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Visitor reviews for Mt Hood Meadows Ski Resort

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• January 24, 2012
  john from United States
  

  January 24, 2012- Meadows has 97" of snow. Heather Canyon chair has yet to open this season.

• Mt Hood Meadows Ratings

  Based on 20 votes. Vote

  Access: 3.9 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Mt Hood Meadows.	Public Transport: 3.3 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Mt Hood Meadows, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 4.0 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 2.3 (1) No places to stay in/near Mt Hood Meadows, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 2.4 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 1.9 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Mt Hood Meadows.
  Ski in/Ski out: 2.1 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 3.4 (1) There are no child care facilities at Mt Hood Meadows, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 3.9 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Mt Hood Meadows is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 2.2 (1) Mt Hood Meadows relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 3.9 (1) There are no snow groomers at Mt Hood Meadows, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Mt Hood Meadows are groomed daily.	Shelter: 3.2 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Mt Hood Meadows is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 2.1 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Mt Hood Meadows, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 3.9 (1) Mt Hood Meadows usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 4.0 (1) The staff at Mt Hood Meadows are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Mt Hood Meadows are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 2.6 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 3.3 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 3.8 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 4.1 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Mt Hood Meadows has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 3.8 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 4.3 (1) No intermediate terrain at Mt Hood Meadows, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 4.0 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 3.5 (1) Not even a kicker at Mt Hood Meadows, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 3.5 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 3.2 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Mt Hood Meadows, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 1.5 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Mt Hood Meadows has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 3.1 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 3.4 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 3.2 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 1.6 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 1.7 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 2.9 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 3.2 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 3.2 (1) Overall, Mt Hood Meadows is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 3.2 (1) Overall, Mt Hood Meadows is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 20 votes. Vote

• January 21, 2012
  Serious ski mom from United States
  

  Amen to Dusty's comment about the chains!

  [note from the editor: this post will remain for a short time]

• January 20, 2012
  David from United States
  

  Wow! It was so awesome up at Meadows. I stayed neared Hood River OR and rode a shuttle van up to the Mountain. Good thing I did as my little Toyota never would have got through the parking lot. The Inn of the White Salmon has a 4x4 van that takes their guests and locals up to Meadows - nice thought and smart.

• January 15, 2012
  Dusty from United States
  

  The resort itself is great. Staff are nice, the hill kicks ass. The traffic is what sucks. Nobody uses chains anymore except dumbasses. Get some traction tyres.

• January 10, 2012
  powdog from United States
  

  Been skiing MHM for 20 years, it is by far the best expert terrain in the state. Mid week is the way to go, as weekends are too crowded and pow days on weekends aren't worth the drive as a billion others try to hit the slopes. Mid week almost never lines and on really bad weather days when everyone else is being a pussy, you can get almost a full day of powder turns. Heather is the best run/runs in the state, both steep and ungroomed. Gotta wait for the avi control though and that takes time.

• January 05, 2012
  Gaper Dog from United States
  

  Meadows tries really hard to be the best. They definitely do a lot of small things to make your experience better. They are still the best option in Oregon but they could be so much better. The resort is overrun with out of control skiers and too many people packed on the hill. The half-pipe is rarely open and never properly groomed not to mention the parks are a complete joke. Funny considering this place rocked in the late 90's early 00's. Combine that with the inability to open lifts quickly, if they ever get them open. Oh, and did I mention they close the resort in spring when not enough people come up to by lift tickets even though pass holder shelled out a lot of cash. Love / Hate relationship here.

• November 04, 2011
  john from United States
  

  To an advanced skier planning a trip to Meadows; even if you are able to plan your trip with flexibility to hit a storm at low snow levels, be prepared for Heather Canyon not to open. The resort does not have the adequate legal "permits" to complete avalanche control work at the higher areas above Heather Canyon. My advice, go to Crystal or Whistler.

• October 10, 2011
  Snake from United States
  

  By far the best in bounds skiing Mt. Hood has to offer! Steeps, chutes, glades, cruisers, cliffs, parks...This mountain is for everyone and has it all. So quit complaining, get off the beaten path, and ski the big mountain lines this volcano has to offer!

• May 19, 2011
  W. Salmon Steve from United States
  

  2011 Review of Mt. Hood Meadows: More Portland "experts" than ever. Shredding PDX boarders that wind up lost or dead and Rose City wannabe Olympic skiers. Meadows is the poser capital of the PacNW.
  Lifts are closed during the week for "storm recovery", opening on weekends when the Portland kook patrol arrives. Heather is not "out of bounds", it's one short intermediate drop, then get in line to the chairlift.
  Grab your digital camera, follow the herd up 26, take a few "rad" photos and post them on Facebook for your other Gomer friends to check out. If you are at Meadows, you're a kook.

