Summer Ski Operations Underway at Timberline Lodge, Oregon

While camps like Windells house the highest quality terrain park offerings in private lanes, members of the public can cruise the Palmer Snowfield if they buy lift tickets or a Summer Alpine Pass. 

Timberline plans to operate its summer lifts from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting. In the summer—particularly late in the summer—the snow gets baked by the sun, becoming quite grippy and slushy when noon or 1 p.m. rolls around. Before that, perfect corn snow prevails (or the early-morning bulletproof ice—if bashing gates is your cup of tea). Public lift tickets currently cost $105. 

The ski area's mecca-like status—and the pull of summer ski camp coaching opportunities—means you're liable to spot a variety of pros during any given summer at Timberline, which boasts the longest lift-accessed season in North America. 

Palmer sits on an exposed flank of Mt. Hood and experiences brutally cold temperatures and high winds in the winter. On its website, Timberline notes that these winds can exceed 100 miles per hour.

Palmer only starts spinning as summer arrives and the weather mellows out, rumbling to life as Timberline's lower-mountain lifts shut off for the season.

Thanks to the Palmer Snowfield and its titular lift, the second act of Timberline's season is only getting started. 

Timberline has gathered historical snow-depth measures from the top of the Pucci Lift (Pucci stands just below Magic Mile) since 1949. The ski area's snow depth was about 20 inches below average as of the latest measurement earlier this month. Timberline tends to remain open for summer skiing and riding through August, weather and conditions dependent.