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Mt Hood Meadows resort snow
Lat Long: 45.33° N 121.66° W
Ski USA - Oregon

Mt Hood Meadows Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Mt Hood Meadows at 1802 m altitude

Issued: 10 am 06 May 2026 (local time)

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Next snow in Mt Hood Meadows: 2.4 cm on Sat 16th  (after 8 PM)

Visitor reviews for Mt Hood Meadows Ski Resort

Mt Hood Meadows Ratings

Overall: 3.1. Based on 162 votes and 177 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 3.8

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Mt Hood Meadows is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.0

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Mt Hood Meadows has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.6

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 3.9

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.9

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Mt Hood Meadows

Public Transport: 3.3

  • There are no buses or taxis to Mt Hood Meadows
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 2.3

  • No places to stay in/near Mt Hood Meadows
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 2.4

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 2.2

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Mt Hood Meadows

Ski in/Ski out: 2.1

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 3.4

  • There are no child care facilities at Mt Hood Meadows
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 2.5

  • Mt Hood Meadows relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 3.7

  • There are no snow groomers at Mt Hood Meadows
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Mt Hood Meadows are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.3

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Mt Hood Meadows is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 2.6

  • If snow conditions are poor at Mt Hood Meadows, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 3.7

  • Mt Hood Meadows usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 3.6

  • The staff at Mt Hood Meadows are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Mt Hood Meadows are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 2.6

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 3.7

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.0

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 3.8

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.2

  • No intermediate terrain at Mt Hood Meadows
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.0

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 3.8

  • Not even a kicker at Mt Hood Meadows
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 3.7

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Mt Hood Meadows
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 1.7

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Mt Hood Meadows has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 3.0

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 3.2

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.0

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 1.7

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 1.9

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 2.7

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 2.9

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.2

  • Overall, Mt Hood Meadows is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.1

