01/17/09

Worst first experience here... it would take a lot for me to go back!

by hamy

I have been snowboarding since I was twelve. I have consistently gone (to Meadows and Timberline) at least twice every season since, so I'm not an expert but I love the sport. I've held off night skiing for a few reasons; I'm afraid of skiing in the dark is one main reason. So when I heard that Ski Bowl had one of the best night skiing spots in the country, my boyfriend and I thought we'd try them out for New Year's Eve. Needless to say, when I left, I was out $70 for the lift tickets and very dissatisfied. First, the website quoted $30 for the lift tickets, but when we went to pay for them, it cost us $35. What was I supposed to do? Drive an hour up here and not pay to go snowboarding?! Then, when the first parking lot was full, we parked in the satellite lot and waited for a 10-person VAN (not BUS that Meadows offers for shuttles) which we had to fight over with the crowd of other people there. After waiting 40 minutes, we finally arrived at the main part of Ski Bowl where we examined the map of trails. For my boyfriend whose a beginner, he was nervous about all the BLACK diamond trails that interlaced the beginner trails. We understand that it was New Year's Eve, and it's expected to be crowded. But I didn't see the effort put forth by Ski Bowl to accommodate this volume of people and make everyone's skiing experience a good one. By the time we got on the slopes, my boyfriend and I were in such a bad mood, we only took one run down the mountain and then proceeded to wait again for 40 minutes for a shuttle and drive home completely disappointed. I will not be going back to Ski Bowl again and will be telling everyone I know that night skiing there isn't worth the horrible customer service and disorganization.

• Pros: Many black diamond trails
• Cons: limited parking, unreliable website

With 960 acres of snow to carve up and the country's largest night-skiing area, you can't go wrong.

by Contributor

The Scene
The vertical drop may not be as intense as some resorts, but Mount Hood Ski Bowl makes up for it by cutting a wide swath across the mountainside, offering a multitude of runs. The season generally lasts from mid-November to mid-April, and the slopes are less than an hour from Portland. Snowboarders will be pumped about the snowboard park, which includes a half-pipe, rail slides and jumps--no skiers allowed.

The Slopes
Skiers and boarders can get on the mountain from two locations: Ski Bowl East or West. Once on the mountain, skiers can enjoy 65 day runs and 34 night runs, with the longest run, Skyline Trail, measuring three miles in length. The terrain is diverse, and the outback--300 acres of it--has some of the most challenging runs around. Tom Dick Peak is a destination for many exploring the outback.

Vital Stats
Vertical drop: 1,500 feet
Top elevation: 5,066 feet
Lifts: 4 double chairs and 5 tows
Skiable acres: 960 (with an additional 300 in the outback)
Snowboarding: Full facilities