Hoodoo ski season off to a fast start

The ski season is off to a fast start this year at Hoodoo, with skier visits totaling almost five times the figure for the same period the previous year. December 2011 was a dismal, rainy month that saw a total of only 3,612 skier visits. In fact, last season the resort remained closed almost the entire month of December. This season, however, has been an entirely different story.

December 2012 saw a total of 17,885 alpine skiers flock to the popular family ski resort at the summit of Santiam Pass.

"We are way up from last winter break. Opening day (last season) was Monday, December 26; and we closed Thursday and Friday due to rain and reopened December 31," said Hoodoo Ski Area's office manager, Brynne Beverly.

A strong turnout for skiing has significant knock-on effects in the Sisters economy (see related story, page 1).

Skiers have not been the only customers heading for Hoodoo.

"The Autobahn Tube Park has had it's best opening in years," Beverly reported. The "Autobahn" is a tube sledding area that is serviced by a rope tow.

In fact, when combined with last month's totals for Nordic skiing, sledding, and tubing, the total visitors for the month jumps nearly to a whopping 22,000. Beverly said that conditions combined to make this their financially strongest Christmas break ever, even though skier visits were a bit higher in 2010.

This past weekend saw hordes of visitors pouring into the resort. Although the ticket sales and rentals were brisk, not everyone was counted among the skiers.

"We just wanted to see what this was like," said one visitor from Taiwan. "We don't get any snow where we live in Taiwan."

Hoodoo is the only ski resort in this area that offers night skiing, and the slopes were lit every night last week. Night skiing will continue to be offered on Friday and Saturday nights until 9 p.m. Regular operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The resort is closed on Wednesdays.

One of the most popular Hoodoo specials, "Tightwad Tuesdays," begins this week. Sponsored by Three Creeks Brewing Company of Sisters, Tightwad Tuesdays run now through March 20, with special discount tie-ins for après ski specials. Tightwad skiers can purchase all-day chairlift tickets for $19 on Tuesdays only.

Beverly said that this season was the "best early snowfall for us in years. The base is at February's numbers already."