet.
Skibowl boast the steepest tree skiing on Mt. Hood, but its lower elevation causes problems in warmer ski season. Outdated two-seat chairs access the best terrain, keeping crowds at bay and powder untracked all day long. Semi-open ski area boundaries access the fabulous backcountry bowls of Tom, Dick and Harry peaks.
Timberline, the highest area on Hood, is the starting point for mountaineers and ski mountaineers. Timberline has an open boundary, allowing knowledgeable backcountry travelers to access steep, untracked backcountry terrain. Timberline remains open all but two or three weeks of the year, giving mid-summer ski junkies their fix.
Okay – Maybe Teacup Nordic is not quite a resort. But just 30 minutes from Hood River, and before you get to the Meadows, it does offer the very best groomed cross country skiing (x-c skiing or Nordic Skiing) in this part of the state! With 21 kilometers of double tracked 13 ft wide skating and striding there are trails for all ability levels and on weekends and every Wednesday (plus every day during holiday school breaks) the fire warmed comfy cabin is open right in the middle of it all and just a few hundred yards up a groomed track from the Teacup Sno-Park parking lot.