Page Guide
J1 faqs and help guide
Welcome to Travel Facts and Help Page
This Page is dedicated to guiding you through your winter stay with Mt. Hood Meadows. You will find a treasure trove of useful resources that will support you on your journey.
Pre Arrival Check List
- Housing intake. This form gives us information to make your room/unit assignments. It also asks questions that you may not know yet (arrival date, flight number), just leave those blank if you don’t know.
- The form is here:
- PLEASE COMPLETE THIS BY Wednesday November 8th
- Apply to your job so your manager can officially hire you. Go here to submit a “General Application”
- In the section “Please list any other departments you are interested in applying to?” enter “J1 Student Program”
- For your address enter this:
PO BOX 140
Mt Hood-Parkdale, OR 97041
-
- PLEASE COMPLETE THIS BY
- Once your manager hires you in our software, you will get notification to start completing our employment materials (called “onboarding”). Look for an email to activate your DAYFORCE account and start onboarding.
- Arrivals: We prefer you to arrive on a Wednesday through Friday if you can. We will provide travel details to get from the airport to Hood River and Housing in the orientation. When you are booking your flight, know that you may have to stay the first night in a hotel and then catch the train/bus to Hood River the next day, depending on bus/train schedules.
- Email Eduardo to let us know the following: Is your visa approved? Do you have a Social Security Number? (DO NOT SEND YOUR NUMBER OVER EMAIL!) If you don’t have one, we will drive you to the office a few days after you arrive to apply for one, don’t worry about that part yet.
- Questions. Before you email us with a question, know that you have 24/7 access to answers! Our team site is FULL of information. https://team.skihood.com/ This site is a great resource to find answers to all your other questions! We are very busy preparing for the 1200 team members who will be with you this winter, so there can be a delay in us responding to you. We appreciate your patience.
The big dates: November 8th – Submit your housing intake form AND apply to General Application in Dayforce
Onboarding
You will be notified of an email from Dayforce to activate your account. Once you receive this email, please follow the instructions to activate your account and once you are logged in, go to the Onboarding Role, and select Getting Started. You will start to onboard close to your arrival date.
Please complete the following assigned tasks:
- Orientation Video
- Team Handbook Acknowledgement
- Mandatory Reporting Policy (Video)
- Civil Workplace & Anti-Harassment Policy (Video)
- Infection Prevention Policy (Video)
- Workplace Safety Policy (Video)
- Pass/ID Agreement
- Uniform Policy
Please wait until your first day to complete the following tasks. On your first day of work, you will come to the HR office to start these tasks.
- I9 Form
- Important Information for employee record and Payroll
- Payroll Information-Direct Deposit & W4
On your first day, please bring your passport, DS2019 form, and COVID-19 vaccination record.
Before Arrival
- What you need before you arrive
- 1) We will contact you soon with a housing intake form and to collect your visa dates and your arrival dates and travel plans.
- 2) We will email you your housing assignment and inform you who you will be sharing housing with and send you your housing agreement to sign.
- 3) Be prepared to pay your housing deposit and first month’s rent through payroll or credit card.
- Supplies: Each unit is supplied with limited bedding such as pillows, blankets, and sheets. Please prepare to bring some basic items such as extra bedding/pillow, bath towels, and hygiene essentials. There is a Wal-Mart in Hood River to obtain many items you will need.
Arrival
Send us your flight information as soon as you get it so we know when you arrive.
When you arrive:
From the PDX Airport take the MAX Red line Tri Met Light Rail to Gateway NE 99th Transit Center. The MAX station and ticket machines are located near baggage claim, view airport map. Cost: ($2.50), runs every 15min. Schedule here.
From Gateway NE 99th Transit Center, take the Eastbound Columbia Gorge Express CAT Bus to CAT Hood River (224 Wasco Loop).
Getting your Social Security Card
Documents that you will need for your Appointment
- A paper Print of the Control Number from their online submission for form SS-5
- They go Here: Social security Number and Card Webpage
- Must be done online and a day prior to the appointment. Please ensure you have computer access to complete this. The HR office has computers available for use.
- Answer “yes” to “do you have a mailing address?”
- The mailing address on this form must be MHM PO Boc, 470.
- You will need to know your parents birth names.
- You will then PRINT and save the online control number you receive once the application has been submitted
- DS-2019 Form: Students should have this; HR has a copy as backup
- Letter of Sponsorship from country agency: Students should have this: HR has a copy as backup.
