June isn’t normally the time of year I’d worry too much about inclement weather skunking a day of shooting ski photos.
Although, the number of different layers I threw in my tote bag probably should have triggered my own subconscious skepticism. Still, when we left Bend at 7 a.m., the balmy temperatures that rose as we drove towards Mt. Hood made me think that my biggest worry would be getting sunburnt.
When we arrived in the parking lot at Timberline Lodge, Annie, whom I’d driven up with, pointed out different landmarks. I’d grown up hearing about it from my older brother, who attended High Cascade Snowboard Camp as a camper in high school before coaching there until 2009, but somehow had never made it myself.
Between the camps that train racers and park skiers from all around the world, the iconic solstice party at Illumination Point, the throngs of folks hoping to ski off the summit of the mountain, and the dozens of film segments, edits, and photos that come from the unique setting, Timberline has become somewhat of a legendary spot for summer skiing.
Photo: Matt Roebke
However, this past winter wasn’t exactly kind to Mt. Hood, nor the rest of Oregon’s ski areas.
The state experienced historically low snowfall and warmer-than-average temperatures. As a result, Timberline Lodge announced that their summer season would end on July 19th, depending on conditions, which is far earlier than normal.
Camps like Windell’s were forced to come up with last-minute plans for sessions after mid-July, and, from what Annie told me, the difference in snowpack was more than noticeable.
Still, the parking lot swarmed with kids in baggy ski pants and speed suits carrying park or racing skis. A breeze rustled our hair in the lot as we booted up.
The first lift we took didn’t have snow at the bottom, so we carried our skis, and in my case, my camera bag, on the lift. The higher the chair climbed, the windier it got. Clouds swirled and flew quickly across the mountain’s summit, moving so fast it almost looked like a time-lapse.
Gusts pasted our hair to our faces and threatened to pull my skis from my hands. Once at the top, I clicked into my bindings, and everyone else to their boards, and boarded Palmer, the second lift that would actually take us up to the snow.
If the first lift ride was bad, the second one was worse. The chair swung a bit in the wind, and our conversations were punctuated by yelling “What?!” over the noise. Stable ground had never felt so good at the top of Palmer.
Annie Fast
Annie and I were there to watch, and hopefully shoot some photos of, the Snow League’s signature session. We made our way to the pro halfpipe and found it buzzing with skiers and boarders.
Snow League athletes Nick Goepper and Finn Melville Ives were amongst the skiers lapping the pipe. Goepper and Ives were injured at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics and were unable to compete at the Snow League Championships at LAAX in March, although both attended. Now, recovered from their injuries, they are hard at work training for the upcoming competition season.
Goepper attended Wy’East Academy for high school, which had been folded into camps like Windell’s and High Cascade. He spent two years skiing Hood year-round, and utilizing Wy’East’s state-of-the-art training, dryland, and airbag facilities. It clearly helped with his career.
We watched the pipe for a while, and the clouds, which continued to hover over the mountain’s summit. At some point, Annie and I decided to go for another lap in hopes that things would clear up a bit in the meantime. Needless to say, they did not, and the lift ride was one of the scariest of my life. By the time we rolled back to the halfpipe, many of the athletes were starting to call it quits for the day. Back at the mountain’s base, the breeze wasn’t nearly as strong, and the chill it had left us with melted away quickly.
Despite conditions not quite lining up for photos or much skiing, I was still very glad to have made the trip. It was clear why Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, and the little town of Government Camp, Oregon, had had such an impact on my brother, Annie, Goepper, and others. The Columbia River Gorge is a pretty special little slice of Oregon, one I hope skiers continue to cherish, even with a little less snow.
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Related: Yes, These Snowy Photos Were Taken This Week at Sunshine Village, Canada
