Engineers Turned A Bus Into A Ski Lift, It Failed Spectacularly

Ian Greenwood
·1 min read

These days, most ski resort transportation infrastructure is spit-shined, polished, and ruthlessly efficient, the culmination of decades-long trial and error.

But to figure out the best way to move skiers up and down the mountain, you have to screw up a few times. Enter the Mt. Hood Aerial Skiway, a strange aerial bus contraception that connected Government Camp to Timberline Lodge in years past. Check out this video from Peter Dibble that tells this odd project's story.

On January 1st, 1951, the Skiway debuted, filling the first aerial bus with a crowd of reporters and radio personalities. Public excitement was palpable, and the Skiway enjoyed several fruitful years of use between sight-seers and skiers.

However, for several reasons, the project was doomed from the start. For one, in 1950, a few months before the Skiway launched, Timberline Lodge improved its access road to reduce the frequency of closures. Two, the Skiway wasn't exactly a cushy ride. One journalist who served in the Airforce during WWII compared riding the aerial bus to sitting in the tail gunner spot of a B-17 Bomber.

Thus, with the access road being an easier and more efficient option, Skiway ridership slowly declined until the project's eventual closure in 1956.

At 4,540', Timberline Lodge now has the longest vertical terrain of any ski resort in the U.S. It earned this title in 2021 by partnering with Summit Pass (previously Summit Ski Area) in Government Camp. Snow conditions permitting, skiers can utilize this terrain offering to ski from Timberline Lodge to Government Camp.

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