Mount Hood is famous for many reasons. The scenery is stunning. Timberline Lodge is a masterpiece that created a new architectural style – Cascadian. And, as this story in Portland’s Willamette Week explains, it is one of the few places in the world where you can ski and snowboard all summer long.
The story describes in graphic detail the life of a “board bum” during the summer on Mount Hood. It is clear that the author wishes to present a realistic view into the lifestyle, but one critical piece of information has been overlooked.
There is no mention of the one million pounds of salt that RLK and Company dumps on the mountain each year. With an award-winning performance, the Timberline Director of Marketing infers that this summer season is due to the “permafrost.”
If only this were true. The only reason RLK has this extra season of shredding is because of the tons and tons of salt dumped on the Palmer. (See related story, “Snow Salting Studies Needed”)
It has been claimed that the summer season is now the most profitable time of the year for RLK. However, it is apparently not enough as RLK now wishes to start a mountain bike park business to add to their summer skiing and boarding business.