I wish they went with a conventional tram that worked well, if they did it would probably be up there with the Cannon mountain tram, Snowbird tram, and the Jackson hole tram in terms of recognizability
A number of them are of the original Magic Mile single lift, including the bottom terminal, top terminal, multiple mid-line shots, and a stats sign showing the number of towers/chairs and etc.
These photos are public domain and thus not copyrighted. So everyone has the ability to share/alter/print them out for free!
I’d love to see an article about the history of this lift.
If there is enough snow to open the ski areas, there is enough snow to put out the fires. The only operations that will likely be affected will be the bike park which is currently closed due to fire danger. If the fire in Heather Canyon at MHM gets out of control there is a possibility for damage to Star and Heather, however at this time I don’t think that is likely.
Does anyone know what effect an eruption of Mount Hood would have on Timberline and Mt Hood Meadows? Seismic activity has increased in the past few decades at Mt Hood indicating a future eruption and it is the 2nd most likely volcano to erupt in the continental US.
Hard to say. Bare minimum there would have to be some damage to structures and lifts based on seismic activity. There’s also the question of the direction of an eruption- Mt St Helens blew the entire north side out (as well as 1400′ of the summit) but left the south, east, and west relatively untouched. I’d be willing to bet if there was a series of seismic events similar to the leadup St Helens’ eruption the mountain would be evacuated anyway. If there was an actual eruption it would end skiing on the mountain for quite a while, most likely.
Eruptions are unpredictable, as they can occur in different directions. Mt. Hood’s lava flow would likely predominantly be northeast given the topography of the region. However, Timberline and Mt. Hood Meadows are so close (as they are literally on the volcano) that they are both well within the lava flow and rock debris paths of any eruption at the summit. Best case scenario for the resorts would be an eruption from the north side of the volcano instead of the peak, similar to Mt. St. Helens in 1980, which would still result in significant mudflow at the resorts but limited lava flow and blast deposits. The glaciers on the mountain would likely be gone for some time with any eruption as well. Any major eruption of Mt. Hood would likely be the end of skiing on the mountain for a number of years.
Many have wished for one but I don’t think it will ever happen. Too expensive, Meadows and Timberline are both independently owned by different families, and likely too many environmental groups that would fight such a lift to the bitter end. There are great posts on LiftBlog about all the points I highlight below, just FYI:
The interconnect would I believe end up being over two miles long, and more likely than not a 2s/3s gondola because of the White River canyon crossing. The canyon is extremely avalanche prone and windy, and is also a protected wilderness area. I believe Meadows had a previous master plan legally challenged because of a plan to build in the canyon which ruined any chance of future development.
The Oregon/Mt. Hood area is also generally unfriendly to this type of development. It took Timberline 10 years to open their mountain bike park. A court-ordered land exchange between Meadows and USFS is still in legal purgatory. Every development is hotly contested by someone for some reason or another. Making matters worse is the cost of liability insurance in OR for these ski areas, and the lack of insurers (only one left in the state).
Lastly, Timberline’s priority will likely be connecting with Govy via its own gondola, which is in a formal planning phase with USFS.
Lift Blog 
Did you forget the legendary Timberline Bus Tram made by riblet, Peter?
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I wish they went with a conventional tram that worked well, if they did it would probably be up there with the Cannon mountain tram, Snowbird tram, and the Jackson hole tram in terms of recognizability
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I recently stumbled onto the US Forest Service Photo Archive on Flickr, and there are some AMAZING pictures on there: https://flickr.com/photos/135886671@N08/sets/72157659210957389
A number of them are of the original Magic Mile single lift, including the bottom terminal, top terminal, multiple mid-line shots, and a stats sign showing the number of towers/chairs and etc.
These photos are public domain and thus not copyrighted. So everyone has the ability to share/alter/print them out for free!
I’d love to see an article about the history of this lift.
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Will the Wildfires affect opening dates of Mt Hood, Timberline and other ski areas? If the wildfire don’t calm down soon it could delay opening dates.
