Mount Hood Skibowl

Founded in 1928, Mount Hood Skibowl is the least developed major resort in the Mount Hood area and the closest to Portland. The ski area isn’t actually on Mount Hood—it sits on a mountain facing the distinctive volcano—and is lower in elevation than some competing resorts. While Skibowl certainly won’t be the right fit for the destination-goer crowd, local Oregonians who don’t care about niceties may find a lot to like here.

The first thing to know about Mount Hood Skibowl is that its hours of operation vary from a typical ski resort. Mondays through Thursdays, the resort doesn’t open until 3pm; the mountain only opens for daytime operations on Fridays, weekends, and holidays.

Instead, Skibowl is primarily focused on night skiing—the resort claims to offer the largest lighted skiable footprint in the United States. The night-skiing experience is strong, with available trails off every lift for visitors of all ability levels. Some trails are closed for night operations, but the large majority of terrain remains open.

Due to its lower elevation, Skibowl’s snow quality isn’t quite up to par with that of the larger resorts on Mount Hood. Accumulation is wet and heavy, and the resort often sees fog and rain throughout the season. That being said, the mountain can be a complete sleeper on a powder day and, with the right conditions, boast untracked lines for days after a storm. If powder hits on a weekday, Skibowl’s morning closures allow guests to arrive for 3pm fresh tracks—something that can’t be done essentially anywhere else. The mountain’s north-facing slopes help preserve conditions, with snow generally staying soft longer than the south-facing Hood resorts.

Spanning just 490 acres, Skibowl’s modest footprint can be covered in a few hours. The vertical drop, at just 1,500 feet, is paltry. Although no runs extend a particularly long distance, the resort features terrain for all ability levels.

Skibowl offers a decent percentage of mellow terrain, with beginner options off every lift, and a family-friendly atmosphere. However, the resort’s antiquated lift setup severely hurts its practicality as a good learning environment. Every chairlift is a center-pole-mounted double, leaving very little room for error when loading. The pole in the middle means that those who ride alone will be hanging off to the side. Loading difficulties for these chairs results in several misloads, leading to several very bouncy stops along the ride. Thankfully, Skibowl rarely, if ever, sees lines, so at least there’s no wait to get up the mountain.

Few blue runs exist at Skibowl, but for many, the best intermediate area will actually be the black-diamond terrain off Multorpor. These runs are no more difficult than a typical intermediate trail at another resort, and most receive regular grooming. The blue runs that do exist—chiefly off the Lower Bowl chair—are on the easier side, consistently groomed, and doable for low-intermediates.

Skibowl’s true advanced terrain can be found off the Upper Bowl chair. The area comprises a series of black-diamond runs that filter into the bowl area from which the resort gets its name. Guests on these runs will face steep pitches and difficult obstacles such as rocks and drop-offs. While this high-alpine experience is brief, it’s quite unique for such a small mountain.

Skibowl’s most challenging runs are in the Outback, an expert-centric area riddled with technical terrain. The entire area is fair game, and lines in here lead to precipitously-pitched cliffs and chutes. While not quite as extreme as the toughest mountains in North America, tenured skiers should still err on the side of caution when exploring this difficult, isolated terrain. Annoyingly, the Log Road runout can require a bit of catwalking to get out of.

Skibowl offers a series of terrain parks, but they’re rather ordinary and best for less-experienced freestylers. Features generally range from small to medium and include boxes, rails, and jumps. One nice feature is the freestyle learning area at the base, which spans only a couple-hundred feet, is separated from other trails, and receives dedicated rope-tow service.

While its raw footprint can’t match that of Meadows and Timberline, Skibowl’s key terrain is much more reliably open during peak times. At least some terrain directly off the main Upper and Lower Bowl lifts opens without fail, and more often than not, they’re entirely open.

The one Skibowl area that’s subject to variable openings is the Outback. This remote expert area needs considerable snowfall to fill in and is hampered by a low-elevation runout that often floods during warmer storms. Outback isn’t open for night skiing, so guests will have to hit Skibowl on a weekend day to access this area.

Skibowl maintains decent-enough signage across the resort, and most areas are relatively straightforward to reach.The one exception involves getting to the Cascade lift from other resort areas, which requires a lengthy catwalk and rope tow ride to get to from the base of Multorpor. However, given the very short drop and small amount of terrain serviced by Cascade (and weekend-only operating schedule), most will find this area isn’t worth the effort to reach.

Skibowl’s no-frills on-mountain facilities get the job done. The main base complex, Skibowl West, includes a lodge with indoor seating and a food shack with outdoor tables. Skibowl East—only open on weekends—also offers indoor and outdoor seating services. The one truly unique lodge at Skibowl is the warming hut, which sits at mid-mountain just below the base of the Upper Bowl lift. This compact but distinctive building, constructed out of stone and wood, offers food and bar services in a rustic, jovial atmosphere.

Lodging

As a no-frills local area, Skibowl lacks ski-in/ski-out accommodations. A few hotels, inns, and luxury condos exist just a short drive away in Government Camp, although they’re a bit pricey. For those without car access, the public Mt. Hood Express shuttle bus provides access from close-by towns for $2 each way.

More economical options can be found about 45 minutes away in the Portland suburb of Gresham, which features a number of hotel and home rental options.

Aprés-ski

Skibowl features a few nice restaurants with bar services on its premises. The atmospheres at these bars reach enjoyable levels, especially with the resort remaining open quite late for night operations. However, nobody will confuse these facilities for lively clubs. A few restaurants with bars exist in Government Camp, but they’re more focused on dinner than socializing.

Verdict

So Mount Hood Skibowl certainly won’t be the best option for a destination ski trip—especially given its limited daytime operating schedule. But the mountain offers some unique advantages, with uncrowded access, terrain for all abilities, and extensive night-skiing operations. Day tickets undercut the fancier Mount Hood resorts by quite a bit—and tickets for the renowned night experience can be had at a discount—making the mountain a solid, understated choice for those in the area.