History and Geography
A long time ago, Skibowl was two separate areas, Skibowl and Multorpor, but now they are one. The two areas are referred to as East and West. The East area is what used to be Multorpor and is accessed by entering into Government Camp and turning at Charlie’s (we like Charlie’s) and it is also where the Tube Hill is. West is accessed right off of Hwy 26. It is the most popular side and has the ski school and rentals. Both sides have a first aid station to get help from patrol.
Skibowl App
Skibowl now has a wonderful app that has excellent features of map, conditions, cameras, and best of all a GPS turn tracker that clocks speed, distance, and terrain when recording. Find it in the App store by searching “Skibowl.” Highly recommended!
Navigating the Lifts
On the East side is the Cascade (Green) Chair and it has some nice, steep, albeit short terrain. Cascade is the only chair not lit for night skiing; Skibowl has great and extensive night skiing. Multorpor (Red) Chair is what connects the East and West, and you can ski to the base of the Red Chair from any of the lifts. If you want to get back to the East from Red, you will need to use the platter tow (only runs in the daytime) and although seemingly difficult, it isn’t just watch the kids for a bit and you will get see how it is done.
Lower Bowl (Blue) chair is the mainline from the West area. It is the most popular for beginners and intermediates. It is an 11 minute ride and generally avoided by the frequent guests.
Skibowl’s chairs are fixed grip Riblets. They are double seats with a pole in the middle. When loading, look over the inside shoulder for the pole. When riding single, sit on the inside to balance the chair better and cause less swing. Children should always ride on the inside chair so the lift attendant can help load; its OK to ask for a slow down both at the top and bottom. When unloading, place a hand on the seat, or an elbow on the pole, to give a little push off to avoid getting hit (especially on Cascade) but then get your hands and weight back forward to keep your momentum forward. Lastly, please don’t be a tosser. There are trash cans at the top.
The Steeps
Upper Bowl (Black) Chair is the best of them all. From this chair, there access to the steep bowl and gated Outback terrain. The bowl was formed from the eruption of an ancient volcano, leaving behind steep terrain. The peaks of the bowl in the ski area are Tom and Dick. When there is enough snow, and avalanche danger has been mitigated, the Black Chair also accesses The Outback; experts only terrain. We love the Outback because it is some of the best terrain on Mt. Hood. It is highly recommend that you ski with a buddy, wear beacons, and carry shovels. Avoid the danger cliffs by not skiing too far right into the fall lines after immediately entering the gates. The danger cliffs are un-skiable and if you get above them you must trek up and out. There are other hidden cliff bands in the treed and off-piste areas. Be cautious skiing trees in the Outback. Have an experienced guide when trying to find TT5 or any of the unnamed runs. Also, please know that our filming of these areas with a point of view camera make the terrain look much flatter than it is. Also, note that Kelly’s Cut is hard to find and The Five Lakes Basin is very flat and deep, keep speed and skirt around it.
Ski Patrol can be reached @ (971) 269-7074
Snow Conditions
There are several places both in and our of the Outback that can slide. Skibowl actively mitigates avalanche, but please be cautious. Know the signs of where you should and shouldn’t ski on a deep day. The snow pack is maritime. Although we are blessed with some cold and light dumps, they are not the everyday. Be prepared to ski a lot of variety from 3-D, hard-pack, powder, and bulletproof when we get an oppressive streak of cold and clear conditions.
Aprés is found on the East and West, but one of the best spots for food and drink anywhere on Mt. Hood is the Historic Warming Hut. Be sure to stop in for a beverage and say high to Pickles the cat.
We hope you enjoy your time at Skibowl as much as we do. Please come ski with us virtually and in person. We rarely have long lines.