Wander the West

Night Skiing at Mt. Hood Meadows

	Perfect Grooming

January 2007

The first stop on my 10 day ski road trip was Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area for a little night skiing. Meadows Ski Area is only about 1 ¾ hours from Bend (where I was coming from) and 1 hour from Portland, Oregon. It is one of 4 ski areas nestled on the shoulders of Mt. Hood and (in my opinion) the one that offers the widest variety of terrain. There are a total of 240 skiable acres available at night.

Night skiing offers a unique skiing experience with whole new challenges raised by the artificial lights. I personally enjoy the shadows that give the terrain more definition than natural light and the ghost-like spray of snow that leaves your skis to linger in the florescence is actually beautiful.
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Night Skiing can be a little unpredictable when it comes to snow conditions. The general rule is that if there has been new snow in the last 3-4 days and no daytime warming then it should be good. However, if there has been any freeze-thaw activity at all, the snow can be very firm. Some nights are referred to as “blue death”. This is because of the bluish hue the snow takes on when frozen solid and the resulting damage sustained by those that fall on it.

I was unlucky enough to start my ski trip on just such a night, so my ski buddy and I re-racked the skis early and headed for Hood River Oregon for some Full Sail Amber and dinner. Don’t let this discourage you though, just pay attention to the weather and pick those softer nights and you should have a great time.

- Eric Davis