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Head to Hood for
winter fun
Mountain's the place
for skiing, snowboarding,
tubing, snowmobiling
January 4, 2008
By Mike Bailey of
The Columbian
Area
residents looking
for winter fun
can find it less
than an hour's
drive away at
Oregon's Mount
Hood. If you're
considering an
outing to the
mountain, here
are a few tips
to make the excursion
more enjoyable.
Know
your options
The largest ski
area on the mountain
is Mt. Hood Meadows,
but Timberline
Lodge and Ski
Area recently
added 200 acres.
The opening of
the Still Creek
Basin doubled
Timberline's lower
ski and snowboard
recreational area,
and added eight
new alpine trails,
including the
Kruser trail,
the resort's longest
at 1.5 miles.
The expansion
gives Timberline
3,620 vertical
feet of skiing,
the second most
in the Northwest.
The new Jeff
Flood Express
chairlift serves
the Still Creek
Basin. At 1.2
miles long, it's
Mount Hood's longest
chairlift. It
takes skiers a
bit more than
six minutes to
ride back up the
mountain.
All major resorts
on the mountain
offer night skiing,
but are limited
to one or two
runs each. Your
best bet for skiing
after dark is
Mt. Hood Skibowl,
a 960-acre resort
near Government
Camp. A story
in this month's
issue of Ski Magazine
ranks Skibowl
as the largest
night-skiing area
in the U.S. with
34 of its 65 runs
lit after dark.
Slide
on the wild
side
A trip to the
mountain isn't
all about skis
and snowboards.
Several locations
offer groomed
hills for riding
on an inner tube.
Most locations
do not allow personal
sleds or inner
tubes. Equipment
is included in
fees to use the
runs.
Mt. Hood Skibowl
has three inner-tube
runs and an automatic
rope tow to make
the trip up the
hill less strenuous.
One run is designed
for children.
Another is for
all family members.
The third, called
the Extreme Tube
Hill, is an adrenaline
junkie's delight
with more speed
and longer runs.
It's only open
if there's enough
snow, however,
and at presstime,
it was closed.
Cost is $13 for
two hours or $20
all day.
Summit Ski Area
near Government
Camp and Snow
Bunny, about 1 ½ miles
north of Summit
on U.S. Route
26, also offer
tubing - but lack
rope tows. An
all-day pass is
$10 at Snow Bunny
and $12 at Summit.
Cooper Spur Mountain
Resort, about
18 miles north
of Government
Camp, has tubing
with one run open
daily and a second
run open depending
on snow levels.
Both have rope
tows. Cost is
$10.
Hundreds of tubers
also gather each
weekend to tube
free at the mountain's
White River West
and Little John
sno-parks. These
spots are not
managed by any
resort and are
part of the wilderness
area of the Mt.
Hood National
Forest. Tubers
save a few dollars
but take risks
by using these
undeveloped areas.
No sleds are allowed.
Take
a motorized
ride
Snowmobiles are
permitted on wilderness
trails in designated
areas on Mount
Hood. Some locations
ask for a donation
to use the paths
but the only fee
is the Sno-Park
permit required
for parking in
all recreational
areas. Snowmobile
routes are at
www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood
.Click on the "recreational
activities" link
on the left, then
on "winter
activities," then
click on the "snowmobile
use" link
at the top of
the Web page.
Maps also can
be picked up at
the ranger stations
on the way to
Mount Hood in
Sandy and Zigzag
along U.S. Route
26.
Mt. Hood Skibowl,
the only resort
on the mountain
with a permit
to rent the vehicles,
offers snowmobile
tours.
Two- or four-hour
tours include
introductory lessons
and a helmet.
Jackets, pants
and boots are
available for
rent. Six snowmobiles
are available
for each trip
with four of those
vehicles capable
of carrying two
people. Cost ranges
from $130 to $250.
Reservations are
required through
mthoodadventure.com
. At this Web
site, click on "winter," then
on "snowmobiling" on
the right.
Don't
pass on the
pass
To avoid a possible
$30 parking ticket
after a day of
playing in the
snow, be sure
to purchase a
Sno-Park permit
in advance. The
permits are required
at all resorts
and designated
winter recreational
parking areas
on Mount Hood.
Cost is $4 per
day or $22 for
the season, which
runs through April
30.
Permits are transferable
from vehicle to
vehicle and are
sold at Department
of Motor Vehicle
offices, ski resorts
and many sporting
goods stores.
Clark County
residents are
better off purchasing
a Washington Sno-Park
permit, which
is also honored
in Oregon, California
and Idaho. An
Oregon permit
on a car with
Washington license
plates won't be
honored in a Washington
recreational parking
area.
ON THE WEB: mthood.info
has additional
recreational information
as well as links
to all resorts
on Mount Hood |
