website: Summit Ski Area
- Mt. Hood Area - Summit Ski Area
One of Oregon's smaller ski resort, the resort is popular to families looking for some fun in the snow. Trivia question: What was the first ski area to open on Mount Hood? Timberline? Nope. Mt. Hood Meadows? Uh-uh. Believe it or not, Summit Ski Area is the oldest ski area in the Pacific Northwest. Never heard of it? You're not alone. Hundreds of people drive by Summit every day on their way to Oregon's larger and better-known ski areas. The easiest way to find it is to stop at the popular public rest area east of Government Camp, get out of your car and look up. There it is, a small hill dotted with tentative skiers and boarders traversing the slopes. Some of us Portland locals learned to ski there at a young age; its super-easy terrain (every inch of which is rated beginner) and laughably cheap lift tickets make it a great option for fledgling skiers and snowboarders. Plus, it's a good 15 minutes closer to Portland than the larger resorts. It's also popular with tubers, which compose the majority of Summit's visitors.