  • Overall, Mt Hood Meadows is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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November 30, 2008
Drewzy Quaatz from Ski USA - Hawaii USA - Hawaii
Wow James, I guess you guys call that "attitude". Sometimes we get down to Mt Hood Meadows and have always had a blast hitting the bowls on the first chair and then heading over to Heather late morning when the shooting is done. We manage to ski ourselves to utter exhaustion giggling all day long. Yea, she gets tracked up pretty fast. Doesn't that happen at all ski areas? Everybody is digging it so why don't you just enjoy the stoke? I love to ski fast and have never been hastled. The lift crew is friendly, the lifty chicks are cute and I don't think the patrollers are as self serving as you say. I get the distinct feeling that the cats running this area love the mountain of Mt Hood Meadows. The best lines I've skied there were turned onto me by the passionate mountain crew who knew we were looking for a good time. Heather canyon is huge, it includes Clark Ridge. Where else in Oregon can you ride a lift into big mountain terrain like that?
November 23, 2008
MIKE from Ski USA - California USA - California
I say 'shhhhh'. Already way too many people up there! Talk about how bad the roads are, or the price of food and beverages! You guys are just giving away your beautiful fresh lines the more you talk about it!
November 20, 2008
justin from Ski USA - California USA - California
Sounds like Steve is a a spokesperson for Meadows, with his tagged line about the howitzer taken directly from their site. But that aside Meadows oversells and their parks suck no continuity. Also even on weekdays the park is jammed up with kids by noon. Also it feels like half the mountain is a slow zone, everywhere you look there are slow zone signs posted. Which is great if you have been skiing for about three days. And the patrollers are ridiculous here, I was skiing Jacobs Ladder and right before I merged on to wee bee gee bee was approached by a 'troller and told if I was seen skiing that fast again I would have my ticket pulled and he marked it. Now the only other person on Jacobs ladder was about halfway up the hill and started about a minute after I had, there was no one around me and I was completely in control. Heck, I was only going at about 60%. I have been skiing for 13 years and that is the first time I have ever been approached for speeding, I never ski fast around others and mind you I was stopped before going to wee bee gee bee when he approached. Give me a break, good job Meadows!!
November 12, 2008
David from Ski USA - California USA - California
Folks: It is possible and fun on a powder day to ski Heather especially Jack's woods by just riding the Heather chair; entering at the lowest Jack's Woods gates. If you are not familiar with how to do it then ask someone who does to show you the "ho chi minh" trail or continue to believe it can't be done. Your choice. For an added bonus this year we should also be able to ride Heather (Jacks Woods section) that was "out of bounds" in previous years via the new access gates on the right hand side at the top of Titan. If you head too far right you'll be in the newly opened Search and Rescue Cliffs and have the standard "private reserve runnout". As I don't ever go under a rope I can't verify that the Titan option is possible until we have the mountain open this year. Cheers!
November 10, 2008
steve from Ski USA - California USA - California
James simply is not "in the know". Locals that are know how to ski heather using only the heather chair. If you know where the main gait access point is into lower heather then it's not that hard to figure out - I did it on my own. But be AWARE! All of the Heather Terrain accessed from this gait is DOUBLE BLACK and in the TREES. Do NOT venture in here unless you can handle steep terrain with tight turns in deep snow - and do it with a friend because many of the lines in here are NOT heavily skied and if you hit a tree or drop into a tree well there is a good chance no one will hear you or see you for a long time (like after the snow melts in JUNE! Finally - the lower areas of Heather do require a long run out and some hiking by riders, or good skating skills by skiers to get back to the Hood River Meadows Express. Lot's of riders do it and love it. I don't much care for it even though I can skate back to the lift in a fraction of the time most skiers and all the riders take. But the run down is fun so I reserve it for my last run of the day and emerge in the HRM parking lot right next to where I park my car. It's a great way to end the day!
November 09, 2008
James from Ski USA - California USA - California
Steve is simply incorrect. In order to ride just Lower Heather you still have to ride TWO chairs: Heather (a LOW speed chair), and Shooting Star express. You cannot access Heather terrain by riding the Heather chair! If you think so then you have not ever been to Meadows! I have ridden Jack's Woods a hundred times sir, and it's a nice section but it's about 20 seconds of pretty great riding and then 14+ minutes of chairlifts just to get back to lower heather. Whoopie. The gated backcountry sections are very nice, and then you are dropped onto a completely flat cross country ski trail and you are walking for 20 minutes just to get back to HRM. Hooray. Yeah Steve, Heather might be open "every" day possible, but when it's not on a *powder* day it's utterly useless. Go have fun riding that iced-over tracked-out backcountry. Really, enjoy. This is not misinformation, this is fact. Yeah it's tough to open Cascade. I'll give you that. Meadows is still a bad place to have fun. Yes it has the best hills, there is no doubt. But the crowds take away any chance to have fun. I'm talking about weekday crowding, I don't ever go on weekends. Jim said it absolutely right, on a powder day you must be in the lift line by 8:40am and plan out your first 6 runs and hurry, hurry, hurry! Then your powder day is over because there are no fresh lines left. Now go ride the terrible parks and battered trails. Yeah, fun. And that is on a weekday. Every powder day, every one, is like that. And their park system is terrible. A disjointed mess. Every year they say they will fix it but they don't. The rail park by the parking lot is actually fun, but that's it. Notice nobody tried to defend the parks. And the park crew DOES wait to open the pipe until they feel like riding it, so you're just out if luck if you can't ride all day. If you want GREAT park riding at Mt. Hood, you can get it, but not at Meadows!
November 05, 2008
Jim
I agree in avoiding Meadows during weekends as it has too many people and bad layouts. If you want pow , come before opening and plan your first 6 runs out and ride fast. It's really an awesome resort for being so close to pdx. However, the cheap season passes...4x4....has made it quite a bit more crowed the last 3 years even on midweek days.
November 01, 2008
steve from Ski USA - California USA - California
There is a lot of misinformation about Meadows on this board. James especially is just plain wrong. Heather Canyon is an expert area, and is open every day that the ski patrol is able, with much very difficult and dangerous work, to get it open. Most days it opens by late morning. Sometimes it takes until mid-afternoon. But it does NOT take 3 lifts to ride in Heather. That is only true if you want to ride it from the top and quite frankly - the top is NOT where the best riding is. For those "in the know" the steep and deep runs can be accessed by riding just one lift. I can do 3 runs per hour in waist deep pow in fresh tracks for most of the day. Another note: this year they have acquired a military howitzer to enable long distance "blasting" to clear the upper canyon without having to climb up there and risk lives. Training is underway and I fully expect even more great rides into Heather Canyon this year.
October 31, 2008
Matt from Ski USA - California USA - California
I agree with James. The place has a poor layout, is way too crowded, and Heather Canyon is never open. The staff there treat it like their personal playground, and are rude to skiers and boarders. I have skied and boarded all over the world since I was 2 years old (I'm 34 now) and Meadows p@**#s me off every time. I still have a pass though, because it's the only decent hill close to Portland. I'll definitely be in the backcountry on the bluebird days and weekends instead of standing in the lift lines looking at all the lines I could be riding. I'll go there during the week, when the snowpack is really unstable, or at night.
October 28, 2008
Jean-Pierre Veillet from Ski USA - California USA - California
Mt. Hood Meadows has great lines, super trees, steeps and the snow was especially great 07-08. Arrive early, on the days in the low twenties and snowing. There are a lot of dedicated Oregonians to those days, because they are so sweet. I am looking forward to another great year. Come on snow.