Timberline Lodge ski area

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Timberline Lodge
Timberline Lodge Ski Area, showing the Magic Mile and Palmer chairlifts with Silcox Hut at right center
Location:	Mount Hood, Oregon, US
Nearest city:	Government Camp 5 miles (8 km) south, Portland 60 miles (100 km) west
Vertical:	3,590 ft (1,094 m)
Top elevation:	8,540 ft (2,603 m)
Base elevation:	4,950 ft (1,509 m)
Skiable area:	1430 acres (5.79 km²)
Runs:	35
Longest run:	3.12 mi (5 km)
Lift system:	6 chairlifts, 1 rope tow, 1 magic carpet
Lift capacity:	8,100 skiers/h
Terrain parks:	Yes
Snowfall:	yearly snowfall: 45 ft (14 m) average pack: 15 ft (4.6 m)[1]
Night skiing:	Yes, 3 chairlifts
Web site:	Timberline Lodge

Timberline Lodge ski area is the ski and snowboarding area of Timberline Lodge, a National Historic Landmark in the U.S state of Oregon. It is one of a few ski lodges in the United States which is above ski-permissible terrain. It is located on the south face of Mount Hood, about 60 miles (95 km) east of Portland, accessible via the Mount Hood Scenic Byway.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early days 1.2 Future 2 Statistics 2.1 Vertical 2.2 Terrain 2.3 Lifts 3 Summer skiing 3.1 Summer camps 3.2 Events 4 Photo gallery 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

The lodge was constructed between 1936 and 1938 as a Works Progress Administration project during the Great Depression. That year, Timberline opened as Oregon's first destination ski resort with a portable rope tow. The next year, the Magic Mile chairlift opened, as well as Silcox Hut, which sits about one thousand vertical feet (300 m) and a mile (1.6 km) above the main lodge, and was the original unloading and warming hut.

Summer skiing and summer race camps began at Timberline in 1956.^[2] Before the Palmer chairlift, which provided access above the 7,000-foot (2,100 m) level, the conditions at Timberline allowed skiing from November through August.

[edit] Early days

Main article: Magic Mile

The Magic Mile chairlift was the longest chairlift in the world, and the second chairlift, of those built to be a chairlift when it opened in 1939. Financial troubles operating the Lodge and World War II closed it for several years during the 1940s and 1950s. The ski area has successfully operated since 1956.

[edit] Future

The Hydro Express detachable high speed quad chair proposal was approved. This lift will provide lower mountain advanced and expert terrain and improve circulation between Stormin' Norman and the rest of the ski area.^[3] The expanded ski area boundary greatly increases beginner terrain and adds new snowshoeing and nordic trails. Timberline intends to open it for the 2007-2008 season.^[4] In anticipation, several new trails were cut during the summer of 2006.

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Vertical

• 3,590' Winter
• 2,500' early Summer (April - July)
• 1,530' late Summer (July - October)

[edit] Terrain

Timberline categorizes the terrain as beginner 20%, intermediate 50%, advanced 30%. However, the Forest Service published an environmental impact statement containing more detailed information:

Terrain categorization by acres and comfortable guest usage
based on industry standard terrain density

Full ski area (Winter) Upper mountain closed (40% of Winter days) Terrain type Terrain definition slope gradient Acres Rider capacity † Capacity distribution Acres Rider capacity † Capacity distribution Beginner 8% to 12% 1.4 42.6 1% 1.4 42.6 3% Novice to 25% (30% short pitches) 37.6 677.2 14% 37.6 677.2 48% Low Intermediate to 30% (35% short pitches) 136.8 1,914.8 40% 23.6 329.8 23% Intermediate to 40% (45% short pitches) 55.5 555.3 12% 19.0 189.7 13% Advanced Intermediate to 50% (55% short pitches) 223.5 1,564.4 33% 24.1 168.6 12% Expert over 50% 1.3 3.9 0% 1.3 3.9 0% Total   456.1 4,758.2 100% 106.9 1,411.8 100%

[5]

† Rider capacity is the number of snowboarders and skiers the terrain area comfortably handles, and is not a measure of lift capacity. Page 7 of the reference details the industry standard, which ranges from 2-5 expert skiers per acre up to 25-35 beginners per acre.

