Warm weather delays Hoodoo's ski season

It's been a balmy November, without much snow in the mountains. While that may be good for travelers over the Santiam Pass, it is not good for the Hoodoo Ski Area or those who work there.

No snow, no jobs, no money.

On Monday, November 27, a recent storm had left about 12 to 14 inches of snow on the ground, according to Hoodoo General Manager Mike Obymako. It was still snowing, but a warm front was expected later this week that could further delay the opening of Sisters' neighborhood ski area until after this weekend.

Hoodoo needs about two feet of snow to open all three lifts, depending on the density of the snow, Obymako said.

While not being open on Thanksgiving "was obviously a disappointment," it is still too early to be terribly concerned about the season, said Obymako. However, if the ski area remains closed through Christmas break, the revenue loss could postpone plans to remodel the lodge and add a ski lift on the west face of the mountain next summer.

Weather plays a big role in the economics of skiing, and the weather has been fickle in the 90s.

"I have been here now for 15 years. Until we had the season of '89-'90, we had been open every Thanksgiving. Since '89-'90, we have had marginal openings (with less than full operations), and this is the first year I can remember besides '89-'90 that we have missed Thanksgiving entirely," Obymako said.

In the winter of 89-90, the mountain opened for while in December, then rains reduced the snow pack. Hoodoo had to close, eventually reopening on January 26 but losing more than half of its calendar season.

"Pent-up demand made up a portion of that, but it was still a significant loss," Obymako said.

During the peak of the season, Hoodoo can employ as many as 110 people, which also includes those who only work Christmas and spring break, said Obymako. Payroll for the season totals about $300,000, much of that spent in Sisters.

Currently, there are only 10 employees working at the ski area, mostly management staff.

Hoodoo has also developed a campground management business and extended operations into the summer. "Summer has taken some of the dips out for us," said Obymako.

Summer operations also allow Hoodoo to be more prepared for an early opening of the ski season, which happened last year.

"If we hadn't had staff from the summer, we would not have been able to open on November 10. Those storms came in real fast, but we already had key people," said Obymako.

While skiers will not see many changes this year from last, Hoodoo hopes to put in a new "terrain park" for snow boarders on the run that used to be called "Easy Street." There they will have snow board obstacles or "hits" made out of snow.

Hoodoo also traded in a snow cat and acquired two others, one used and one new, at a cost of $160,000. This will increase the number of grooming machines on the mountain to three.