By Justin Andress, For The Mountain Times
Since 2001, the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum has served as both a touchstone for mountain locals exploring their community’s past and a point of welcome for visitors to our region of Oregon. For the last two decades, a large part of that duty fell to the museum’s curator, Lloyd Musser.
At the end of 2024, Musser stepped down from his duties and passed the reins to Mt. Hood fixture Dave Winterling. Sadly, Musser passed away shortly after he retired. Still, Musser’s vision for the museum and the surrounding community has a solid steward in Winterling.
Winterling has been in Oregon since 1999. A lifetime skier, Winterling never stayed away from Mt. Hood for too long. He even raised his kids on the slopes. In 2015, Winterling took his passion for winter sports to the next level and joined the world-famous Mt. Hood Ski Patrol as a volunteer.
The Mt. Hood Ski Patrol has etched its own space in Mt. Hood’s history. It was established in 1937, a record that makes it the oldest ski patrol in the United States. They remain the only ski patrol to support year-round skiing. After 10 years on patrol, Winterling has risen to president of the esteemed organization.
“We have about 200 volunteers,” says Winterling of the massive undertaking. “We work weekend shifts at Timberline, Mt. Hood Meadows and Ski Bowl. In the morning, we help set up the ski area and we help sweep at the end of the day. In between, we respond to cases where people have been injured and do assessment and treatment on the hill and transport them to the first aid room. At Timberline or Ski Bowl, on a weekend, the majority of the patrollers you see with red coats on are a part of Mt. Hood Ski Patrol.”
With that leadership and logistical experience under his belt, Winterling, who’s volunteered at the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum since 2017, felt like the perfect choice to ensure Lloyd Musser’s dream turned into a reality. Dave will be the first to tell you that he’s got “big shoes to fill,” but his hope for the museum’s future is certainly contagious.
“Lloyd and the team here have a lot of great plans,” says Winterling. “So my mission is to make sure those continue. The biggest being the 3-phase plan to expand our footprint here.”
Over the next few years, the Museum will expand in the hopes of adding new exhibits and community spaces and relieving the increasing pressure on its archive. “We’re really ready to go from a design standpoint. The next step is to work with contractors and get quotes.”
Beyond the new expansion to the building, the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum is working alongside the State of Oregon and Clackamas County to build a restroom and community plaza on the parcel of land that abuts the Museum. As an official visitors center, the new construction will give visitors and locals even more reasons to stop and soak up the expansive culture of Mt. Hood.
In addition to those plans, Winterling will be tasked with expanding the reach of the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum. “We have some really fun historic events and monthly, what we call social history, happy hour events,” says Winterling. The mixture of guest speakers, interesting exhibits, and fascinating facts means a trip to the Museum’s Government Camp location is never time wasted.
Best of all, anyone can enjoy the exhibits on display for free. As Winterling explains, “It’s free admission. We gladly accept donations, but we don’t ever want there to be a barrier for somebody coming in.”
While it is free to visit, the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum relies on community support to keep going. Memberships can be purchased for $30 a year for individuals and $50 a year for families. You can also donate whatever money you have available or speak to one of the team members to find out how you can donate your time.