Located to the east of Oregon's most beautiful mountain, Mount Hood Meadows ski resort features some of the best snow in the Pacific Northwest, a high vertical and a large ski domain. There is a wide variety of terrain, from smooth, shallow runs in the beginner's area to steep slopes in Heather Canyon, and snowboarders also have three terrain parks.

Facilities at the resort are fairly comprehensive and include 12 food service operations, a huge sundeck, ski and snowboard rentals, a demo and repair centre and a conference room. Childcare is available for toddlers from six weeks to four years ($60 per day) and there are child-friendly ski programmes with private lessons.

The main resort centre is in the town of Hood River (50kms to the north of Mt Hood Meadows), which contains the bulk of the accommodation. Mount Hood Meadows has several ski/lodging packages with Hood River bed-and-breakfasts, inns and hotels and there are plenty of cafés, restaurants and bars in which to enjoy the après-ski. Après-ski in the resort is limited to the Finishline and Alpenstube bars.

Mt Hood Meadows has an impressive 87 runs, many of which are intermediate slopes under the Hood River Express chair, while experts should head for Heather Canyon. The highest lift reaches a whopping 2,225m and the vertical drop is a respectable 846m. Twelve lifts have an hourly uplift capacity of over 16,000 people and feed all slopes, the longest of which is 4.83kms.

For alternative sliding, head for Mount Hood’s other smaller resorts of Mount Hood Ski Bowl, Cooper Spur and Timberline Lodge. Alternatively, for a day away from the slopes, Hood River is a charming town, with its tree-lined streets and range of shops offering great strolling territory.

The ski season at Mount Hood Meadows runs from November to April and there are cheaper rates in the run up to the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The most convenient means for getting here is to fly to Portland and take a private shuttle bus or hire a car.