Hoodoo reopens -- and prays

While Central Oregon's non-winter is raising the specter of summer water shortages, Hoodoo Ski Area is suffering right now.

The local ski area's tough year got a lot tougher when the resort was forced to shut down for two weeks due to a combination of warm weather and a lack of snow.

Last weekend, however, things were looking up at Hoodoo, as a cold snap and a very modest amount of new snow allowed the resort to reopen amid some cautious fanfare.

"I want to be up front in saying that our conditions are less than ideal," said Hoodoo President Chuck Shepard, "but with the sunshine and snow we have, there is no reason why you can't have a great time."

Hoodoo has recently sunk millions of dollars into first-class resort upgrades including a new lodge and new lifts, so this season's snow pack no-show comes at a particularly bad time.

"Obviously, this year has not been successful financially," said Hoodoo Marketing Director Pam DeMarsh, but she emphasized that the ski season is far from over.

"We need all the help we can get," DeMarsh said. "Next Saturday, February 15, we are holding a 'Pray for Snow' party."

As part of the observance, the resort plans to burn old skis and snowboards, apparently as a burnt offering.

"It's a BYOS party (Bring Your Own Snow)," DeMarsh explained.

Saturday's event will include noon-time live music by the Pleasant Hill Jazz Band, and Brad Tisdel and his band will perform at 4:30 p.m. Other events are also planned.

Over 100 skiers and snowboarders rushed up to the slopes when Hoodoo reopened last Friday, and business continued to pick up over the weekend.

By Sunday, DeMarsh estimated that about 750 skiers and snowboarders showed up to take advantage of the reopened slopes and sunny skies.

While those numbers were well below average for a normal winter weekend, the staff seemed pleased just to be operating again.

Hoodoo was also able to host Nordic races for Central Oregon high school teams over the weekend.

The horrible ski conditions that caused Hoodoo to shut down in January actually resulted in the formation of a lake at the base of the mountain.

Work crews drained the lake and plowed up snow from the parking lot and other areas to fill the depression and cover other bare spots.

"We moved snow around as much as possible," DeMarsh said, "but we couldn't create any more."

She added that the "snow is thin, but what is there is good quality."

Because of the unusual weather conditions, Shepard said that many of the resort's ski runs will present challenges that are different from what skiers are used to seeing.

"We have cut way back on our grooming, and that will make many advanced runs much more difficult," Shepard said. "Even advanced skiers and boarders should proceed with caution, if for no other reason than to avoid wrecking your equipment on bare areas."

Still, Shepard expects that resort visitors will be able to enjoy their skiing experience.

"To sum this up," he said, "the beginner areas should be excellent. The intermediate areas should be OK, and the advanced areas will be for advanced skiers and boarders only."

The midseason disruption has also caused Hoodoo to postpone their annual Winter Carnival festivities. The popular winter event has been rescheduled for March 1.

All originally planned activities are slated to go ahead on the new date.

Hoodoo plans to remain open for the foreseeable future, with the exception of the normal Wednesday closures.