No April Fools: Hoodoo fans enjoy free Friday lift tickets

Free skiing, snowboarding and tubing Friday, and that was no April Fools’ Day joke but a fun day for hundreds at Hoodoo Ski Area near Santiam Pass.

After a big rebound in snowpack and business, Hoodoo offered up free lift tickets for those who could take off on a warm, blue-sky Friday to enjoy the slopes.

And many did, like Frank Sanford, who decided to have an early start to his weekend.

“Today I actually took off work,” he said. “I didn’t want to go to work and thought it was best to enjoy the day and come out and ski.”.

Entire families came out to enjoy the special day. Leonard Tilton even came from out of town to ski with his whole family.

“We have birthdays this weekend, so they all came down and we decided to get together,” Tilton said.

Tilton came from Concord, California, to have a good time, but wasn’t expecting the free day.

“We didn’t know about the free tickets. We just found out about it last night,” Tilton said.

No doubt that was a pleasant surprise.

Warmer temperatures may be rolling in, but winter sports are still holding strong at Hoodoo, especially with free lift tickets.