Hoodoo Ski Area

Anyone looking for Winter Fun in the central Cascade Mountains of Oregon will find the Hoodoo Ski Area to their liking. The cinder cone shape of Hoodoo Butte offers hot skiing and snowboarding located on the south side of US Route 20, west of Sisters, Oregon. Drivers from the coast can use Interstate 5, while several US Routes and State Highways offer access from the interior.

Long-distance flights can arrive in Portland, but Eugene also has an airfield and is closer. There is also a municipal airport in Bend, to the east.

Skiing and Riding a Volcano

The Cascade Mountain range sits on the edge of the Ring of Fire, and it holds several volcanic peaks. The Hoodoo Ski Area rests on the slopes of Hoodoo Butte, which is a volcanic cinder cone. The base for the ski area sits at 4.668 feet, and the peak stands at 5,703 feet. A drop of over 1,035 feet gives skiers and snowboarders a chance to bomb down the slopes here, but the profiles are not as steep as some might think.

Rippers and shredders love the storm dumps throughout the Cascades, and the annual snowfall average at the Hoodoo Ski Area will not disappoint at 450 inches. The average snow base sits 10 to 15 feet deep, keeping plenty of powder between guests and the terrain. Visitors should have plenty of opportunities to cut fresh tracks after a storm, no matter what type of skiing or riding they do.

The Hoodoo Ski Area has a full-service lodge that provides the basics, and a variety of lodging options are available down the road in Sisters. Lessons are offered in groups or in private and organize around skiing or snowboarding. These break down further into age groups, and there are even lessons for night skiing.

Several Options in a Central Location

With a more central location on the east side of the Cascades, local park rats and ski bums from around Oregon look to enjoy the mountain's slopes in several ways. The Autobahn Tubing Park offers runs that the whole family can enjoy. Guests looking to do some Nordic skiing have a lower and upper trail system that the resort grooms several times a week (the cross country ski trails remain ungroomed).

The Hoodoo Ski Area has equipped over 20 runs to provide nighttime skiing and riding on four nights of the week. A unique feature here is the Friday night open races that visitors can register and participate. During the day, ski bums can enjoy the entire 800 acres that Hoodoo Ski Area maintains.

There are 34 runs here, with the longest (Over Easy) reaching three miles in length. Roughly 60-percent of the terrain here rates evenly between green/beginner trails and blue/intermediate runs. The rest of the Hoodoo Ski Area has a black diamond rating for more advanced skiing and riding.

Five lift systems serve visitors to the Hoodoo Ski Area. Lifties keep a double, triple, and three quads running smoothly (all lifts have their history and names).