5 replies to this topic

[SkiTimby]

Horrible news about Mt. Hood Meadows in Oregon. Access to Oregon's busiest ski area is now impossible... and will be for an "indefinite" period due to total washout of the road (in several places) leading to the mountain. For those familiar with the area, Highway 35 has been washed out south of the ski area access road at White River, and north of the ski area access road in a several mile stretch at Newton & Clark Creeks and the East Fork of the Hood River. All this from the flooding rains that battered Oregon and Washington earlier in the week.

Check out these pictures:

http://www.oregon.go...s/photos.shtml/

Repair work is expected to begin shortly, but with an active storm track and potentially heavy snow on the way, it could be a very challening project. A significantly delayed opening for Mt. Hood Meadows appears likely.

[SkiBachelor]

That's amazing, a lot worse than I expected it to be.

That's going to take atleast a month to clean up and fix if not more.

[Peter]

Mount Baker Highway was also washed out and is being repaired by the ski area maintenance crews. Pictures here: http://www.mtbaker.us/gallery/v/Nov7/?g2_G...6f731d42240781d



By the looks of the photos, it should not be too long to repair.



Highway 410 to Crystal was also closed for awhile.

From Mt Hood Meadows website:

Highway 35 Road Closure / Repair Update
Keeping our guests and staff members informed

November 9
Hi Folks.

I'm attending a tour of Hwy. 35 this morning with leaders from Oregon Department of Transportation, Federal Highways Administration, US Forest Service, US Congressman Greg Walden, Oregon State Representative Patti Smith, Hood River County Administrator David Meriweather, and Chris Warner from Governor Kulongoski's office. This evening, I'll post a new blog with an update on the project.

I'm very pleased that the state and federal agencies and our elected officials are clearly focused on re-opening access to the ski area as quickly as possible. More to come. Stay connected.

Dave Riley, President and COO

TOP OF PAGE

November 8
Hi Folks.

I'm sure you are aware of the road closures on highway 35 as a result of recent flooding and you probably have some questions. Well, that's why we created this page - to keep you informed.

Highway 35 is temporarily closed on both sides of Mt. Hood Meadows access roads - at White River Canyon (between Meadows and Government Camp); and a few miles north of the access road toward Hood River.

The closure will affect our access to the ski area for at least a few days, which has caused us to consider alternative plans for employee orientation which was scheduled for this weekend. I'm meeting with the directors to discuss some options and we'll update this page once we determine alternate dates for employee orientations. So keep checking this webpage for updates.

Any new employee or staff meetings or training sessions scheduled for Thursday or Friday November 9 or 10 at the ski resort will be rescheduled. We'll let you know about this weekend's orientation soon - so keep checking this web page.

I've also met with both state and federal officials regarding plans for re-opening access to the resort. I can assure you that ODOT, the forest service and our representatives in Salem and in Washington are aware of the situation and are committed to making the repairs as quickly as possible. We'll know more about the time line in the next few days.

Meantime, I urge our employees to keep in touch. If you have any concerns, questions, or need to reach a manager or director, you can call the ski area phone number at 503.337.2222. This has been rerouted to the Portland Sales Office, where you can leave a message. You can also send an email to trag@gorge.net and we'll make sure someone gets in touch with you. Most importantly, we want you to stay connected with us through this process.

I would encourage everyone not to overreact. What I see is nothing a bunch of big yellow equipment can’t fix.

Dave Riley, President and COO

This post has been edited by Skier: 09 November 2006 - 03:42 PM

[liftmech]

That's probably the third or fourth time the Boulder Creek Bridge has washed out on the Mt Baker Highway. One March we put up a dozen or so guests who were unable to get home after the road washed out. 18" of rain! That's more than many people I've talked to have ever seen up there, and most of them are 40-plus-year residents.

[Emax]

Anyone have photos?

[gsm]

It is all open now, it opened on the 9th December to awsome conditions. They are having a celebration weekend this weekend so we are all looking forward to it :)