The Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum will hold its 12th annual Ski Glade Trail Day on Saturday, March 7, 2015 — snow or no snow.

Once a year, under permit from the US Forest Service, the historic Glade Ski Trail is opened and groomed for this participatory living history event.

The Glade trail starts at Timberline Lodge and ends in Government Camp, a distance of three miles. Before the advent of high-speed ski lifts, groomed slopes and extreme snowboard acrobatics, skiing long trails like the Glade through the forest was a popular social event.

The Glade Trail was built by the US Forest Service in 1937 as part of the Timberline Lodge ski complex. The trail roughly follows the route of the original Blossom Trail, dating to 1888 or earlier. Before the advent of ski lifts, skiing consisted of either jumping or trail skiing. Trail skiers climbed on skis equipped with climbing skins, to the Timberline Lodge area and skied back to Government Camp.

Lloyd Musser, Museum Curator, said, “This event helps fulfill our mission of preserving and interpreting the history of Mt. Hood. This is a chance for Grandparents to ski with their grandchildren and share the memories of skiing the Glade Trail, when it was the biggest ski adventure on Mt. Hood.”

Participants are treated to “a red carpet day of skiing,” shuttled to Timberline in airport shuttle vans, escorted by local guides and senior members of the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol, and served a hearty lunch.

All of this is assuming there is enough snow to ski the Glade Trail. Unfortunately, the snow is so thin this season that as of press time, the Glade Trail is unskiable. So Timberline has stepped in to honor Ski the Glade passes at the ski resort.

If the snow picks up over the next few weeks, shuttles will run from 9 am to 4 pm, allowing ticket holders to make several trail runs. If there still isn’t snow on the Glade Trail, participants will spend the day exploring the trails of Timberline and enjoying the lunch buffet at Timberline Lodge. Either way, at the end of the day there will be an Après ski party with prizes. Wearing vintage ski clothing is encouraged.

Participation is limited to 75 skiers. Tickets are $100.00 per person for members and $125 for non-members, a portion of which is deductible as a donation to the MHCC&M, a non-profit organization.

Tickets may be purchased at the museum in Government Camp, or by calling 503-272-3301. Visa is accepted.

For more info about Mt. Hood trail skiing and the history of the mountain, check the Mt. Hood Museum website at www.mthoodmuseum.org.

For more information about safely skiing and snowboarding outside of resort boundaries on the South side of Mount Hood, see Emilio Trampuz’s authoritative guide to skiing the sidecountry, published in March of 2014 on Shred Hood.

Last modified: January 20, 2015