The Snows Of Summer Keep Skills Honed At Oregon’s Timberline

It’s the middle of summer, but you’re skiing in the sunshine, whooshing down a wide, groomed slope.

On the next run over, Picabo Street and Tommy Moe are running gates.

It’s summer on Mount Hood, where Timberline Ski Area’s Palmer Snowfield stays open and the world’s best skiers and snowboarders gather to train and keep up their on-snow skills.

“It’s the new thing, if you want to be a hot racer, to not spend more than six weeks off the snow a year,” said Camille Reese, Timberline spokeswoman.

That’s worked out just right for Timberline, which opened the Palmer lift high up jagged Mount Hood in 1978 to allow for summer skiing.

“People thought, ‘You’re crazy, who wants to ski in the summer?’ ” said Timberline public affairs director Jon Tullis. “What we found out is a lot of people want to train in the summer.”

That includes the entire U.S. Ski Team, which will arrive at Timberline on Tuesday for two weeks.

Canadian, Japanese and Swiss national teams also train at Timberline, along with the U.S. snowboard and freestyle teams.

And hundreds of kids, from recreationists to Olympic hopefuls, attend summer ski and snowboard camps.

About 20 percent of those on the mountain in the summer are recreational skiers and ‘boarders who just want to take some runs and have fun.

There’s no question as to whether there will be snow.

Timberline announced in April that it had a whopping 401-inch base at the top of Palmer, which has an elevation of 8,500 feet.

In early June, the number was up to 430 inches, but has since dropped to about 375 inches.

That’s no record. Reese terms this year’s snowpack on Mount Hood “average.”

The high-elevation skiing has proven so attractive that Timberline will shut down Palmer on Aug. 19 this year to allow for construction of a new high-speed detachable quad chairlift by Doppelmayr of Austria.

The new lift will have some unique features. It will allow mid-way loading during the summer, to accommodate racers who want to ski the top section of the snowfield over and over during their training.

Detachable chairlifts allow the chairs to slow for loading and unloading, then accelerate for the ride up.

And its top lift shack will be a poured concrete structure dug into the mountain, to stand up to the ferocious weather the mountaintop sometimes sees and also be “as visually unobtrusive as possible,” Tullis said.

With the new chair in place, Timberline plans to open Palmer for winter as well as summer skiing.

Timberline is probably less known for its skiing than for the historic Timberline Lodge, built in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration.

If you’ve seen the movie “The Shining,” you’ve seen the lodge.

With its huge beams, giant stone fireplaces and rustic grandeur, Timberline Lodge displays the best work of scores of out-of-work artisans and craftsmen hired by the government during the Great Depression. It’s a national historic landmark.

But it’s also still very much an operating lodge and hotel, with 60 guest rooms, a dining room, two bars, and lounging areas with historic exhibits, fireplaces and couches.

A day lodge just down the hill houses the rental shop, ticket sales and cafeteria, and a 50-year-old restored stone-and-timber warming hut offers snacks and a view halfway between the lodge and the peak.

The weather is unpredictable, and Reese advises skiers to carry a day pack or fanny pack for extra layers, sunscreen, goggles and the like.

On my first trip, I encountered dense, drifting fog that obscured both the ground and the chair in front of me on the lift, then suddenly cleared to reveal a dramatic view of the peak of Mount Hood.

My next visit brought dazzling sunshine, and a panorama of forested hills and jewel-like mountain lakes that seemed to stretch forever.

The skiing includes intermediate and advanced terrain that’s groomed smooth for fast cruising, and another side that’s ungroomed. Depending on the weather, the snow can be hard and fast early on, but my sunny day found corn snow that was softening nicely well before 10 a.m.

Things got a little slushy down toward the lodge by 12:30, when we called it quits for the day, but it was still good up on top.

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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: If you go Timberline is located 55 miles east of Portland. From Spokane, take I-90 west to US 395 south, through the Tri-Cities and down to I-84. Turn west to Hood River, Ore., then head up scenic Highway 35 to Mount Hood. Summer skiing at Timberline is open from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., because that’s when snow conditions are best. Later in the day the snow turns slushy. Lift tickets are $29. Unfortunately, the resort offers no lower price for youngsters, even small children, which makes it somewhat unsuitable for families with little skiers who only like to take a few runs. Terrain is intermediate and advanced. Summer skiing this year runs through Aug. 19, to allow for construction of a new high-speed detachable quad chairlift. Normally, it runs from June through Labor Day. Rooms at historic Timberline Lodge range from $62 for a private bunkroom with a shared bath to $162 for a deluxe fireplace room. A mid-range room is $115, for one or two people. All rooms feature hand-made furniture and watercolor paintings of local wildflowers. Weekends fill up early, so book in advance. Reservations: (800) 547-1406. The lodge also has 3,700 feet of conference space for meetings, banquets, weddings, etc., and an outdoor heated pool and spa. Other lodging is available in funky Government Camp, a small town about 6 miles away that’s dominated by ski shops and snowboard camps, or an hour down the (incredibly scenic) road in Hood River. Ski racing camps sponsored by Timberline for families, masters, and ages 12 and up run about $1,000 for a week, including lodging, meals, skiing and coaching. There are also snowboard camps and other options, sponsored by various groups. Information: (503) 231-5402. Climbing is also popular on the mountain, and hikers and climbers can ride up the first 1,000 feet on the Magic Mile chairlift for a $6 fee ($3 for kids 7-12, younger kids free with a parent). That ride takes you to the bottom of the Palmer snowfield. Nearby are oppportunities for windsurfing, hiking, whitewater rafting, mountain bike trails, golf and sightseeing. For visitor information, call (503) 272-3311 for Timberline, or (800) 366-3530 for the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce.