Summer skiing on Mt. Hood, OR, has been a tradition since Timberline launched summer operations in 1956. Back then, the bright-orange Tucker Sno-Cat shuttled skiers up the glacier until the Palmer chairlift opened in 1978, making nearly year-round turns accessible to anyone chasing snow.

Today, Mt. Hood draws skiers from around the world. Slalom, moguls, pipe, slopestyle, big air —it’s the ultimate training ground, and all of it takes place on the same patch of snow that’s hosted summer skiing for nearly 70 years.

This summer, I was lucky enough to spend a bit of extra time on hill, including three unforgettable days with the US Olympic Pipe Skiers including Nick Goepper and Hunter Hess. Watching their dedication to locking in new tricks, the sounds of camaraderie while slipping the pipe during lunch, and hearing the constant banter with coaches and athletes reminded me why every day up there feels like the best day ever. From the park crew to Olympians, one thing stands out: everyone is smiling.

After a long, slushy summer, operations at Timberline finally wrapped up on August 17.

Dedicated jibbers are still hiking the park, but the rest of us will have to pause for a few months as we wait for the snow to fly again. 

From all of us who get to enjoy it, thank you.

(Left) Kate Gray leads the charge during warm ups. If you’ve watched a superpipe competition, you’ve seen the best of the best perform at the highest level. In training, things are different. Not every hit is filled with endless spins—in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Each morning, the park skiers take quite a few warm up runs and throw down some safety tricks before the show begins. 

(Right) Thibault Magnin is a 24-year-old Swiss-Spanish-Dominican freeski phenom and an absolute pleasure to be around. Most of the time when I ask an athlete if they have something in mind for a shot, they respond with some iteration of “all good man, whatever you want!” But much to my delight, Thibault told me exactly what he wanted, and we made it happen.  

(Left) I often find myself trying to shoot the pros as much as possible, but at the end of the day, they get plenty of attention. I decided to change things up and get some shots of the people that make Timberline what it is. Here is Kevin ‘Tweak’ Merchant, a veteran coach, planting a statement at the end of the public pipe. 

(Right) Chris ‘Topher’ Newett, or as some say, ‘The Mayor of Timberline,’ truly embodies summer skiing on Mt. Hood. Topher makes things look good. Like really good. This hip in the Timberline public park was a key feature to show off those unique Topher skills. Here, he styles out a big 180 with some of classic Hood features in the background: Illumination Rock and some serious lenticular clouds surrounding the summit of Hood. Fun fact, those clouds only form when winds are blowing at least 25 knots. 

There are only so many ways you can capture a park jump, but in the summer on Mt. Hood, you can count on any given hit having at least two of those angles. Sullivan Ruddick gets the top-down angle on Devin Lindemeyr while Chris ‘Topher’ Newett captures from the side.

(Left) Along with the US Ski Team hot lapping the pipe, a few members of the younger generation from Gold Camp really stood out. Fourteen-year-old Joey Nick exits his run with a double thumbs up from his Mom, Vicky. The future is looking bright!

(Right) It’s fascinating to watch the energy and flow of the parks on any given day. Sometimes it’s a 1-2 hour session on the big jump where the action doesn’t stop. Sometimes it’s a public pipe hiking session, or in this case—an afternoon dedicated to the rails at the top of the pro park. Violet Kreilick seen here thoroughly enjoying one of these super sessions. 

Andrew Kominak has been a Hood staple in the summer the last couple of years. He led the charge on the Solstice build in 2024 and has summited the mountain over a dozen times just this year. On this particular day, we planned on building a hip next to a crevasse. It wasn’t doable so instead we opted for this massive chunk of glacial ice and a steep drop in.   

(Left) By no means is this the best build I’ve ever been a part of. In fact, it’s probably the second worst (only to be out done by another mound last year built for the same purpose). However, what the mound lacks in aesthetic, it makes up for with purpose. To shoot skiers perfectly lined up with the moon is no easy task, but if you make a small cone-shaped pile and have the subjects in the same place every time, it’s a hair easier. Massive shout out to Hunter Hess for hiking up to help shape this one. 

(Right) Nick Goepper needs no introduction. To achieve his level of recognition in a sport takes a ton of hard work and a side of natural talent. After watching Nick train for three days and sharing lunch stories with him and my wife, I can attest—he puts in the reps and then some. This is a sequence of a new trick he was working on, a trick he must have done 50 times in those three days.

The “Pro Park Jump” is infamous at Timberline in the summer. A couple of rotating rail features at the top give way to the crown jewel of the park’s rope tows: a 55-foot wedge. Sullivan Ruddick does his best to put on a show for the crowd on the deck.

This was the last day of Timberline’s spring pass window, the beginning of a long, action-packed summer. An unknown skier celebrates the end of one season and the beginning of the next on the Illumination Rock Saddle with a 180 truck driver. 

(Left) A skier who needs no introduction, Sammy Carlson always turns heads when he comes through Timberline in the summer. Watching him cork from the deck, he’s as good as they say. 

(Right) What do you get when you mix a free-range Oregonian with a pair of his own handmade artisanal skis? Simple: you get Hood local, Paul Richter of ON3P, blasting backflips on his days off. With Paul you are always guaranteed a smile with flawless style.