Mt. Hood Skibowl
North America’s largest Night Skiing Operation
Best Night Skiing – Mount Hood Skibowl
Is it just me, or is there something special about night skiing/riding? Getting to see the alpenglow while swooshing down the slopes, seeing the sun set over a nearby mountain range while you’re standing on top of one, indulging in apres ski and then skiing some more! What could be better? While most major ski resort regions have night skiing in some form or other, there is nothing on this continent like the infamous and historic Mount Hood Skibowl!
With a motto of “Do it under the lights” and a mid-week operating schedule of 3pm-10pm, it’s no surprise that Skibowl is the reigning King of night skiing in America.
Skibowl is located off of U.S. Highway 26 about an hour and half East of Portland, Oregon. The resort resides in the Cascade Range at the foot of Mount Hood and it’s mostly Northern facing slopes offer skiers and riders great views of Hood on clear evenings.
Skibowl is comprised of two base areas, East and West with 4 old style chairlifts and several rope tows spread throughout the resort. Skibowl has plentiful groomed trail options for all skill levels, as well as some of arguably the steepest off-piste runs to be found in the area. Besides night skiing, Skibowl also has a huge tubing park at it’s Western base.
For drinks and grub, the Beer Stube and the 70 Meters Bar & Grill are located at the base of the mountain, as well as the historic Mid-Mountain Warming Hut. The friendly staff, great scenery of nearby Mount Hood, and free stickers make Skibowl a must shred and true gem of the Cascade Range.
If you ever find yourself swinging through Portland, Oregon, or on a powder hunting mission to Mount Hood, please do not overlook this awesome throwback of a ski area that brings back the old style charm with uncrowded slopes and great snow with powder stashes to spare!
Night Ski Operations
With an impressive 65 named runs spread over 960 acres on 1,500 vertical feet with a 3 mile long run and 4 chairlifts, the numbers do not lie, Skibowl is the King of Night Skiing in the USA. If the cool terrain and awesome snow doesn’t win you over, the great funky atmosphere surely will! What makes Skibowl so special is a combination of it’s quaint historical buildings, it’s low key and friendly vibe, old rustic chairlifts, epic terrain and uncrowded slopes.
Lift TIckets
Skibowl sells daily lift tickets at it’s automated ticker kiosks in the day lodge for $65, or they can be purchased online. No reservations required and tickets do not sell out. Skibowl is also a part of the Powder Alliance and honors reciprocation from it’s member passes during the Winter and Spring seasons. Skibowl sells a Winter “Fusion Pass”, as well as a Spring Pass.
Transportation
A “Sno-Park” permit is required by all vehicles to park at the Mt. Hood Skibowl parking lot. These can be acquired for $25 for an annual pass, or $4 per day. The parking lot gets a little busy on weekend evenings, but never fills completely. A ski shuttle called the Mt. Hood Express runs from the nearby town Sandy every couple of hours and costs $2 each way or $5 for an all day pass.
Amenities
Skibowl boasts 2 distinct base areas, each with it’s own lodge including bar & restaurant. Skibowl also has the historic “Warming Hut” which is a mid-mountain ski in bar with a cozy fireplace, a resident friendly feline to greet customers and has snacks, beer and wine to warm up skiers and boarders on cold Winter nights. Skibowl West also has a cafe and changing room.
Lift Ticket & Lodging Deals
Click here for lift ticket and lodging deals through GetSkiTickets.com
History of Mount Hood SKibowl:
Mt. Hood Skibowl’s beginnings can be traced back to 1928, making it one of the oldest operational resorts in America. The ski area began as two separate resorts, Skibowl and Multorpor (now known as Skibowl East). Skibowl’s name comes from the natural shape of its upper bowl, and Multorpor’s name came from the combination of Multnomah County, Oregon and Portland. 1928 the famous Jump Hill on Multorpor Mountain was developed by Everett Sickler. In 1935 work began on the historic warming hut located between Lower and Upper Bowl, completed in 1937. 1937, the first rope tow was installed at Skibowl, powered by an automobile engine, the tow was fast and riders held on with custom hooks. If you carried a gallon of gas to the top, you could ski for free. In 1949 George Beutler but the current Multipor Lodge. 1964 the two resorts were joined under the name Multorpor Inc. 1966 Skibowl’s world-famous night lighting was installed. Kirk Hanna purchased Skibowl in 1987 and expanded night skiing operations and restored the historic warming hut.
~ History source: United States Forest Service, fs.usda.gov
~ Logo Copyright Mt. Hood Skibowl.
Photos by:
Snow Life LLC
Annual Snowfall
Mt. Hood Skibowl benefits from an average of 300″ of snowfall annually, and they normally maintain a solid snow pack all the way through closing in April.
Vertical Drop
Mt. Hood Skibowl has a base elevation of 3,600ft and a summit elevation of 5,100ft for a total vertical drop of 1,500 vertical feet for skiing and snowboarding.
Season length
A normal season at Skibowl runs from mid-late December through early April for skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing. Then June – September for Summer Ops which includes an Alpine slide.
Trails & Acreage
During the daylight hours, Skibowl has 8 lifts running with 65 runs spread over 960 acres, and at night the resort shrinks down to 34 skiable runs as most of the tree skiing and gated runs are not lit.
Find out more information
Take a deeper dive into Mt. Hood skiing and the Portland area.
Get all the details at Local Freshies!
Location and Hours
Listed below is the address and Summer normal Summer operating schedule for Timberline Lodge Ski Area, in Government Camp, Oregon.
87000 US-26, Government Camp, OR. 97028
Winter Schedule: Daily from Mid-December to Early April
Winter Hours: Weekdays 3pm-10pm, Weekends 10am-11pm
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