Takeaways From A First Timer's Trip To Timberline Lodge

Oregon — I was disappointed about how my New England ski season ended. I had a quality day at Black Mountain’s closing day party, but I typically end my season over at Killington on the Superstar Glacier. That didn’t happen due to the ongoing lift replacement, and their spring skiing setup ended up closing sooner than expected. This led me to get creative to secure one more day.

On July 9th, I decided to spend a day at the Timberline Lodge in Oregon. This was not only to scratch the skiing itch, but also to experience what summer lift-serviced skiing is like in North America. Here’s a recap of my experience there, along with what to expect if you decide to venture to Mt. Hood.

Getting There: If you’re looking for convenient access to skiing, Portland is underrated in that regard. It’s under a ninety-minute drive to reach Timberline Lodge from Portland International Airport. You can rent a car, with various options available at PDX. There is also the Mt. Hood Express, a year-round shuttle service. This convenience means that you can technically stay in Portland without having to drive too far. There are some, but not a large number of, hotels and rentals in the Government Camp area, including the famous Timberline Lodge.

The big debate for those who fly in is whether to bring their gear with them. I personally chose not to due to the hassle of bringing them with me on the previous stop of the trip (SLC). Rentals are available in Portland, but you can also pick them up at the ski resort, which has rentals available at the Wy’East Day Lodge.

The Setup: At the point that I skied in July, guests start by walking onto the Magic Mile chairlift (a detachable high-speed quad). After reaching the top, guests walk to a patch of snow, where they can briefly use their skis to reach the Palmer base terminal.

Guests then take off their equipment and hop back into their bindings once they cross over onto Palmer (another detachable high-speed quad), which leads to the vast majority of the skiable terrain. There’s a mid-station for Palmer, which is used by most when they are on the snow.

Earlier in the day, a decent chunk of the terrain is used by race teams. This led to some lift lines for the morning period. However, most teams end up leaving the slopes by the early afternoon, so the lines are basically walk-on by then.

There are various terrain parks, including those located in the Freestyle Training Center (FTC). This zone requires a separate ticket, which grants access to terrain parks for different ability levels. In this area are various surface lifts that allow terrain park users to easily lap this terrain.

Conditions were pretty, pretty good. A breezy day led to the snow being soft, but not too sticky. While it did warm up by the end of the ski day there, it wasn’t too bad.

To conclude your ski day, you can either ski down to the Lodge or take your skis off and take the Magic Mile chairlift down.

Conclusion: The Timberline Lodge summer experience may not be for everyone, but it’s a bucket list adventure for those who love to ski and/or snowboard. It’s especially appealing for those who love terrain parks, with an expansive network of jumps and rails. For ski aficionados, it’s an experience you’ll want to do at least once in your life, and can be a yearly rite of passage if you live close enough or have decent flight access that doesn’t result in a three-and-a-half-hour flight delay in which your plane takes off in the middle of the morning. Thanks a bunch, JetBlue.

Also worth visiting is the actual Timberline Lodge. Opened back in February 1938, this legacy project of the Works Public Administration is an architectural beauty. Even if you don’t stay there, walking around the facility is definitely worth it. To complete your experience there, try scaring someone by yelling out, “Here’s Johnny.”