November 2007 - Posts
Hi folks!
Can we talk parking -- specifically, peak day parking at Mt. Hood Meadows? As many of you know, MHM has limited parking capacity. We continue to study the possibility of a limited parking area expansion in the future. Even with a limited parking expansion MHM will generally have challenging parking conditions on peak days. So what is a “peak parking day” at MHM? Typically, peak parking days are the major winter holidays (between Christmas and New Years, MLK and President’s Day weekends), sometimes Spring Break, as well as most weekends in January and February. Those peak parking periods add up to approximately 28 days during an average season.
We have had many lively email and verbal discussions both internally and with you about parking issues in the past. Many interesting ideas have emerged from these on-going dialogues, including pay for parking schemes, raising lift ticket prices significantly to reduce peak day demand, constructing more parking, and carpooling. Over the past few years, we have debated the advantages and disadvantages of each of these potential solutions and/or combinations thereof. Internally, we defined an objective to work to seek a parking solution that most benefits our guests, our environment and our community.
We would love to know your thoughts on this challenging issue. What are your suggestions to reduce parking congestion on peak parking days this season?
While you are pondering this weighty topic, a few tips for making your trip to and from Mt. Hood Meadows easier so that you can help be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem:
1. Make sure that you and your vehicle are well prepared for mountain weather.
2. Make sure you have traction devices in your vehicle and know how to use them, and/or have traction tires.
3. Use the designated areas to put your traction devices on in advance as opposed to waiting until you spin out and clog traffic for everyone else.
4. Drive slowly and defensively, we will all get there faster.
5. Maintain good distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. This will give you more room to brake and maneuver, and help save your windshield from rock dings and cracks.
6. Purchase your Sno-Park permit in advance or in the MHM parking lots when you arrive. A Sno-Park permit costs $4 for the day or $22 for the season when purchased at MHM.
7. On peak days take Highway 35 north through Hood River, and I-84 back to Portland. Avoid the traffic jam that can occur between MHM and Government Camp.
8. Work on carpooling -- it helps to save fuel costs and reduce emissions, as well as improve transportation efficiency to and from Mt. Hood Meadows. Here is a link to www.carpoolmatchNW.org – they have been hooking up riders to MHM for the past 4 seasons.
Travel Oregon has produced "The Oregon Driving Guide" which provides valuable information about driving in winter conditions. You can also find current road information on Trip Check.
As always, we look forward to your responses and will continue to respond to those that are on topic and do not use profanity
-- Matt
P.S. We're getting so many responses that I'm going to start posting without comment (unless there's some specific questions). It's more important that our bloggers see each others responses than my commentary on them =0}
Hi Folks!
OK -- here you go! Beginning Friday, November 30, we will add Mt. Hood Express and Shooting Star Express to our lift operations. We’re scheduling lifts to operate from 9 AM to 4 PM (Shooting Star until 3:30 PM) daily.
This storm system has blown in almost 40 inches of snow this week at MHM, with 14 inches of that happening in this latest pulse. And it’s not yet over. We’re continuing to track pack today and through the night to ready additional terrain. Be advised – early season conditions still exist – the snowpack is light, extremely unstable in ungroomed areas, and varies in depth big time due to wind load. You may encounter unmarked obstacles.
It is absolutely essential that you follow the signs, boundary markers, closure rope lines and Patrol directives. HEATHER CANYON IS NOT OPEN. The avalanche conditions in Heather are as dangerous as they get right now. There’s not enough snow to build the required snow bridges to access the canyon so there is no way out at this time. PLEASE DO NOT CROSS INTO HEATHER. For those that are keeping track, this is Responsibility Code Rule #6 “Observe all posted signs and warnings. Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.”
The storm is forecast to continue into this weekend. Here’s a shot of what the top of Mt. Hood Express looked like at 10:50 Thursday morning. I hope you can appreciate the conditions our Slope Maintenance and Patrol Departments have been working in to prepare additional terrain for Friday.
Here's a shot from the bottom of Vista Express:
Our ticket pricing will go to full price Friday - $54 for adults and $32 for ages 7 – 14 and 65+.
