The video was shot Monday, January 3, 2022
Due to the road closure of Highway 26 (and no timeline for reopening) we have opted to suspend operations today, Tuesday, January 4, 2022. We expect to resume normal 9 AM - 9 PM lift operations Wednesday, depending on conditions, weather and accessibility. Another 13 to 18 inches is forecast today - on top of the whopping 32 inches in just over 24 hours we’ve already received.
That day-long dumping presented challenges for ODOT to keep the highways plowed, especially when so many drivers and vehicles were ill prepared to travel in these conditions. We understand the concern for public safety - and support ODOT and the snowplow drivers who are charged with our safe passage over these mountain roads in potentially treacherous conditions, while dodging stalled-out or even abandoned vehicles that had no business of being in this storm in the first place.
Tripcheck TV - Mt. Hood Road Cams
A good number of our team travels from the Sandy side, as well as the majority of our guests. We are very proud of those team members, our shuttle drivers included, who braved the burly commute on Monday through the heart of the storm, and more importantly had a safe return home as the storm persisted.
Our parking lots are part of the Oregon SnoPark system and are maintained by ODOT. With the snowplows understandably focused on the highways through this storm cycle, we’ve used our equipment to plow our lots. We have a limited crew of fleet management and groomers who are digging out - or at least trying to maintain access to the ski area through the storm.
When ODOT can't get to our lots, we use our loaders and sometimes even snowcats to make our parking lots accessible. We use loaders, a snow blower, a grader and even an ODOT snowplow we purchased.
But even with our best efforts in a raging storm that's dropping over an inch an hour, by the end of the day, each vehicle needs to be dug out. Other than making perimeter road passes and an occasional row pass, we can't plow during the day. This is why we suggest packing a shovel on big snow days - and that's good advice to have a shovel any time you travel in the mountains.
There is a lot of grooming / digging work required on the North side - even if we were open today, Hood River and Shooting Star Express lifts were taken off the schedule to allow our groomers the much-needed daylight hours to tackle these grooming projects.
We fully expect to return to our normal operational schedule Wednesday, with lifts scheduled from 9 AM - 9 PM. This storm could affect lift operations, including the possibility of delayed openings, and of course road status is also beyond our control. We’ll provide updates on our conditions page - and we'll see you on the mountain soon!
Conditions Page