MOUNT HOOD, Ore. -- Getting up to Timberline Lodge could soon be a lot easier. The historic lodge recently purchased Summit Ski Area in Government Camp.
One idea is to connect the two by ski lift or gondola.
"If it made it easier to get here as opposed to driving up I'm good with that for sure," said Jarod Baker, who lives in Portland but was up visiting Timberline Lodge.
It could happen. Jeff Kohnstamm, president of Timberline Lodge, said the lodge's first priority is to keep Summit an affordable and accessible family friendly spot.
But at some point in the future he would like to connect the small beginner hill to the larger Timberline ski area first by ground shuttle and eventually by ski lift or some sort of aerial tram.
"Obviously an aerial connection of some sort makes a lot of sense," said Kohnstamm. "It makes the ability to get cars off the road and is very sensible for those who are in Government Camp."
It would not be the first time Timberline and Government camp were connected aerially.
Some may recall the Mount Hood Ski-way back in the 1950s (pictured above). It was basically a bus rigged into a gondola-of-sorts. The Ski-way lasted only a few years due to a variety of problems.
News Magazine of the Screen: Mount Hood Skiway
"It was kind of the right idea, just sort of the wrong timing," said Kohnstamm.
Summit Ski Area is the oldest ski area in the Pacific Northwest.
Kohnstamm said any aerial connection between the two ski areas would have to go through a lengthy environmental review.
In other words, if it were to happen, it would be many years down the road.