• April 15, 2011
  wSKI from United States
  

  Great mtn, improved management. Real problem with out of control skiers, have seen several collisions, one with a small child. Hopefully, one day Meadows (Mt Hood Meadows) will do more to control this. Great value on my season pass.

• April 15, 2011
  ilana from United States
  

  I love Meadows! The runs are fun and there's lots of varying difficulty (more than Timberline). It easy to find powder in the trees during the winter season and even without powder the runs are fun. The parks are usually groomed well enough to slam down some tricks and not fall when you hit patchy snow on the landing. Over all, it's better than anywhere I've been in Oregon.

• March 31, 2011
  Bob from United States
  

  How to have a good time at MHM (Mt Hood Meadows):

  Don't go on spring break, Christmas or weekends.
  Bring your own lunch!!
  The harder the run, the less jerks and crowds.
  Get there early, stay away from MHX,HRX, on crowded days.
  If you search hard enough, there are great stashes, cliffs, fall aways, etc.

• February 28, 2011
  steve from United States
  

  It's a decent ski resort with 2000 acres and 4 hi-speed quads. It has good carving, cruising runs, and some big mountain skiing from the a zone gate into heather. Staff are friendly, lodge food is excellent and affordable. My only complaint is that the powder skiing isn't that good. Much of the terrain is a bit too flat, and the snow tends to wind pack heavy, tree skiing is tight, plus everyone from Portland shows up for first tracks. I have had season passes at Mount Bach, Schweitzer, and Alyeska, which all have much better powder skiing than Mount Hood Meadows.

• February 21, 2011
  Ben from Afghanistan
  

  I have shredded Meadows for 3 years now and there is nowhere better on Mt Hood. Biggest and most diverse terrain and if you know where to go there are all kinds of hidden jumps, drops and stashes. Lines can be long on the weekends when the snow is good but if you hit the right lifts you can bypass this. I have never had a bad experience with employees or anyone at all at Meadows. The vibes at Meadows are awesome and it's where I'll be.

• February 21, 2011
  William from United States
  

  Lack of safety is always a factor at Meadows (Mt Hood Meadows). Watch your back! Some people just go full speed and are not in control and run in to other people. Be careful, wear a helmet and ski defensively. The staff on the mountain doesn't seem to be around much during the week to help keep people safe. I am a pass holder.

• February 16, 2011
  Andrea from United States
  

  I love Mt Hood Meadows. I recently spent a weekend a Timberline where I was yelled at by lift operators and they were just plain rude. I am a pass holder at Meadows and everyone seriously knows who I am. The wait staff is great I love the help down in the demo and outer limits shop. I honestly will be going to Meadows for the next years and the instructors are amazing to learn from.

• February 13, 2011
  alan from United States
  

  Meadows has some good snow usually and the staff has always been helpful in my experience. Beware though that Meadows takes a lax attitude about safety. There is a lot that they could do but choose not to. Almost everyone I know has either been hit or nearly hit and it seems no one ever takes notice. I emailed Meadows and they never responded. At Bachelor in Bend, there are ski patrol at the intersection of trails and safety signs, etc.. They take away passes and are serious about safety. I was hit in the back by a boarder myself recently and the Meadows staff 100 feet away ignored the situation. Ski at your own risk at Meadows.

• February 12, 2011
  Kelly from United States
  

  Seriously, it's not the holiday gripes, it's the all year gripes. Nothing ruins a perfect day of skiing like a surly, suspicious, and rude staff and Mt Hood Meadows is famous for that. They may have some decent runs, but I don't bother with them anymore. I live here and have a season pass for Timberline where the folks are polite and friendly and a run down Magic Mile, through Kruser, down to the glade, will blow your skis off! Occasionally, I get friends who want to do MHM and I sometimes agree to go with them, but it's always such a pain! Haven't had a bad experience yet at Timberline. Save your dollars and save your smiles and all out whoops for Timberline.

• February 12, 2011
  Kimberly from United States
  

  Mt Hood Meadows is awesome. Sure, it's a little spendy but what big resort isn't? If you can get past the prices, and the crappy people driving up, it's amazing. The employees all treat me like family and have gotten help with everything I need. I don't understand the people bashing Meadows, the people and employees are better than any mountain I have ever skied, not to mention the best terrain and the best snow on a good day.

