By Lloyd Musser, The Mountain Times
The sport of snow skiing began rather late in Oregon, compared to the east coast of the United States and other places around the world. Archeologists have determined that skis were being used for hunting and travel as early as 4000. Using skis for sport and leisure started about 1890. The first documented Oregon use of “Norwegian snowshoes,” as skis were called in those days, took place that same year. A group of Portlanders took the train to Hood River and proceeded in horse-drawn vehicles to the snowline above Parkdale. Here the party donned skis and shuffled on up to Cloud Cap.This outing took three days but only provided a few hours of skiing.
The sport of snow skiing languished in Oregon for many years due lack of access to snow covered areas. All this would change quickly in 1926, when the Oregon Highway Commission began plowing snow on the road to Government Camp daily.
The oldest winter sports area on Mount Hood, came about due to two lost skiers on New Year’s Day, 1927. A massive search located one skier, but the second skier was never found. The Portland Advertising Club thought to prevent lost skiers, the creation of a defined area with boundary signs and some facilities was the answer. Subsequently, the Advertising Club got a US Forest Service permit to create a winter sports area at the east end of Government Camp.
When the area opened for use in December 1927, it included a ski jump, a toboggan slide, ski runs, ski and toboggan rentals, a lunch counter, and an outdoor fireplace. The area became known as the Summit Ski Area and is still operating today. Recently acquired by the operators of Timberline Lodge, the area is now named Summit Pass and is folded into the Timberline Lodge Ski Area. Skiers can now ski on groomed runs from Timberline Lodge to Summit Pass for a vertical drop of 4540 feet, the largest in the United States.
The Mount Hood Ski Club worked hard during the summer and fall of 1927 to create a ski area at Swim. Swim was a small community about a mile east of Government Camp; Ole Langerud was the primary force in creating a ski jump and a toboggan run. The hill was perfect for a ski jump; it faced southeast, however, and the snow became too soft to for jumping when the sun came out. The site was abandoned after 1930, becoming Mount Hood’s first lost ski area.
Cooper Spur Ski Area got its start in 1927 when members of the North Slope Ski Club built a basic ski jump. The area grew slowly over the years, and today is owned by Mount Hood Meadows and has a 1300’ chairlift.
A group of Norwegians ski jumpers, disappointed with the Swim Jump Hill, created the Cascade Ski Club. The club worked fast and in January 1929, 3600 spectators attended the first tournament on the new ski jump on the north side of Multorpor Mountain.
America entered the great economic depression in 1929, and it would be several years before new or expanded ski facilities would be implemented on Mount Hood. At this point in time, no one in the world has an uphill conveyance system for skiers. The sport of snow skiing changed fast once the rope tow was invented in 1934. Rope tows represented simple equipment that was inexpensive to purchase; they would appear in 1936 at Summit Ski Area and the new Ski Bowl Ski Area. The Ski Bowl rope tow was in the upper bowl, which is located about a half mile from the parking lot. The rope tow was powered with a gasoline engine – skiers who carried five gallons of gasoline from the parking lot uphill to the rope tow got to ski for free. Ski Bowl would install their second rope tow in the lower bowl in 1937. There is still a small rope tow in the lower bowl that is free to use.
The Ishams and Albie West bought the private property next to the Summit Ski Area in 1938. They built three rope tows on the hill behind the Summit House; these rope tows were called the Red Devil Ski Area and served skiers until 1970. Housing units now occupy the former ski slope and Red Devil Ski Area is just an interesting history.
The Magic Mile Chairlift at Timberline Lodge opened in November 1939. Today, skiers are served by eight chairlifts, two snowcats, a magic carpet, and several shuttle buses. A gondola from Government Camp to the lodge is in the planning phase.
Sometime in the late 1940s George Beutler installed a rope tow on US Forest Service land where Glade Trail meets Blossom Trail Street in Government Camp. He called the venture Windy Point and charged five cents per ride. Skiers had to walk over one mile uphill to reach the rope tow, and the terrain was rather flat. This short-lived ski area is barely mentioned in the local history.
George then moved his rope tow to Multorpor Mountain in 1946. He was more successful here as the terrain next the Cascade Ski Club was steeper. A lightning strike in 1950 destroyed his equipment. Everrett Darr acquired Beutler’s permit from the US Forest Service, and over the years built several ski lifts and eventually merged the area with Ski Bowl. The original Multorpor Ski Area is now known as Skibowl East.
All the Mount Hood ski areas expanded, upgraded, and grew during the 1950s and 1960s, but no new areas were developed. Finally, in 1967, Mount Hood Meadows began operation and would become the largest ski area on Mount Hood. Today, 98 years after the first Mount Hood ski area was established, there are four ski areas operated by three companies. Three former ski areas, Swim, Red Devil, and Windy Point have reverted to other uses.
Lloyd Musser is a volunteer of the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum.