Timberline Lodge ski area

Infobox ski area
name = Timberline Lodge

picture = MtHood-Timberline-MagicMile-Palmer.jpg
caption = 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
lat_dms = 45.330185
long_dms = -121.710663
vertical= Convert|3590|ft|m|0|abbr=on
top_elevation = Convert|8540|ft|m|0|abbr=on
base_elevation = Convert|4950|ft|m|0|abbr=on
skiable_area = 1430 acres (5.79 km²)
number_trails = 35
longest_run = 3.12 mi (5 km)
liftsystem = 6 chairlifts, 1 rope tow, 1 magic carpet
fast_quadchair = 4
triplechair = 1
doublechair = 1
lift_capacity= 8,100 skiers/h
terrainparks= Yes
snowfall = yearly snowfall: 45 ft (14 m)
average pack: 15 ft (4.6 m) [ cite web
url = http://www.timberlinelodge.com/mountain/winter_rates.shtml
title = Rates and Info
publisher = Timberline Lodge Ski Area
accessdate = 2006-09-15 ]
snowmaking=
nightskiing= Yes, 3 chairlifts
external_link = [http://www.timberlinelodge.com/ 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.

History

[
Pee Chee folder] 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. cite book
url = http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/notes/book/arthur-1998.html#arthur-1998-p13
first = Jean
last = Arthur
title = Timberline and a Century of Skiing on Mount Hood
id = ISBN 0-9645477-0-8 ] Before the Palmer chairlift, which provided access above the convert|7000|ft|m|-2|sing=on level, the conditions at Timberline allowed skiing from November through August.

Early days

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.

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. [ cite web
url = http://nwskiers.org/nwsa/index.htm
title = Northwest Skiers update
publisher = Northwest Ski Club Council
accessdate = 2007-01-06] 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. cite web
url = http://www.timberlinelodge.com/current_news/current_news_stillcreekbasin.php
title = Coming Winter 2007: Timberline opens Still Creek Basin and the new "Hydro" Express
publisher = Timberline Lodge ski area
accessdate = 2007-01-06 ] In anticipation, several new trails were cut during the summer of 2006.

Statistics

Vertical

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

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:

† 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.

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

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. cite web
url = http://www.timberlinelodge.com/more_info/faqs.php
title = Frequently asked questions
publisher = Timberline Lodge ski area
accessdate = 2007-01-15 ] 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.

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. [ cite web
url = http://www.firsttracksonline.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4
title = Beat the Heat: Summer Skiing on Oregon's Mount Hood
publisher = FastTracks Online Ski Magazine
date = July 172006
accessdate = 2007-01-15 ] Virtually every snow sport is offered in camps. Ski racing is the most popular, but snowboard camps like [http://www.highcascade.com/ High Cascade (HCSC)] and [http://www.windells.com/ Windell's Camp] are very popular. [http://www.mthood.com 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. [ cite web
url = http://www.timberlinelodge.com/ski_ride/summer_snow.php
title = Summer snow
publisher = Timberline Lodge ski area
accessdate = 2006-12-15 ]

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. cite web
url = http://nwskiers.org/event/indexGoldenRose.htm
publisher = Northwest skiers
title = Golden Rose Ski Classic
accessdate = 2007-01-15 ] It normally occurs early June [ cite web
url = http://www.timberlinelodge.com/events/events_calendar.php
title = Events Calendar
publisher = Timberline Lodge ski area
accessdate = 2007-01-15 ] as part of the Portland Rose Festival and attracts the world's top skiers. Previous winners include ski safety binding inventor Hjalmar Hvam (1937) [ cite web
url = http://www.cascadeskiclub.org/Hjalmar%20Hvam.htm
publisher = Cascade Ski Club
title = Hjalmar Hvam
accessdate = 2007-01-15 ] , 1948 Olympic gold medalist Gretchen Fraser (1938), John Frazer (1950), Howard Hermanson (1952) [The year of 1952 is cited by the main reference, but 1954 is given by cite web
url = http://www.brainstormnw.com/archive/dec05_feature.html
title = Stay & Play in Oregon—Don't leave now, the winter fun is just beginning!
publisher = Brainstorm NW
author = Bridget Lynch
month = December | year = 2005
accessdate = 2007-01-15 ] , 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).
* The "Masters Summer Fun in the Sun" is a ski race held mid-July.

Photo gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.kgw.com/livecams/popup_timberline.html Webcam at Timberline Lodge] , from the KGW website
* [http://www.youtube.com/v/hHtvPHfhHD0 Video short of Palmer snowcat in winter] on YouTube
* [http://www.mounthoodhistory.com/ History Web Site of the Mount Hood Area] www.mounthoodhistory.com