Our operational schedule for the weekend is 9 – 4 daily. We’ll evaluate conditions on Monday to determine when we will be starting night operations -- hopefully as soon as possible. And we will continue to assess conditions as the storm moves through to determine when we will be able to further expand lift operations and terrain.
I am also really pleased to announce that Cooper Spur Ski Area will open for the seaon at 9:00AM, Saturday December 1, 2007 for skiing, snowboarding and tubing!
Any operational changes will be posted on our conditions page: http://www.skihood.com/mountain/conditions/default.aspx and on our snowphones 503.227.SNOW in Portland and 541.386.7547 in Hood River.
Thanks for your patience and stay tuned to the link referenced above for more current information. Also look for a new blog topic in the near future.
Live the Code – and we’ll see you at Mt. Hood Meadows!
--Matt
Hi Folks!
Meadows opened the 2007/08 season today (November 23, 2007) – a limited opening with just 2 lifts, Buttercup and Easy Rider, operating on 14 inches of snowpack. It was an historical opening – for two reasons: it launched the resort’s 40th anniversary season, and it is the least amount of snowpack on opening day in the resort’s history.
The day started early at the resort, some staff members have been working double and even triple shifts in snowmaking and grooming to make sure the conditions would be the best they could be. Patrol arrived early to put the finishing touches on the runs. Keep in mind, it is very early season conditions and you will encounter unmarked obstacles. Parking lot attendants were already flagging in cars at 6:00 AM. The lodge was open and operating before 8 AM with our season pass room already taking pictures. We were selling tickets at 7:30 and by 8:00 the Schuss was serving up breakfast, Tully’s was serving coffee, the sports shops, Salomon equipment rentals, Children’s Learning Center, Concierge and day care were operating.
At 8:45 we held an impromptu opening ceremony at Buttercup to kick-off the 40th anniversary season. I had the honor of cutting the ribbon and welcoming the guests who then boarded Buttercup for another great day on the mountain. And at 8:46 AM we loaded the first passengers of our anniversary season.
Those at the opening ceremony were rewarded with first tracks on great corduroy!
We had many learn to ski and snowboard first-time guests on the mountain today, and our ski school had a great time introducing them to the sport. Since we have good coverage on Buttercup the beginner experience is pretty much the same as it is during the regular season.
If you have Windows Media you should be able to view a Video of opening day by clicking this link.
Shipyard was a huge hit - a big shout out to the Paradise Parks crew. There were 13 awesome rail features and the crew was maintaining them all day. Here's a shot of the first "grind" of the season and a reminder to "Live the Code" and know the "Smart Style" to playing in terrain parks.
You probably heard that we have "farmed" the snow from the parking lot, pushing it up on the slopes. Here's a shot of our Paradise Parks crew hand farming, grabbing snow from the side of the run and stockpiling it for tomorrow's park maintenance. You guys rock!
Our sport shops are having a Thanksgiving weekend celebration - 10% off hardgoods, 20% off softgoods and if you're a season pass holder you get 30% off (discounts apply to non-discounted merchandise in stock). The sale runs through Sunday so you should take advantage of it. Here's a shot of one of our staff members with a great "attitude" at Altitude (sports that is).
And of course the Alpenstube and the Paradise Sun Deck were hopping by mid day - it was especially nice to kick back and look at that beautiful mountain.
I’m incredibly proud of the effort made by our entire staff to achieve this historic opening. On behalf of our team, we very much appreciate all of the guests who came up and celebrated today with us. Sunshine and smiles all the way around.
If you were up here today please post a comment – I’m looking forward to hearing how the day went for you.
We plan on continuing limited operations 2 lifts operating from 9 AM - 3 PM daily until we can open up more of the mountain. This could change with the snow conditions, but we feel pretty good about being able to sustain our opening with the conditions we have, supplemented by snowmaking and an incredibly tenacious and dedicated crew.
We've focused our web cams on the parking lot and on the bottom of our lifts so you can guage for yourself what the crowds look like this weekend. You access our mountain cams from our snow conditions page: http://www.skihood.com/Mountain/Conditions/Default.aspx. And a reminder to drive with care - there's still snowpack and icy spots on the highways leading to Meadows - watch those shadowy curves!
