Mt Hood Ski resorts
 

I'm thinking about skiing at Mt Hood for a weekend. Can anyone tell me if the Meadows or the Ski Bowl is the better place to ski? I'm more of a beginner-intermediate.

thanks!

My son is the boarder and learned at Meadows. I'd venture that Meadows is the #2 ski area in the State of Oregon (Mt. Bachelor being #1). It is on the east side of Mt. Hood and at a higher elevation than SkiBowl, so there is more snow and drier snow. Also Meadows has more runs and longer runs. SkiBowl is less expensive and a little closer to Portland. I would think there are more places to stay close to SkiBowl.

If you want to try something a little different, go down to Willamette Pass. A very pretty ski mountain, one of the few places to glade ski in Oregon. Lift lines are not bad. I am a low intermediate skier and found plenty of terrain to enjoy at WP.
www.willamettepass.com

Forgot to add, if you want, you can stay nearby at places like Odell Lake Lodge OR you could take the Willamette Express up from Eugene and then back again at the end of the day. You could enjoy skiing in the fresh air all day, snooze on the bus on the way back and then go out for dinner at one of Eugene's nice restaurants and/or brewpubs.
When we lived in Eugene, I took the bus regularly (my husband doesn't downhill, so I went alone). Was nice not to have to worry about driving in the snow or driving home after a tiring day on the slopes. Also meant I could enjoy a few drinks in the lodge before heading home.

Definitely Meadows over Ski Bowl. Ski Bowl is small and very much for beginners, IMO. Another one to consider is Timberline. As far as places to stay, Timberline has the lodge, but then just down the road a bit is Government Camp with quite a few rental homes and several new "resorts". Lots of people who ski at Meadows though stay at G Camp. BTW, a stop at the Huckleberry Inn restaurant is a must in that area. It is always full of skiers and climbers.

We just got back from a few days at Meadows, and it was great - they have tons of snow. Mt. Hood Meadows is a prime intermediate area - there are lots of 'blue' runs coming off of pretty much every lift. the views alone from the well-named Vista Express lift, and the Cascade Express lift are worthwhile, as are the wide-open above-timberline slopes.

If you go on a weekend, you need to arrive as early in the day as possible; Meadows has insufficient parking to handle all the skiers who come from Portland on the weekend, so if you get there after 9am, they will be shunting you off to annex or auxiliary parking where you will have to walk a long way, or take a shuttle. Savvy skiers park at the lower-elevation Hood River Meadows (HRM, pronounced, 'herm') base, which is a couple of miles further east (on Rte 35) of the main base access road. Many fewer skiers go to (or even know of) the HRM base, because it basically has no facilities, except for a lift ticket window and snack bar/restrooms. If you get there early though (i.e. 8am), you can get a prime parking spot with a short walk to the HRM Express chairlift, which services some great intermediate terrain, and also sends you off to the rest of the mountain. The only catch is at the end of the day, you need to make sure that you head back down to HRM, as opposed to the main base.