Mt Hood - which resort is best-

I'd like to throw in Mt Baker...not sure how good it is, but I know it's not too far from Hood(pretty sure). Might wanna check that out too.

i say the one you are on

@ iamtrye - I know where you live.

@ TGOD - why do you like Meadows best?

I think they all have there equal value when you look at what you want to do.

Timberline: It's my absolute favorite to ride alone. The Magic Mile lift takes you up the face of Hood (Palmer lift, if open, takes you to the highest ski-able area on Hood - if you aren't hiking up further). You aren't going to bomb down these runs but it's WIDE open. No tress up there and a ton of little snow blown kickers, whoop-ti-do's and lips that I have a blast hitting. It can be a bit rocky depending on how much snow they have up there and it can be a bit windy as well. Below the treeline I almost never go. I'm not one to enjoy groomed runs. I like to go find my own fresh, untracked areas and that usually means the trees and while Timberline has plenty of tree runs, it flattens out a lot, and quickly, and you spend a lot of time and energy digging out. Not to mention you'll have no clue where you are.

Skibowl: There should be no reason to touch this hill during daylight hours. The lifts are incredibly slow, it's packed with kidz and the runs are real short and quick. The advantage is it's night skiing. Granted it's the same quick runs and long lifts but compared to Timberline and Meadows, the amount of ski-able terrain is unmatched. Plus, the crowds thin out and you can take what feels like a million runs in just a few hours. The only caveat there is, if you're a skier then their is more open terrain for you and a day trip might be worth it. If you're a boarder, avoid the day trip.

Meadows: You get the most bang for your buck at Meadows. There are a ton more runs, various terrain and quick(er) lifts. This isn't to say that Meadows has it's downside. It's the most packed hill of the three. Lift lines can be long and you can sometimes deal with either a lot of newbies on the runs or people that just have poor etiquette (i think the latter happens most places though). Ultimately, when I go with friends, we ride Meadows. We like that we can find terrain in the trees that hasn't been ridden over a ton and we like the numerous amount of bowls that are for all skill levels.

I haven't ridden much outside of Meadows, Timberline, Skibowl, Bachelor (Bend, OR) and my early days of riding in Wisconson (all ice = no fun) so I don't have much to compare it to but they say this season is going to be epic with La Nina rolling through. Three years ago when it was a La Nina season, the snow was dumping all season long. The powder will most likely be a bit wetter and heavier than Colorado (from what I've heard) and that's just because of our wetter climate but in no way does that mean that you can't have a crap ton of fun in it.

As for passes and where to stay, i prefer to drive. I come up from PDX but I like being able to go back to my car for a lunch, smoke, beer break. All those things you can do on the hill but when you throw a cooler back there with you along with some chairs, it makes it all worth it. Bust saving cash is important so you have to take into consideration the gas money vs lift ticket money.

In the end, if you can do it, explore all three hills. If you are planning on ridding ten days and I would assume that might mean two in one day a couple of times (day and night skiing at say Timberline than Skibowl) it makes since to invest more money in the one that you'll be at more often.

No problem tishaoz. Glad i could help out. One thing I forgot to mention, you can save a couple of bucks at Skibowl if you have a REI membership and (i think) a AAA membership. It's just two bucks but that's two bucks more towards a beer.

I've also chatted people up in the lots as they come off the hill to end their day and buy their day pass off them for a fraction of the price. Just got to make sure that you can reconnect it to your coat or whatev. Could be a good option at Timberline. If it fails, at least you could hang out at the lodge and check out the scene. Something to consider.

Thanks guys. I am happy we bought the Meadows pass, but I will be sure to check out Timberline at least once!

I have visited lots of places and realized that Mt hood resorts is best resorts in them. Mt hood resorts may be your first choice.

thanks
pat

I like Meadows for the sprawling terrain and number of lifts.  Even on a busy day, you can often avoid the crowds as long as you stay away from the main lift.  Timberline is great for late in the season, and SkiBowl is fun at night if it isn't too icy.