• February 04, 2011
  Rod from United States
  

  After year-after-year cuts in services and jumps in pricing I decided to leave MHM (Mt Hood Meadows) behind and have not missed it one bit. All over, from hikes in locker fees, removal of cheap menu items, to cutting out allowing buddies to share your 10-punch after 3/1, seems like erosion of the experience. It's often ridiculously windy. It takes at least two lift rides to get one run in Upper Heather. Sure there are secret stashes but they are small, not worth the effort. Skip it! Though snow is iffy, Ski Bowl is a much more satisfying experience. And you can often park right in front of the lodge.

• January 12, 2011
  Leslie from United States
  

  Meadows (Mt Hood Meadows) is usually the best terrain and snow option on Mount Hood - which is good for Meadows because from my own experience and many of my friends who have worked for Meadows - the management needs an attitude adjustment. I do recognize, however, that this is the resort that most of the snow riders with major attitudes choose to go to, so part of Meadow's problem is the crowds and clientel. Bottom line, I choose Ski Bowl over Meadows any day as long as the snow level is low enough - as Ski Bowl is the best value on the mountain and has the best vertical drop. Timberline has a fabulous new area with lots of tree skiing and the people that work there are so refreshingly nice. Customer service is still alive at Timberline so if that's what you're looking for - have at it!

• January 06, 2011
  Nick from United States
  

  It's always funny to read the reviews here after Christmas break. There are always so many people that come on here raging about this or that and how its Meadows fault. Anybody that actually lives in NW Oregon knows it is 100% the people, you get people in Portland metro area in snow and all hell will break loose. Crashing into things, not paying attention, all things that translate to the mountain.

  Honestly its not fair to judge Meadows on Holiday conditions, everybody and their entire family goes up during the holidays because every one is on vacation kids included. Most regulars just know to avoid Meadows, or anywhere on the mountain really any time during the 2 week Christmas period as its just hell on earth getting there at 20mph behind people with chains on bare pavement, skiing, and getting down.

  Meadows is by far the best place overall on Mt Hood. Skibowl has the best terrain but the snow is so hit and miss you need to plan ahead to be there on deep pow days.
  Timberflats IMO is a joke: I have never seen more groomed runs in my entire life. Every trail is groomed flat with maybe 1 foot of snow left on the edges before your at impenetrable dense trees.

• January 06, 2011
  Kyle from United States
  

  If you don't take the mountain for what it is and enjoy it as much as possible, I feel sorry for you. There is plenty of fun to be had for anyone who is willing to relax and enjoy it. Shred with someone who knows where to go and you might find a whole new world at meadows. Meadows is a great training ground for skiers and riders of any ability level. The staff loves Mt. Hood and the ski and snowboard lifestyle. Everyone would be nice and helpful to you if you treat them and the mountain with respect. If you don't enjoy and respect your surroundings happiness will be hard to come by. Make new friends and improve your skiing and riding. It's easy if you try! I'll see you all on the slopes.

• January 05, 2011
  dPoc from Afghanistan
  

  Meadows blows, hard. This is Oregon's premier destination resort for rich assholes. While it may have the best terrain on Hood, the outrageous lift prices and long lift lines simply make it not worth the extra 10 mile drive from Govey.

• January 03, 2011
  Willamette Weakers! from United States
  

  Wow! Amazing to see the displacement of blame and distortions here -- too bad everyone is right! Portlanders are unconscious negating little F'ers from my years of dealing with thousands of them -- but all populations have an 80%-20% ratio of idiots to cool people. The cool people in Portland don't like Portlanders much either.

  Willamette Weak however has it's own mother archetype distortion and it eats its young destroying the hope of a small town Shangri-La -- we all wanted and cannot have as long as the blind lead the blind.

  Once your above 6,500 feet and the temperature is below 20 degrees, all complaints stop! The terrain is tough, and you have to seek out your lines to get into the hidden spots.

  Ignore the Portlanders, or better yet laugh at them. I've never seen a more ego distorted, passive aggressive group of people more idiotic than your average Portlander. That's why I moved out of that gloomy little town. The Portlanders I know are embarressed and cannot stand the geeks that squeak the wheels.

  Funny thing is that most Portlanders never leave Portland! They never go to the mountains or the coast as it is only an hour and a half drive -- they stay home and sulk, as they are a gloomy people.

  Let them go, and go have a great time skiing on a gorgeous mountain. If you are willing to traverse the high walls of Heather canyon's roots -- you'll never see them or any other complainers!

  The Portlander's that are idiots are moot.

