HELENA — It’s no secret that MTN’s Curtis Grevenitz loves to ski, and although it’s August, the snow-loving meteorologist was recently able to hit the slopes.
Timberline Lodge is the only ski area in North America that is still open, running the lifts to the public. The high-altitude resort near the top of Oregon's Mount Hood is having a season for the record books.
Timberline Ski Area has recorded nearly 600 inches of snow since September. While 49 feet of snow is a lot, that quantity is not a record amount. Like Montana, Oregon and Washington had a very cool and wet spring preserving the mountain snowpack.
A few years ago, Timberline has to close early because of too little snow. This year, the ski area has extended its season through late August with the amazing snowpack. Now the resort does "farm" snow in the winter, packing it down with snowcats, and each day surfaces are groomed which also preserves the snow surface.
Mount Hood hosts a number of national ski teams and ski camps in the summer months. This year, racers and freestyle competitors along with the public get an extended season.
Timberline plans on closing by August 21, but only so that they can start preparing for next season.
