This spring, College Outdoors introduced a weekly ski bus, giving students the opportunity to get to SkiBowl Resort every Friday to enjoy winter sports. The first bus ran on Jan. 30 and will run every Friday afternoon until March 10. Leaders hope to provide students with an easy way to travel to Mount Hood and participate in their favorite winter activities.
While College Outdoors has a myriad of trip options — including cross country skiing in the winter — they do not offer any downhill skiing excursions. Taylor Feldman, the outdoor program manager, explained that one of the most common questions from prospective students about CO is about downhill skiing access, pushing them to add the bus.
“We wanted to provide some sort of literal vehicle, but also a metaphorical vehicle to get people up into the mountain to go downhill skiing as a trip that we don’t really offer otherwise,” Feldman said.
CO specifically purchased a 12-passenger van to serve as the ski bus, which has plenty of room to hold gear and handles well in snowy and icy conditions. Providing a safe way for students to reach the mountains was a top priority that trip leader Tully Jones-Wilkins ’26 is grateful for. He is serving as a driver of the bus and has been skiing at Mount Hood since his freshman year.
“Oftentimes the snow conditions can be dangerous, so having a good vehicle that can get up there is invaluable because it’s expensive to get snow tires for your own vehicle,” Jones-Wilkins said. “Having a vehicle going up there is a big, huge advantage for students. I wish that it was going on when I was a freshman.”
The SkiBowl Resort was the top choice of destination for CO since it is the closest to campus and offers a special night skiing pass. The bus runs on Friday evenings, so it does not interfere with CO’s weekend trips or encounter busy weekend crowds. Further, the resort is acclaimed for its night skiing.
The resort offers a variety of activities and is welcoming for skiers of any level. Feldman and Jones-Wilkins explained that there is plenty of beginner skiing at night, as well as more advanced runs higher on the mountain. There is also a tow park for skiers interested in skiing on jumps and rails that is available at a lower price than lift tickets. For non-skiers, SkiBowl offers Cosmic Tubing, a hill lit with led lights where riders can barrel down in snow tubes.
While the program is just getting started, Feldman hopes it draws in prospective students and becomes important to those on campus.
“It really potentially could make or break somebody’s college experience about whether or not they attend Lewis & Clark, so I’m hoping that it gets enfolded into the fabric of College Outdoors and the fabric of Lewis & Clark as an offering,” Feldman said.
Jones-Wilkins is excited about the impact on students, as he knows firsthand how important it can be to get outside, even during the winter.
“It’s more fun to be outside in the snow, in my opinion, than being outside in the rain and having an outlet in the winter months — when it’s dark and wet — is huge.” Jones-Wilkins said. “It is huge for me just for my happiness and then also, I had a great community of ski friends.”
Feldman encourages students to sign up, even if they are not experienced skiers, touting the bus as a “fairly low commitment,” “emotionally safe” way to learn and practice skiing.
The bus leaves each Friday at 3 p.m. and returns to campus around 9:30 p.m., depending on traffic conditions. While CO does not lend downhill skiing equipment, they have a list of rental businesses in Portland, including SkiBowl. For students without financial aid, one roundtrip on the shuttle costs $28 and for those with federal financial aid, it costs $14. Students can learn more and sign up at the CO office in Fowler.
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