A decade ago, Eugene businessman Chuck Shepard purchased Hoodoo, a mid-sized Oregon ski area near the summit of Santiam Pass. Long since neglected and at risk of going out of business, Chuck immediately started work to revive Central Oregon’s oldest ski area. He spent millions of dollars on news lifts and a massive day lodge. Some years have been challenging with skimpy snow, but overall, attendance has perked up and the vibe is positive. While he’s still waiting for a financial return on his Hoodoo investments, Chuck and his team have already succeeded in creating an affordable and friendly place for families and locals to enjoy a mountain experience. Hoodoo is here to stay.

I am only familiar with the “new” Hoodoo, having never skied there until just a couple of years ago. Being nearly 2.5 hours from Portland, I usually choose to ski at one of the several Mount Hood options that are far closer to home than Hoodoo. But on several occasions when driving to or from Bend, I’ve stopped at Hoodoo and skied for several hours – never to be disappointed.

On this particular day during the winter holiday vacation period, I was on my way home from Bend. My plan was to arrive at Hoodoo in time for the 9:00am lift opening… ski several hours… and then hit the road for Portland in the afternoon. Santiam Pass and the Hoodoo parking lot are a quick 50 minutes from downtown Bend. I pulled into the parking just as planned, shortly before 9:00am. And sure enough, Chuck Shepard was there to greet the arriving guests. Chuck has got to be the only ski area owner in the country who assigns himself to direct cars into the proper parking spots in the lot each morning. And let me tell you… the parking lot is organized and the parked cars perfectly line-up. Chuck settles for nothing less! It was especially important on this day, however, since the parking lot filled to capacity. It was a busy day at Hoodoo.

But a busy day at Hoodoo is a light day at many other ski areas. Despite a full parking lot and one of the higher attendance counts of the season, there weren’t any liftline mazes set up at any of the lifts – because there weren’t necessary. The three quad chairs, a triple chair and double chair offer more than enough uphill capacity to prevent liftlines even during the busy holiday period. For the third day straight, I never waited in a liftline.

The weather and the snow were similar to what I experienced at Mount Bachelor the day prior: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the 20s and little wind. The groomed snow was firm and fast. Off the groomed was variable with areas of packed powder, small moguls and spots of ice.

I loaded the Green Machine quad, Hoodoo’s base-to-summit lift, shortly after 9:00am. Off the top, Hoodoo has a magnificently groomed black diamond run, named Dive, that is steeper, wider & smoother than most of the cruising runs anywhere on Mount Hood. It’s fairly short, however, and it leads to what t I call a “bench” in Hoodoo’s terrain – a flat area at mid-mountain. Along the bench, the runs are gentle or even flat… and one can follow that gentle terrain around the western edge of the ski area into the novice runs served by the Manzanita chair. Dropping away from the bench to the east are the short blue-square runs that lead to the Ed Thurston quad. And following the bench beneath the Green Machine lift leads to the Headwall, the final steep drop into the base. Sometimes the Headwall is groomed; on those days, it’s a steep screamer not unlike Dive off the top… except that on the Headwall, there’s an audience of Green Machine lift-riders watching from above. On this day, the Headwall was left natural – it was a technical descent of small moguls and icy patches.

If there is a valid criticism about Hoodoo’s terrain, it’s that the steeper front-side runs are fairly short. There are few long, sustained pitches. But I find there to be enough variety to keep my attention for a day. The Ed Thurston quad serves some cruisers that have the perfect blue-square pitch. The Manzanita chair has some gentle green circle runs for novices mixed with some slightly more difficult pitches for those who want to take the next step. Advanced and expert riders should head for the summit on the Green quad. With sufficient snow, one can drop from the top of Hoodoo butte in just about any direction. Areas such as Crater and Chuck’s Backside (yes, that’s the name of the south-facing area off the backside of Hoodoo) aren’t spectacularly steep… but they require some technical maneuvering. And when there’s new powder, the riding is awesome… and few people are back there to chop it up. On the west side of the Butte is the Hodag lift & trail cluster. Needing more snow, the Hodag lift & runs weren’t open the day of my visit. Aside from the short runs down to the Hodag base, each route off the top of Hoodoo butte & the Green Machine lift eventually leads back to the Hoodoo base… making it difficult for one to get lost.

Chuck Shepard and his team recognize that one of the keys to Hoodoo’s long-term success is to keep lift ticket prices reasonable and affordable. To that end, they offer – without question – the BEST lift ticket deal in the state: “Tightwad Tuesdays” feature $19 lift tickets! Other discounts are offered through corporate sponsor partnerships on other midweek days as well. Peak day tickets are obviously a bit higher and are not discounted, but the prices aren’t unreasonable.

For Portlanders, Hoodoo may be a little too far away for regular visits. But for an affordable and friendly Oregon skiing experience, stop by Hoodoo sometime. And be sure to say hello to Chuck in the parking lot when you arrive!

In an effort to visit more Oregon ski areas this season, I made a trip to Central Oregon to ski at Mt. Bachelor and Hoodoo this past weekend. Since it’s been such a bummer snow month, my expectations were low. My, was I surprised. At both places, the snow was in excellent shape!