- Form I-94: Students should have this: HR has a copy as backup
- Passport with J-1 Visa: Students should have this: HR has a copy as backup
- from Meadows confirming you are employed with us, their start date, and anticipated end date: HR will be supplying these
Housing
For O’Dell Housing
- Take the Upper Valley CAT bus to Mid Valley Market (Odell)
o For more available route options, take the Hood River CAT Bus to 12th and Rosauers. Then take the Upper Valley Cat bus to Mid Valley Market (Odell).
· Walk 2 min to 3430 Odell Hwy. Hood River OR, 97031
For Parkdale Housing:
· Take the Upper Valley CAT bus to McIsaac’s Store (Parkdale)
o For more available route options, take the Hood River CAT Bus to 12th and Rosauers. Then, Take the Upper Valley CAT bus to McIsaac’s Store (Parkdale)
· Walk across the street to 4959 Baseline Dr. Parkdale OR, 97041
Transportation
Team Member Transportation
passenger code of conduct
The Meadows employee bus departs from Hood River and Sandy daily throughout the season. Bus schedules are available at Human Resources and online. This privilege is available to employees only. Dependents and friends of employees may not ride these buses. All policies regarding personal conduct as stated in this handbook apply to use of the employee buses. Employee ID is required.
Notification of any changes or updates to the employee bus schedule will be sent to team members via Dayforce messages.
Please adhere to the “Passenger Code of Conduct” when using Meadows transportation:
1. Help us maintain strong relationships with businesses and residents near our bus stops by:
- Park only in approved spaces – see parking maps for clarification
- No loitering
- Be quiet as residents nearby may be sleeping
- No littering
- No alcohol
2. Be on time! The employee bus will DEPART each stop at the time listed on the bus schedule.
- When loading onto the bus, remain stationary and at a safe distance until the bus has come to a complete stop.
- Do not ask the driver to load or unload locations that are not stops.
3. Be respectful of others on the bus
- Follow the bus driver’s instructions and encourage others to do the same
- Use your headphones and keep the volume low when using personal electronic devices
- Use appropriate language and keep conversation topics PG
- Use the bus only on scheduled workdays
- Dependents and non-team members are not allowed on buses.
- No smoking on the employee bus
- Food & drink are allowed. Please pick up after yourself.
Team Transportation Schedule
Our Team Transportation is currently inactive for the season
Team Member Transportation Bus Stops:
IMPORTANT: Team members parking at the Welches Thriftway/Hoodland Plaza location requires a parking pass, you can pick up a pass in the HR Office. There are only 8 spots available and they are first come, first serve.
Select a bus stop to view the parking and pickup map:
Warm Springs Stops:
Loading Zones @ Mt. Hood Meadows
Navigating Transportation Options:
There are multiple transportation options when it comes to getting to and from Meadows. This video details a couple of these resources, Columbia Area Transit and the Mt. Hood Meadows team transportation. It will also show you how to get connected and utilize all the various transportation options available, and answer some of your frequently asked questions!
Columbia Area Transit (CAT)
Columbia Area Transit offers affordable, accessible transportation options all along the Gorge and Mt. Hood area. Working with local affiliate transit services, CAT routes can take you from Portland to Goldendale, and even to Mt. Hood Meadows! An annual Gorge Pass costs only $40 per year and allows unlimited riding along all of CAT’s routes.
A one-way ticket to or from Meadows costs $5 and can be purchased online in advance, or you can pay with cash at the time of your ride. If you purchased your bus ride online, be sure to download the Token Transit app to use your bus ticket.
CAT Transit Route Maps & Schedules:
Questions about how to use Columbia Area Transit?
Reach out to Sara Crook, CAT Travel Trainer at: sara@mcedd.org
Apple Store
Google Play Store
Get There Oregon
Plug in where you want to go, and Get There Oregon will show you all the ways to Get There. Get There Connect lets you compare travel options, find carpool partners, and track stats like reduced carbon emissions and money saved.
Mt. Hood Express
Mt. Hood Express is a transit system operating on the Sandy side of Mt. Hood. Routes run from Sandy to Timberline Lodge. Follow the link below to view routes and stop times.
Shopping For Supplies
Hood River
Walmart – 2700 Wasco St, Hood River, OR 97031 For Winter apparel, some groceries, electronics, appliances
Safeway –
Coastal Farm and Ranch – Outdoor Apparel (Boots, Pants, Jackets, Gloves, etc.)
Fred Meyer – Groceries, Apparel, electronics.
Odell
Mid Valley Market – 3380 Odell Hwy, Hood River, OR 97031 Groceries
Parkdale
McIsaac’s – – Groceries
Parkdale Farm Supply – 4966 Baseline Dr, Mt Hood, OR 97041 – Hardware and repair supplies
Places of Interest for cultural activities
WAAAM – Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum
Hood River County History Museum