Mt. Hood Meadows Expands Its Portland Presence

News Search

13 July 2015

Push to The Latest: No

SAM Magazine—Mt. Hood, Ore., July 13, 2015—This summer Mt. Hood Meadows is growing its presence in Portland by expanding an existing office in the city into an “alpine lifestyle center,” called Altitude. The space, which is set to open Labor Day Weekend, will include a mountain retail store and après bar, a ski and snowboard service center, and a lift ticket and season pass office.

Dave Tragethon, executive director of sales at Meadows, said skiers and riders will be able to drop off their equipment for tuning and have it shipped to the ski area so it's ready for them when they hit the slopes.

"Altitude is going to reflect and depict the mountain lifestyle” that people who live in the Portland metro area seek, he said. “There will be an assortment of ski boots, snowboard boots for families, and rental equipment that you can have set up in Portland instead of on the mountain.

In true apres ski fashion, Altitude will serve drinks during its 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. business hours and host various art events catering to urban-based mountain sports aficionados.

"This is all part of our overall adjustment to become less dependent on big snow years," said Tragethon. "With the growth around our neighborhood, a lot of the apartment and condo complexes are attracting young millennial-age couples and urbanites who want a relationship with the mountain. We hope they'll come hang out."

Tragethon said the move was partly a response to unpredictable climate and two straight years of challenging snow conditions. Mt. Hood Meadows ran a 118-day season in 2014-2015, but this was shorter than in previous years.