Mt. Bachelor – Sunday, February 1st

Looking towards the summit

I had a marathon day, skiing from 8:30am until 3:45pm. That’s how good the skiing was! Despite it being purely a groomer day, Mt. Bachelor is large enough and grooms so many runs that I never got bored. Being Super Bowl Sunday, there wasn’t much of a crowd. I waited 5 minutes to board the Sunrise Express once, but otherwise I never waited more than a minute or two.

The grooming team at Mt. Bachelor is top notch. I’ve skied at other resorts famous for their grooming (Deer Valley and Sun Valley) — and Mt. Bachelor’s groomed runs were of the same caliber as the runs at those resorts. The snow was hard-packed and fast, yet still carvable. And while the mountain could certainly use additional snow, there isn’t a problem with rocks or bare spots. Everything is well-covered.

Downed Trees from the Ice Storm

The damage from the early-January ice storm was incredible. Unfortunately, it’s going to take several feet of new snow to cover all of the trees that are down in the forest. Without significant new snow, the tree-skiing season is over. I had heard reports about the damage, but I was unprepared for the sight of so many snapped & downed trees. And nearly one month after the storm, there is still thick ice on trees & lift towers on the west side of the mountain. This “blue” ice is nasty stuff – totally bulletproof. Some of it still coats the snow off the groomed runs… which is why the groomers are the only place you want to be until snowstorms return.

Thankfully, Mt. Bachelor is not short on groomed runs. Among my favorites (by lift):

Rainbow chair: Flying Dutchman, I-5.

These runs had the best snow on the mountain, as the eastern part of the mountain featured softer snow. These runs also had the fewest people skiing them, so even at 3:00pm, the runs were still smooth.

Summit Express: Beverly Hills, Healy Heights.

The summit was hard-packed and icy… but these are classic, steep cruisers no matter the groomed snow surface.

Pine Marten Express: Tippytoe, West Boundary

While Thunderbird is usually my favorite warm-up run, Tippytoe & West Boundary see far fewer skiers/boarders and have similar pitches. Tippytoe isn’t always groomed, but when it is… it’s a “dig in the edges to avoid a skid” screamer. Love it!

OutbackExpress: Boomerang, Down Under

Not always groomed… but when they are, both of these runs feature long, steep & sustained pitches. The runs on this side of the mountain are generally steeper & longer than those on the east side.

Northwest Express: Snapshot Alley to Atkenson’s Zoom, Osprey Way to Sparks Lake Run

These are long, rolling & winding screamers that start steep & become gentler towards the bottom. Narrower than many of Bachelor’s other runs, the runs in the Northwest Territory are among my favorite runs in the entire USA! At two miles, they’re leg-burners for sure… and they demand control and skill when skiing at speed.

Overall, I was very impressed with the conditions at Mt. Bachelor on Sunday. The staff was friendly as well — the lift operators and ski patrols were kindly professional during every exchange I observed. Mt. Bachelor is one of those mountains that is so big that, even with a large number of skiers/boarders on the mountain, it never seems that crowded.

Hoodoo – Monday, February 2nd

The view from the parking lot

On my return to Portland, I stopped by one of Oregon’s oldest ski areas on Santiam Pass. But while Hoodoo’s history goes way back, it’s facilities are anything but ancient. The lodge and quad lifts are brand new. And while the runs are much shorter than Mt. Bachelor’s runs, Hoodoo’s groomed runs are generally steeper than those at other Oregon ski areas (especially when compared to the Mt. Hood areas).

Unfortunately, I could only spend about 3 hours at Hoodoo before I needed to get in the car and head home to Portland. But during those 3 hours, I was able to get in about 15 runs.

I have never skied an Oregon mountain so deserted of other skiers/boarders. It was rare that I encountered another person on any of my runs. It was almost eerie. The weather was beautiful – comfortable temperatures & little wind beneath blue sky & sunshine. And yet no one was there. With such a low skier count, the groomed corduroy remained as corduroy the entire morning. I must give a shout-out to Hoodoo’s grooming department as well — the grooming was expansive and flawless. And unlike at Mt. Bachelor, Hoodoo’s off-the-groomed snow was soft enough to ski — especially in the sun-exposed spots. The Grandstand run off the top had small moguls, and by 10:30am they were soft & fun to ski.

Once at the summit, with a couple exceptions, one can ski nearly 360 degrees off the top of the Butte. I’ve never been to Hoodoo on a powder day, but I can imagine that the summit runs of Crater, Face, and Chuck’s Backside would be heavenly when the snow is deep & fresh. Hoodoo rarely gets crowded enough for lift lines, so powder lasts longer here than at other areas (so I’m told!).

While Hoodoo is a much smaller ski area than Mt. Bachelor or the Mt. Hood areas, I definitely recommend a visit if you’ve never been there. It’s a friendly place with a nice, caring staff. There is terrain for all abilities. And the mountain & lodge don’t get overly crowded (but I hear the parking lot can fill on the busiest days). Hoodoo’s annual Winter Carnival is this Saturday (Feb. 7th) — check it out!