Oregon Snow Resort Updates
Here’s your Guide for what’s new on the slopes
By Diane Rudholm
Photo at right: Wispy clouds graze Mt. Hood. © Nancy J. Smith Photography, www.nancyjsmith.com
Anthony Lakes
Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort will continue to offer half-price lift tickets every Thursday.
Visitors can book backside cat tours and stay a night in a yurt for a uniquely Northwest winter getaway. Anthony Lakes’ events calendar is full of family-friendly events this winter, including live music, Nordic races and the annual SnowBlast Party that marks the end of another winter season, usually every March. www.anthonylakes.com
Hoodoo
The big news at Hoodoo this season is that they will be open five days a week, Thursday through Monday. They will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
“Tightwad Tuesday” has been replaced with “Thrifty Thursday,” which means you can ski or ride all day on Thursdays for just $19.
Hoodoo’s website has been revamped to provide a better user experience.
Fun Fact: Hoodoo allows snowbiking (i.e. bikes with short skis where the wheels would usually be) on all of its runs; be sure to check out their requirements for a snowbike license. www.hoodoo.com
Mt. Ashland
Mt. Ashland has hired a new General Manager, Hiram Towle, and is refocusing on the connection to the local community.
New promos this season include the $299 College Season Pass and $99 Car Load Mondays—which allows up to seven legally seat-belted passengers per vehicle to ski for a total of $99.
The parking lot expansion has been completed and will add 20 percent more capacity.
Three trails have been widened, and the Sonnet beginner slope has been re-contoured to provide a better experience for first-timers. www.mtashland.com
Mt. Bachelor
Mt. Bachelor, Central Oregon’s shining jewel, invested more than half a million dollars in new parking lot snow-removal equipment.
More than 600 acres of new terrain will be accessible this season and these areas will be ready to open as soon as the snow is sufficiently deep. There will also be a snowcat shuttle service on select weekends and holidays.
For the first time in at least a decade, Mt. Bachelor was the most-visited ski area in the U.S. Pacific Northwest last season. www.mtbachelor.com
Mt. Hood Meadows
Mt. Hood Meadows has developed new progressions for the freestyle terrain park experience on Shooting Star, and it has installed a new rope tow at Shipyard that will allow skiers and riders to run repeat laps of the rail park during day and night sessions.
Meadows has also initiated a proactive snow-farming program and has purchased its fourth snowmaking machine.
Finally, holy sustainability, Batman! The last of the resort’s 35 urinals have been replaced by waterless urinals—a project that has saved 1.5-million gallons since the project began in 2008.
Meadows also expanded its Wi-Fi connection for this season. www.skihood.com
Timberline
It’s now easier to get to Timberline with regularly scheduled, seven-days-per-week public transit from the city of Sandy, Oregon, via the Mt. Hood Express (www.mthoodexpress.com). If you are coming from Portland, you can link up with the Sandy transit to get to Timberline six days a week.
The Lodge is running an Instagram promo called #SAVE100. To play along, buy a special discounted season pass, then post your Timberline photos on Instagram using #SAVE100 and #timberlinelodge. If one of your photos is selected as one of the best 100 of the season, you’ll win a sweet poster and a chance to win a 2015 –16 season pass. www.timberlinelodge.com
More Oregon Ski Areas/Resources!
www.skioregon.org
Cat Ski Mt. Bailey: www.catskimtbailey.com
Cooper Spur: www.cooperspur.com
Mt. Hood Skibowl: www.skibowl.com
Spout Springs: www.spoutspringsskiresort.com
Wallowa Lake Tramway: www.wallowalaketramway.com
Warner Canyon: www.warnercanyon.org
Willamette Pass: www.willamettepass.com
