Mount Hood Oregon

[scouse_bri]

Alright all,

I'm a kiter from the UK but also a snowboarder. There's a group of us thinking about heading over to Mt Hood for a snowboard holiday. Can anyone give any kind of low down of the place. Also does anyone know if you can snowkite there.

Also If I coming all this way it'd be a shame not to visit you guys and mayeb get a session in. I take it February / March is only for the brave!!.

Cheers all.

Brian from the UK.

[pacifichigh]

Mt. Hood Meadows has by far the best terrain on the mtn for snowboarding. As for kiting, the terrain and acess is less than ideal. Mt. St. Helens semms like a much better bet, but the approach is long.

[Mark]

I would look long and hard at the Rockies, Colorado, or Utah before I would come to Mt Hood. The snow is better. If you are coming here for other reasons, I would snowboard Mt Hood (Meadows) but, I would also head south to Mt. Batchlor. IMHO the snow is much better. Batchlor is about 3 hours south.
Have fun
Mark

[stevegriffith22]

UTAH has it all, check out skyline for snow kititng and snowbird or anything in that area for the lift serviced snowboarding.

sg

[pacifichigh]

Powder Mtn, Utah- lift accessible kiting!

[stevegriffith22]

rrrrreeeeaaaalllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyy?????? Thats so cool, I did not know, please explain in detail please......please......lift access kiting?????

[Wyo Kiter]

Get a log in http://www.utahwindriders.org/

and go to this link.
http://utahwindriders.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1655
not rrrrreeeeaaalllly...yet but More than you need to know


Other info to digest:

http://www.utahwindriders.org/wind/HTM/snowkite.htm

http://www.ukbinc.com/utah_launch_sites.htm

http://www.powdermountain.net/

[Kataku2k3]

Definately Meadows for boarding, but Timberline for snowkiting... I've seen Alex Peterson and Aaron Sales riding up on Palmer Glacier (very top of T-line), but I've never wandered up that high to try and ride (stayed down lower and it wasn't that great).

[pacifichigh]

I've kited pretty high up with AP skiers right out of bounds on T- Line and its a little sketch. Steep terrain, starting half-way up the fall line, which if you end up riding puts you in govie.

[registered]

Maybe if we send enough people to Utah for the snow kite chair, we can get it shut down . Not everyone wants everyone to know everything.

Sorry I am in a bad mood. But if tons of peeps show up to ride the lift and kite , doubt the results would be good. I would think that if more people show up at hood their could be issues to. A couple people , now and then, no biggie but wankers start showing up to learn the easy way on the snow, pow. People are getting dragged into rocks and access depletes.

kataku2k3, I wish I was there to see those guys ride, Why didn't you go ride to?


Always the pesimist......

[pacifichigh]

Easy Fish- Powder Mtn is hardly a secret as is! As for Hood, natural selection kicks in, the conditions & terrain will keep most people at bay. Either way, your beach is safe from the throngs of californians & utards (for now)

Hope you guys killed it last weekend!

[Bettyboarder]

Brian,

Like everyone one says there are alot of other great place for epic snowboarding but for being local Mt. Hood Meadow's is for sure the place to go. Here's there website for more info : www.skihood.com

They have some local hotels (in Hood River) that offer deals if you stay there you get lift tickets for like $25.

If you have the time like Mark said Bachlor is really nice place to ride aswell.

[jdk]

Whistler BC and Tahoe, CA are good too. last year it rained in tahoe in january, but they got 60ft over the season, 30ft in march alone. they get more sunny days there (tahoe) than anywhere i think. and its not so blistering cold like MT, CO and UT can be. Kirkwood in tahoe is my favorite, lots of steep and its a big place. Whistler is enormous, has great snow and 5k of vert that starts at sea level. very uncommon not having to go to 6-7k to get good snow... did i mention _5k of vert!

my 2 cents, have fun! i will ski hood this year for first time

actually now that i think more, most places have base level above 8k i think. its up ther for sure

edit -- here are whistler stats, base is actually at 2200ft, but that's still very low compared to other places: http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/mountain/stats/index.htm

[Sol-flyer]

utah sucks, dont go there. if it was'nt for people out pioneering it wouldnt even be on a map. obviously hood aint all that cause there locals wanna go somewhere else.

IMO if you want good snowkiting the bend/central oregon area has the better location.<--why?
1. Mt bachelor has to be the better of the ski area's in the state.
2. bend is on the verge of where mountians meet desert, which can mean lots of wind.--and consistent
3. not as far to other places than anywhere else in the state.

there is some good kiting terrain around crater lake area, and the steens MT. range has got it all and more.

edit: also the west coast has "wet" powder. as the rockies have a more fine "dry" powder.

[pkh]

agree on most your points sol-flyer, but the big problem with snow kiting in the bend area is a lack of snow. It might dump a foot or two on occasion, but it can melt fast and then you got nothing.

Only place I ever snowkited was in Sun River in one of the pastures next to the airport.... it was... interesting.

I'd love it if we could find some snowkiting spots within an hour or so of the Gorge / Portland.

[Wyo Kiter]

[pjc]

utah has the goods don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

flying over utah to ski oregon instead sounds like the greatest airborne disaster since the hindenberg.

all sorts of friendly people over at kiteforum (the snowkiting section) that will give you the low down on utah snow kiting. i skiied there for a winter way back and it was great, either dumping champagne snow or 25 and sunny, spoiled me for everywhere else in the world.