Hoodoo Ski Area announces opening this weekend

Hoodoo Ski Area announced Thursday it will open its 2016-17 season this Saturday and Sunday, with the Manzanita and Easy Rider chair lifts running from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Lift tickets will be discounted to $35, but guests who bring two food donations can buy lift tickets for only $20. Food donations will benefit The Giving Plate in Bend, which can accept donations of various goods, including canned soup, fruit, vegetables, pasta sauce, cake mixes, boxed meals, baby food and formula.

These will directly benefit people in Central Oregon who are in need this holiday season. The Giving Plate was started in 2010 by Gary and Debra Kelso, and serves more than 20,000 people in local communities each year.

This is the earliest Hoodoo will open since the 2005-06 season. Additionally, 100 percent of Hoodoo’s management team is back at the mountain this winter, “continuing Hoodoo’s well-known reputation for excellent, friendly service in a family friendly atmosphere,” the announcement said.

Hoodoo’s Big Green Machine, Red and Hodag chair lifts, Autobahn Tubing Park, and Nordic trails will be closed this weekend, but will open later in the season, pending more snowfall.

For current conditions at Hoodoo, call the Hoodoo Snow Phone at 541-822-3337 or check out Hoodoo’s weather page. Operations and mountain status will change as more snow falls, and Hoodoo’s schedule for Dec. 10-11 will be determined next week. Updates will be posted to skihoodoo.com and Hoodoo’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. Guests can also sign up for the Hoodoo email newsletter at bit.ly/HoodooEmail.

Hoodoo Ski Area is a family-owned, locally operated mountain recreation area operated on federal land by agreement with the Willamette National Forest, McKenzie River ranger district. Located on the summit of Oregon’s Santiam Pass, 20 miles west of Sisters, Hoodoo is one of the state’s most centrally located, economical and family friendly winter sports destinations. Visit us online at skihoodoo.com and see why Hoodoo is “The Mountain in Your Backyard!”