Timberline operated four lifts and three terrain parks on Friday, November 22 and plans to keep as much terrain open as possible for daily operations.

The Timberline grooming, maintenance and parks crews did an excellent job of turning what would have been hazardously slick conditions on the upper mountain into well-groomed runs with a variety of features. The snow was hard and fast, and visibility was stunning.

Pucci, the Magic Mile and Palmer were all open, making for a sweet non-stop cruiser from 8470 feet to 5350 feet, a vertical drop of 3120 feet.

A few weeks ago you had to ride up the Mile in your boots and walk across rocks to get to Palmer. Now there is enough snow to coast down to the lift.

There are two jumps and a variety of jibs on the eastern side of Palmer, boxes on the beginner’s run at Bruno’s and rails in Thunder Park.

It has snowed 76 inches at Timberline since September 1, but the slopes lost some base with the unfortunate warming pattern that hit Mount Hood last week. The base depth is listed as 22 inches but there are volcanic rocks jutting out all over the place on the Mile. Off-trail exploring is definitely not recommended.

Also, the trails are pretty narrow due to the lack of snow, which makes for some crowded riding at times. Combine that with the excitement people are showing for getting out on the mountain for the first time, and it can get a little sketchy. I witnessed three collisions Friday, one of them pretty nasty, but fortunately nobody got hurt.

Timberline plans to run as many lifts as possible as it becomes the first resort on Mount Hood to offer daily lift operations. They could use some more snow, but unfortunately the 7-day forecast is looking awfully dry, with lots of sunshine and highs around 40 degrees.

Here is a slideshow to give you a taste of what to expect if you venture up to Timberline over the coming week:

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Last modified: November 23, 2013