Mt Hood Ski Resorts Still Open with Base over 15 Feet

While Timberline Lodge boasts year round skiing in Oregon, most other resorts close down a few months shy of summer. But this year may compare with the late skiing season of two years ago, when Mt Hood Meadows was able to keep lifts going until June.

“So long as our skier visits tally 4,000 or more on a weekend, we’ll commit to open the following weekend,” Matthew Drake, chairman and CEO of Mt. Hood Meadows, wrote on his blog. This is good news for skiers and snowboarders that wish to take advantage of cheaper spring season lift tickets and season passes.

This week, the weather has been that of a more typical Mt Hood spring season, with bright blue skies, warm air, and blooming wildflowers. But just last week, as order to remove snow-tires were issues, there was still a layer of snow on the roads as far west as Welches area. So far, no plans have been made to plow and open roads to snow-covered campgrounds, lakes, viewpoints, or hiking trails. But the good news is, you can rent a pair of snow-shoes and head into the snowy back-country of the Mt Hood wilderness area.

VEGETATE THIS WEEKEND!

Mt Hood Meadows - April 5th and 6th for Vegetate '08!

The longest running independently produced competitive freestyle ski and snowboard events in the Northwest is going on this weekend at Mt Hood Meadows. This awesome annual event is being presented by Salomon and Full Sail Brewing, and will feature the SuperPipe and the RailJam competitions, and almost $14,000 cash prizes as well as merchandise giveaways!

Originally, the concept of Vegetate grew out of a "native wildflower revegetation program" that helps raise money and awareness for the program, which collects and cultivates native grasses and wildflowers. Today, the event draws talent from near and far to compete in one of the biggest cash and prize pool this side of the Rockies!

You can register in advance on Friday, April 4th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Find more information online by visiting their website.

2nd Annual Full Sail Bank Slalom at Mt Hood Meadows on March 15th and 16th

Mt Hood Meadows has created a roller coaster of a course, designed for any level of skill. Complete with a large number of bank turns and surprise features, this event is for all ages of skiers and snowboarders. Winners will be chosen by division, and single best recorded time, and competitors will have two runs each.

All categories will include separate men's and women's divisions, and are: Junior Skiers, Junior Snowboarders, (Juniors are 17 years and under), Master's Skiing, Master's Snowboarding, (Masters are 40+ years), Open Skiing, and Open Snowboarding. There is a total prize pool of $4800 in cash and gift certificates, and online pre-registration offers GUARANTEED entry. Check out their website for more details.