Mt. Hood Meadows has announced plans to open a new clothing and accessories shop in Portland’s upscale Pearl District.
The store will be called Altitude Mountain Lifestyle, and it is scheduled to open Saturday, September 3, at 1202 NW 17th Ave. at Northrup. A larger grand opening will be held on First Thursday in the Pearl, October 1.
Meadows managers say their foray into urban retail will differ from the typical ski and snowboard shop (a tough business these days due to low-priced competition on the Internet). “Altitude will carry lines of apparel and accessories that you will wear and use every day, not just on your trips to the mountain,” says Meadows Vice President of Resort Operations Jeremy Riss. “It will serve as a connection to Mt. Hood and the great outdoors lifestyle we all love; with the ability to pre-purchase Meadows lift tickets and other products at a discount as well as getting all your questions answered before your next trip.”
The new shop will feature repurposed wood from the grandstands of La Salle High School’s gym, lounge chairs relocated from Meadows’ Daisy chairlift, large photos of Mount Hood for decor, and apparel and accessories from Oakley, Ray Ban, Smith, Dakine, Spyder and many other brands. There will be just under 2,000 square feet of retail space.
Meadows season passes, lift tickets, lesson packages and rental fittings will also be available at the shop, along with some low-price overstocked boards and boots from the resort’s on-the-mountain High Performance Center.
Finally, in the interested of “enhancing the shopping experience,” Meadows has applied for an Oregon liquor license to sell beer and wine on the premises.
“Altitude will be a place that our guests will find beautiful clothing and unique gifts that they will not find at other stores,” says Meadows Retail Director Bridgette Shipley, whose last job was as Vail’s Western Regional Merchandise Manager in Tahoe. “It’s a place that you can have a glass of wine or a microbrew while shopping and enjoy the stories and information we have to share.”
Meadows’ Executive Director of Marketing, Sales & Communications Dave Tragethon says the expansion into urban retail is “consistent with with our need and our desire to diversify, and to become less dependent on a huge snowpack to be successful.”
Other examples of the resort’s diversification strategy include an expanding line-up of summer activities and a long-term plan to develop 120 acres in Government Camp as part of a major land exchange with the U.S. Forest Service.
Last modified: August 14, 2015