Now that we are open, we are preparing an interesting array of new blog topics to be released between now and the end of 2007, so please stay tuned!
Onward!
--Matt
Hi Folks!
The last post we touched on the fine art of "Weather Forecasting". Many comments and responses were speculating about the weather - and when we would be able to open. Well the speculation is over - the 40th anniversary season will begin this Friday, November 23, the day after Thanksgiving.
We now have approximately 20” of snow at the top of Mt. Hood Express and 14” in the Base area. While the coverage is thin, our awesome Slope Grooming, Lift Maintenance and Vehicle Shop crews have been working very hard to achieve a limited opening on Friday.
Two lifts - Buttercup and Easy Rider - will operate from 9:00AM to 3:00PM, with limited terrain offerings off of each of these lifts. We're posting pictures on this Blog so you know exactly what to expect (thanks to Paul Jones, Director of Guest Services).
Three more nights (and two more days) of snow making may help improve the runs served by Buttercup and we'll spread the mounds of snow made by our snow making guns around the runs. It'll be fun, but please be aware it is a thin base - possibly the thinnest base for an opening in our history. So there we go, setting records again on this historic occasion!
Lift tickets will be $40 for adults, $30 for 7 – 14 year olds and seniors 65 and older. Children 6 and under are $9. We have a special price on our learn to ski or snowboard package for ages 13 and older as part of our 40th anniversary specials - just $40 which includes Buttercup lift, 2 hour lesson and equipment rental (ages 13 and older).
We hope to see our loyal season pass holders this weekend - we've moved all cameras to the mountain and will be taking pictures Wednesday from 11 AM - 4 PM. No pictures on Thanksgiving Day but then we'll take pictures during regular lift operational hours.
The ski and snowboard school, Salomon Equipment Rental Center and Day Care will be operating. Food will be served at the popular Alpenstube bar and restaurant, as well as the Schuss and Tully’s coffee bar. Beverages will also be served on the Paradise Sun Deck. We invite you to try our 40th Anniversary "AlpenBrew", brewed by our friends at Double Mountain Brewery in Hood River, or taste the Meadows Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon bottled for us by Pheasant Valley Winery.
Altitude Sports and the Meadows Boutique will celebrate the opening with a Thanksgiving Weekend Celebration - 10% off hard goods and 20% off soft goods. Certain safety gear is marked 20% off. Season pass holders will receive 30% off their purchases in the store! The sale is Friday through Sunday and the discounts are applied to regularly priced merchandise in stock.
The Paradise Parks crew will also have some rails set up for free styling.
I want to take this opportunity to thank our talented and loyal staff, many of whom have been working into the wee hours of the night to make the most of the recent snow system and prepare the resort for this historic opening. It is an amazing transformation, taking the resort from bare ground to operations in less than five days. I am extremely proud of this effort and get great satisfaction knowing that our crew is united in its goal to create exceptional experiences for our guests.
Very early season conditions prevail so be sure to ski and ride with care.
See you on the mountain!
--Matt
Hi Folks!
So when will Mt. Hood Meadows open for the 2007-2008 season? What’s the long range forecast for this season? What’s the short range forecast? What’s all this talk about a “la Nina” and what does it mean? These are among the many great weather related questions that our curious riders and skiers have been asking, so we thought it might be interesting to share some of our weather forecast data and techniques with you. We are also curious about the means and methods our guests use to make their own weather forecasts – both scientific and non-scientific.
But first -- this disclaimer. Mt. Hood, and Mt. Hood Meadows in particular, is its own micro-climate. Weather systems can and frequently do approach Mt. Hood Meadows from all directions and can vary significantly from forecasted weather patterns. Additionally, it is not uncommon for the weather at Mt. Hood Meadows to change throughout the course of the day – blue bird in the morning, then snow at lunch, a little wind later in the afternoon, then clear and calm by twilight. Sometimes the weather can change radically and rapidly -- ever been at the top of Cascade Express when a fast moving system suddenly descends upon you like a scene from a B horror movie?
