It’s an event on the Sussman calendar every summer: a trip to Government Camp, Oregon where we go down the Alpine Slides you see in this picture.
I’m not sure who loves it more: the kids…or the parents.
It was the Alpine Slides that originally got us hooked on Mount Hood Skibowl’s Summer Action Park.
Now it’s the fact that every year it seems like there’s more fun stuff to do on the slopes of Mt. Hood…while wearing shorts!
In my ongoing series of Friday Interviews, I’m talking with the guy who runs the place: Skibowl’s Hans Wipper.
#1 Some people still have no idea how big your Summer Action Park is. Can you paint a quick picture of what it’s like in a few sentences? The Mt. Hood Adventure Park at Skibowl encompasses 960 acres, two sky chairs to the top of the mountain (5,027 feet), over 40 miles of Mt. Bike trails and over 20 activities where you control the action. We have something for everyone from our most popular 1/2 mile dual Alpine Slide, to Bungee Jumping, horseback riding and activities for the youngest in the family.
#2 Is there anything new this year? Yes, new this year are the “Human Hamster Balls”.
 They are giant inflatable balls that you climb inside and can scamper around like a hamster! You have to see it to believe it! We are also in progress on extending our Zip Line and adding a conveyer lift for our summer tube hill.
#3 Is a park in the mountains like this pretty unique? Skibowl has the only summer park of this kind on the West Coast. We have been doing summer attractions since the Alpine Slide opened in 1981 and have been growing it ever since. We have one of the only lift accessed Mt. Bike Parks in the Northwest.
#4 Did you guys have to do extra work to get things up and going this year because of the epic snow season that lasted into spring? We did open the park later than usual due to the massive snow and cool spring. We usually try to get the Alpine Slide open for Memorial Day weekend, but this year we didn’t get it operating until June 24th. In fact, we had to delay extending our zip line until the fall as there was too much snow to do construction.
#5 What’s the weather like for you in the summer? We’ve had a lot of morning clouds that last all day in Portland this year! Summers on the mountain are the best! When things heat up, it is usually 10 degrees cooler up here, and when those marine clouds are covering Portland, we are high above them in the sunshine. On a normal year we have on average only 2-3 days with precipitation between the 4th of July and Labor Day.
#6 How can people find out more and ‘follow’ Mt. Hood SkiBowl? There are so many ways to follow us: Like us on Facebook (Mt. Hood Skibowl), check our website often for operating hours and events (www.skibowl.com), or call our info line at 503-222-BOWL (2695). See you on the Mountain!
“When are you going to come Bungee Jump Bruce?”
My answer: Actually, I did that about four years ago from the Bungee tower you guys have set up. Totally freaked me out–a definite oncer! But the ‘reverse bungee’ ride you have is something I do every year. My wife loves that one, too!
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