  ~Barney Rubble

• January 03, 2011
  John from United States
  

  Mt. Hood Meadows is trash. Sure, it has pretty nice terrain but it is far too crowded. Unless you are there weekdays, you can expect long lift lines, often with 10 minute waits. Even then, weekdays aren't always better. If you're going to have crowds that large, then learn to manage the crowds. Mt. Bachelor gets more people but they at least know how to manage the crowds. Meadows doesn't and it causes awful crowds on the mountain.

  Meadows also attracts some of the worst people to the mountain. Most people at Meadows are not friendly. This ranges from riders who think they're better than everyone else down to the people who work there. You know, it's possible to go to the mountain (or work there) without being a complete douchebag. Unfortunately, Meadows has a long way to go to learn this.

  All in all, good terrain but the crowds and quality of people make it my least favorite place to ride in Oregon. If you know where to go, there is steep stuff at Timberline where the crowds are smaller and the community of riders/workers is much more enjoyable. If you don't like Timberline, there is always Ski Bowl which has great terrain and again, it's not the community of douchebags who ride Meadows. But if you think you're better than everyone else and arrogant enough to scream at beginners instead of simply riding around them, then please go to Meadows where douchebags aren't only welcome, they're encouraged.

• January 02, 2011
  Ryan from United States
  

  First off, "Friendly Neighbor," you sound like the biggest d-bag ever. Do the world a favor, take your own advice, and "STFU." Did you really bring up snowboarders scraping powder off of runs? I remember when I started riding blacks and double blacks. There were times I had to heel slide to regain control and establish a new line. If you had screamed at me, I would have calmly unhooked my bindings, pulled your jacket over your head and punched you in the face repeatedly. Then people would call you a gaper because of the empty void where your front teeth used to be. So if you ever see a 6'4" snowboarder in a Marmot jacket and pants doing something you don't approve of, you might want to keep your mouth shut.

  Now on to Mount Hood Meadows as a resort... There are definitely better resorts out there and there are definitely worse. For those of us who come from the Portland area, it's hard to turn your nose at such an accessible place to come up and ride/ski for the day and in some cases the night. The snow and conditions aren't always the best, but if you follow the weather and pick your days you will usually come home happy. Being so close to a metropolitan area, it does tend to get pretty busy on weekends. In most cases if you distance yourself from the Mount Hood Express runs as soon as possible and only use them to get back and forth from the two sides, you will find plenty of open real estate. If you have an issue with the food prices, pack a lunch and throw it in a backpack. Pull off in a low traffic area and enjoy a meal on the side of a dormant volcano. Personally, I love coming to Meadows and plan on having a pass for many seasons to come.

• December 30, 2010
  Driz from United States
  

  I've been to all of the resorts on Mt. Hood enough to know it can be epic for any skill level. People get really psyched up about barreling down a hill at fast speeds and you will hear them talk about being awesome no matter their skill level. The diversity of terrain and size of meadows brings the crowds. Put enough rats in a cage, or on a mountain, and they fight or bicker. Its not people at any resort that suck. Its a sweet resort when you are there to simply ride and, as you should always, ignore humanity at large.

• December 26, 2010
  Tim moran from United States
  

  Just a quick comment on MHM (Mt Hood Meadows). I have skied the mountain for 40 years and I have skied B.C. Utah, Idaho and Montana as well. Hood is a great local venue. It has some insanely steep terrain (please stay away from it until you know what you're doing) and lots of intermediate stuff too. In years like this we get great powder and in other years we get "cascade concrete"...no different from Whistler!
  Yes, it's crowded and all the 'greenies' in Portland sue to limit expansion. It's funny that the "keep Portland weird" people are probably the same ones bitching about the mountain! I digress...sorry, anyway be happy you have such a great mountain an hour and change from your driveway - but, hey MHM, open Daisy again for night skiing mid week!

• December 25, 2010
  stephen from United States
  

  I love the Meadows (Mt Hood Meadows)! We always have a wonderful time there. Last spring was some of the best skiing I have ever done in my life. We made so many friends just riding on the lift talking to complete strangers. I have yet to encounter any rude or unpleasant people, with one exception... the ski patrol. Anytime I ask about the conditions I always get some snide and sarcastic remark and feel like I have bothered someone. Standing at the top of Bowl 1 trying to make friendly conversation and hopefully get some safety info I asked a patroller if the snow was still set up (hard). he just shrugged and said "why don't you find out for yourself". Why do they have to be like that? Aren't they there to serve and protect like the police. Here's to you Meadows at Mt Hood. Here's not to you ski patrollers. Get off your high horse and be cool for once. You're nothing more than a rent-a-cop on skis. Be friendly, courteous, polite.
  my .02 cents.