[edit] Lifts

• 7 chairlifts, including 5 high speed detachable quads, one triple and one bunny slope double
• 1 rope tow for public use
• 1 magic carpet for ski school use

Chairlift detail

Lift Name Type Top elevation (ft) Bottom elevation Vertical rise Length (ft) Slope (%) Capacity (rides/hr) Speed (fpm) Lift Manufacturer Year installed Bruno fixed double 5,885 5,840 45 368 12% 630 300 Poma 1987 Molly's Express detach quad 5,835 4,990 845 5,244 16% 1200 1000 Doppelmayr 2000 Pucci fixed triple 5,920 5,350 570 3,398 17% 1,330 450 Poma 1987 Stomin' Norman detach quad 6,245 5,460 785 4,396 18% 1500 1000 Doppelmayr 2000 Magic Mile Express detach quad 6,990 5,915 1,075 5,359 20% 1600 950 Poma 1992 Palmer Express detach quad 8,470 6,940 1,530 5,468 29% 1800 1000 Doppelmayr 1996 Jeff Flood Express (Still Creek Basin) detach quad 6,020 4,850 1,170 6,506 18% 1800 1000 Doppelmayr 2007

[5]

[edit] Summer skiing

Timberline is the only ski area in North America to offer year round skiing. It is scheduled for two weeks closure each September for maintenance.^[6] Skiers, snowboarders, and sightseers ride up the Magic Mile chairlift to the Palmer Glacier and its lift, where most of the summer skiing takes place, particularly later in the season. In contrast to winter operations, the lifts are the busiest during the summer ski season Monday through Friday, mostly due to ski and snowboard camps. Besides organized clinics and camps, any intermediate or more advanced member of the public is welcome to ski or snowboard.

Summer ski hours are 7 am to 1:30 pm. During summer ski season, there is no novice or beginner terrain; low-intermediate terrain is available along the Mile. After approximately mid-June, it is necessary to walk at least part of the way to reload the Magic Mile, and feasible to ski to within a few hundred feet of the parking lot until mid-August. On warm days, most skiers leave by late morning due to soft and wet snow conditions. Public skiing is available, but rental gear may be limited. The Palmer lift is limited to skiers and snowboarders only (no foot passengers), with intermediate or greater skills.

[edit] Summer camps

Timberline hosts dozens of summer camps enrolling thousands of athletes throughout the summer: a busy mid-week, mid-season day has as many as 1,500 riders.^[7] Virtually every snow sport is offered in camps. Ski racing is the most popular, but snowboard camps like High Cascade (HCSC) and Windell's Camp are very popular. Mount Hood Summer Ski Camps have been a mainstay in the summer, hosting campers since the 1970s.

The summer camps are mostly organized as week long sessions, with on-snow activities in the morning and a variety of other activities in the afternoon, such as river rafting, mountain biking, hiking, trampoline, wind surfing, etc.^[8]

[edit] Events

• The Golden Rose Ski Classic is an annual race which began in 1936. It is the oldest known organized ski race in America, and is the only USSA-sanctioned summer race.^[9] It normally occurs early June^[10] as part of the Portland Rose Festival and attracts the world's top skiers. Previous winners include ski safety binding inventor Hjalmar Hvam (1937)^[11], 1948 Olympic gold medalist Gretchen Fraser (1938), John Frazer (1950), Howard Hermanson (1952)^[12], Christian Pravda (1954), Chris Ditfurth (1956), Ron Hebron (1957, 1961, 1963 and 1965), Kiki Cutter (1968), Steve Mahre (1974), Bill Johnson (1979 and 1981), Mary Mathews (1982), Phil Mahre (1983), Debbie Armstrong (1983), Eva Twardokens (1984), David Lyons (1984), and Tamara McKinney and David Lyons (1985).^[9]
• The Masters Summer Fun in the Sun is a ski race held mid-July.

[edit] Photo gallery

Loading area for 1940s skyway ski lift	Skyway departs from the lower terminal	Rope tow on bunny hill with hotel visible at top.	Bunny slope with chairlift. The top and the bottom are both visible as well as the wide, gentle slope.
Front of Timberline Lodge in winter with 202 inches (5.1 m) snow	Silcox Hut near the top of the Magic Mile sometimes provides hearty lunches and overnight accommodation for small groups	Lower terminal of Magic Mile	The Bruno's chairlift is a favorite among kids and parents alike
Children from 4 to 8 enrolled in Timberline ski school's Bruno's Kids Club often start on this magic carpet	The first three jumps of the easiest of the terrain parks at the top of Conway's Corner	Timberline offers convenient access for search and rescue teams setting out on December 17, 2006 to search for three missing mountain climbers.	The Pacific Crest Trail passes through Timberline's ski area

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Webcam at Timberline Lodge, from the KGW website
• Video short of Palmer snowcat in winter on YouTube
• History Web Site of the Mount Hood Area www.mounthoodhistory.com

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