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If there is enough snow to open the ski areas, there is enough snow to put out the fires. The only operations that will likely be affected will be the bike park which is currently closed due to fire danger. If the fire in Heather Canyon at MHM gets out of control there is a possibility for damage to Star and Heather, however at this time I don’t think that is likely.
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Photos of the old Magic Mile lifts:
Magic Mile 1:
From the parking lot:
Closer to bottom terminal:
Overview of lift line:
Upper part of the line:
People waiting in line:
Bottom Terminal:
Sign at bottom terminal:
Tower 3 after 240 inches of snow (this may be the reason Magic Mile 2 was built with such tall towers):
Midline:
On the way up (in color!)
Top terminal at the Silcox Hut:
Magic Mile 2:
Bottom terminal or mid station:
Lift and lodge:
Looking down:
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That was the first chairlift I ever rode on. In the summer before the quad was installed
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Pictures of the Mount Hood Skiway from Government Camp to Timberline:
Bottom Terminal:
Midline:
Top Terminal:
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An old newsreel about the Skiway:
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How did the haul rope work on this?
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I believe the cable was stationary and the bus “drove” along it. More a support cable than a haul rope.
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Original Pucci lift in the lower left hand corner of this picture:
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Does anyone know what effect an eruption of Mount Hood would have on Timberline and Mt Hood Meadows? Seismic activity has increased in the past few decades at Mt Hood indicating a future eruption and it is the 2nd most likely volcano to erupt in the continental US.
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Hard to say. Bare minimum there would have to be some damage to structures and lifts based on seismic activity. There’s also the question of the direction of an eruption- Mt St Helens blew the entire north side out (as well as 1400′ of the summit) but left the south, east, and west relatively untouched. I’d be willing to bet if there was a series of seismic events similar to the leadup St Helens’ eruption the mountain would be evacuated anyway. If there was an actual eruption it would end skiing on the mountain for quite a while, most likely.
LikeLike
Eruptions are unpredictable, as they can occur in different directions. Mt. Hood’s lava flow would likely predominantly be northeast given the topography of the region. However, Timberline and Mt. Hood Meadows are so close (as they are literally on the volcano) that they are both well within the lava flow and rock debris paths of any eruption at the summit. Best case scenario for the resorts would be an eruption from the north side of the volcano instead of the peak, similar to Mt. St. Helens in 1980, which would still result in significant mudflow at the resorts but limited lava flow and blast deposits. The glaciers on the mountain would likely be gone for some time with any eruption as well. Any major eruption of Mt. Hood would likely be the end of skiing on the mountain for a number of years.
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Timberline just released an official master plan with higher quality renderings of the proposed gondola.
https://timberlinelodge.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8ebf93f343c3fa766f7a6cc08&id=f8088a7187&e=b478782c33
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They moved the proposed gondola’s top terminal from Timberline Lodge to the top of Jeff Flood, which simplifies the lift by avoiding any crossings.
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Why didn’t you put the ski way on there?
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The single chair:
The little kid in the video is the one who uploaded it.
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Has a Timberline Lodge and MHM interconnect ever been considered?
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Many have wished for one but I don’t think it will ever happen. Too expensive, Meadows and Timberline are both independently owned by different families, and likely too many environmental groups that would fight such a lift to the bitter end. There are great posts on LiftBlog about all the points I highlight below, just FYI:
The interconnect would I believe end up being over two miles long, and more likely than not a 2s/3s gondola because of the White River canyon crossing. The canyon is extremely avalanche prone and windy, and is also a protected wilderness area. I believe Meadows had a previous master plan legally challenged because of a plan to build in the canyon which ruined any chance of future development.
The Oregon/Mt. Hood area is also generally unfriendly to this type of development. It took Timberline 10 years to open their mountain bike park. A court-ordered land exchange between Meadows and USFS is still in legal purgatory. Every development is hotly contested by someone for some reason or another. Making matters worse is the cost of liability insurance in OR for these ski areas, and the lack of insurers (only one left in the state).
Lastly, Timberline’s priority will likely be connecting with Govy via its own gondola, which is in a formal planning phase with USFS.
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