West - Skiing on Mt. Hood for first time skier

I've visited Oregon tons of times, but I've never been skiing before. I've been thinking about skiing up on Mt. Hood.

I have no real knowledge on how it all works. Do the resorts charge "admission" to get to ski and use the lifts? How much does that run? Also, how much does it cost to rent the equipment because I don't have any.

Any tips or advice would be appreciated.

Google Mt. Hood Skiing and you'll find this:

http://www.theresort.com/rec_heal_winter.php
http://www.skihood.com
http://www.timberlinelodge.com/
http://www.skibowl.com/

Prices for lift tickets, ski rentals, and everything else you want to know are listed.

Sign up for a half day beginner lesson.

Has anyone here ever been to Mt Hood Meadows Ski Resort?