This is the nature of the unique maritime weather conditions that Mt. Hood is known for. Mt. Hood Meadows location on the southeast flank of Mt. Hood benefits at times from high desert weather conditions further to the east. Often in the early morning it is cloudy and/or precipitating from Portland to White River, but as you round the next corner the peak of Mt. Hood magically appears through patches of blue sky!
Our team regularly uses several different sources to collect and analyze weather data at Mt. Hood Meadows. The most popular of the sources are linked to on our conditions page http://www.skihood.com/mountain/conditions/ and include the National Weather Service Forecast for the top of Mt. Hood Express and at the Main Base Lodge, the USFS Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center Northern Oregon Forecast (typically starts forecasting in mid-November), and Snow-Forecast.com – forecast for Mt. Hood Meadows. We also research weather data and analytics provided by the Oregon Climate Service (“OCS”) – see http://www.ocs.oregonstate.edu/index.html -- which is located on the Oregon State University campus, and is the state of Oregon’s repository for weather and climate information. OCS is also affiliated with OSU’s College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Services (“COAS”). Collectively, these data sources start to paint an interesting forecast of weather conditions out approximately five to ten days. On average, these forecasts are pretty accurate out about 24 to 36 hours. Longer range forecasts are typically about as accurate as the radar-based forecasts you see on the local evening news.
MATT'S NOTE: I updated this section of the blog to accurately reflect George Taylor's winter forecast which you can find at: http://www.ocs.oregonstate.edu/winter_07-08/forecast.html
Late this past summer, George Taylor, Oregon State University Climatologist released his annual fall and winter forecast which is based on analyzing numerous oceanic and atmospheric conditions and comparing them to similar years in the past. “One of the key factors is whether we are in any kind of an El Niño or La Niña year,” Taylor said, “. . . it is difficult to predict and there are often wide variations in forecasts from different agencies and models. For example:
Climate Prediction Center: La Niña in the fall slowly fading through the winter and spring.
Climate Diagnostics Center (Canonical Correlation Analysis): La Niña developing and continuing.
Climate Diagnostics Center (Linear Inverse Modeling): La Niña developing and continuing."
Taylor's expectation for this winter, "Overall we are predicting western Oregon conditions to be somewhat cooler and wetter than average, with a good chance of at least one low elevation snow event. Central and eastern Oregon are expected to have warmer than average temperatures and average precipitation.
"After a slow start, we expect mountain snows to accumulate quickly in November and remain mostly good throughout the winter. January and February mountain snows are expected to be significant. All in all, we anticipate a very good ski season!"
So specifically, OCS is forecasting the following weather conditions for this fall and winter:
- Temperatures will be slightly cooler than average in western Oregon and warmer than average east of the Cascades.
- Average to somewhat above-average precipitation.
- Good chance of low elevation snow in western Oregon.
- Above average snowpack in the mountains.
Professional and amateur meteorologists get together to discuss their respective climate research and weather forecasts every year. The Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological Society will be hosting the 15th annual "What will the Winter be like?" meeting this year on Friday, November 9th at OMSI. The Secretary of the chapter is Fox 12 Meterologist Drew Jackson. Here's Drew's assessment of this winter's forecasted La Nina - and what it should bring to Mt. Hood: "In my own research, there have been 11 winter seasons with weak La Nina conditions since 1950. In 5 of those 11 winters, the total seasonal snowfall at Government Camp was above average. Surprisingly, 6 of those 11 winters had below-average snowfall. However, there have been 8 winter seasons featuring strong La Nina conditions since 1950, and in 7 of those 8 seasons, Government Camp had significantly above-average snowfall." (Drew Jackson, KPTV FOX 12 Meteorologist, Secretary, Oregon Chapter of the AMS)
Oregonians know that weather forecasting is part science and part art – and they love to talk about the weather. There are other sources of weather forecasting data for the Northern Cascades and Mt. Hood such as www.hatchcam.com and the local TV station websites. What are some or your favorite weather forecasting sources or techniques? Heard any good non-traditional forecaster, like the height that certain vegetation may be growing, quality of bug hatches, migratory patterns of wildlife, or how thick your beard is growing in? And what do YOU think this winter will like on Mt. Hood? Give us a post – we’d love to hear from you!
-- Matt