Subaruzi

I am from Vermont and have recently relocated here. I need to figure out a pass for the 11/12 season. I am looking at the Fusion and the Meadows passes. I have even done a search but I didn't feel like I was getting enough guidance from the previous posts.

I am not a park guy anymore and prefer free riding. I rarely hike anything but will if the situation calls for it. I like trees and groomers. I am not certain as to what the riding is like up here but in the northeast it gets icy a lot. If it gets icy here I would prefer a place with good grooming.

Additional considerations:

I will only be able to ride on weekends for the most part. I hate lines and crowds
I will be getting a pass for my wife and 3.5 year old son too
If there is a shuttle from Vancouver/Portland that would be great.

Let me know if you need more information to give me an idea of the resorts. Thank you.

DBLdangerTILT

Welcome to the forum. So, you're an east coast transplant weekend warrior who doesn't like crowds or lines. Go with the fusion, PLEASE. Also, don't claim Portland while living in Vancouver, you'll look like a fool.

WasatchMan

How is that possible to not know

You are in for a treat - coming from the east to west is like going to a different planet...



EDIT:

did you post this on city-data and other forums as well?

Qball

For freeriding, Meadows has the most terrain hands down. It will be much steeper than anything you're used to but overall it's not very steep compared to other places in the PNW. Tons of natural wind lips, trees, bowls, chutes, the whole place is basically a natural terrain park. Meadows also has the most crowds, especially on weekends. I avoid weekends at meadows most of the time.

If you wanna ride park and want progress in the park go to timberline. Now meadows did get a brand new bison x cat this fall so they may step up their parks this season, we'll see. Tline's parks are usually on point have and a good flow to them, they get a lot of practice building parks being open nearly year round. Timberline is pretty flat but there are some good tree runs and little drops here and there. If you like super long cruising runs and an amazing view tline is a great place. To get steeper you actually need to go out of bounds. It's a very relaxed atmosphere where everyone knows everyone.

Skibowl has some great sidecountry terrain when conditions are good, and they also have a ton of terrain lit for night riding. The lifts are slow and shitty, the parks arent all that great except for the jib park which can be fun to just goof around in. Super laid back type of place.

Qball

Oh don't listen to this guy. Welcome to Mt Hood man.

Subaruzi

Thanks...

The other guy strikes me as a bit of an aggro jerkoff, so I am paying him no mind. I used to be 19 and able to ride all the time (100+ day years) too and would get territorial about my mountain (Stowe). When you grow up, you grow up and you got other shit on your plate. I am just happy to 1. have a job, 2. have a job that allows me to afford being able to ride and 3. to have a job that is close proximaty to a decent mountain. If I have to deal with overamped kids who drink too much Monster because the Xtreme channel tells them to, it is a small price of admission to the party.

All the other posts have been pretty helpful.


Help me out with another thing if you would.... I keep hearing that the snow on Hood is pretty "heavy", does this mean slushy? or is it just really dense? or should I form my own opinions through the season.

Subaruzi

Didn't post up other places, should I?

It is possible to not know what the riding is like up here because I have never ridden up here? Is there something I have missed?

arsenic0

Its really hard to recommend a place to people unless you've tried them both...they are so vastly different riding styles.

I'd recommend getting a season pass at one, and going to the other atleast once at a similar day/time to see which you like more. Then next year make a more educated decision for yourself.

Timberline definitely has less people, but i have high hopes for this new quad Meadows is opening that should really cut down on the main lift being so congested. And IMO, there is a reason that Meadows is more crowded, because it has more varied terrain so its more popular.
Personally, i like Meadows a lot more, i find a lot of Timberlines terrain boring. But i know people who love it and only get Fusion passes every year.

The difficult part will be really experiencing both mountains, as its unlikely you will be up there on days where the entire top to bottom runs for either are open. Meadows always seems to keep cascade and the upper lifts closed due to fog and bad weather, as does Timberline for Magic mile and the upper mountain.

Both Fusion and Meadows passes should give a cheap pass for your kid, it might still be free for Fusion, i think they made it $20 for Meadows if you've bought a pass.

I do know Meadows has a bus that picks up from various locations in Portland, and im sure Timberline has something similar.

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Subaruzi

^ super helpful

I appreciate you taking the time to go through this all with me. I am leaning towards the fusion because it sounds more mellow overall. I am sure the terrain is not as sick, but I think I should be able to manage. I was thinking that I would get one pass and then check out the other for a couple days this year to see what I was missing. The wife and kid should be out at the mountain 2-3 days during the week while I am toiling away in the proverbial salt mines.


Either way, I have been in New Orleans* for the last 2.5 so ANY hill/mountain/change of elevation is pretty appealing.








*yes I am "claiming" a city-- DBLdangerTILT is that cool?

I lived here: 711 upperline st new orleans LA - Google Maps

Is that New Orleans enough? or I can't say I lived there because I was too far from the French Quarter

WasatchMan

I'm sorry, I really don't mean to sound like a jerk, but how do you ride a 100+ days a year and not know about conditions at some of the most popular/talked about resorts in the world?

Pacific North West snow is usually "wetter" on powder days. It has more water content than more central-west states and resorts. Such as Colorado, Utah, Wyoming etc.

It all has to do with location, being close to the ocean vs. close to the desert.

Wetter/heavier snow takes a little more work to board, but you get more steep terrain because the snow sticks better.

But you get a good trade off in the PNW with year round snowboarding, at least at some resorts.

Honestly, it's completely pointless to "form your own opinions" when you have never ridden any other western resorts. You'd need some Utah, Cali, Co, BC experience to even begin to form a valid opinion....

Either way you are going to be blown off your ass coming from the east ( and especially not even knowing about western resorts!) so enjoy your new and improved life. Also I attempted to sound as unbiased as possible with that snow report, so yeah.