Downhill Skiing
by Jackie Berry
It's time for Alpine skiing enthu
siasts to head for the hills and
strap them boards on their feet.
The winter ski season officially
opened at many resorts during the
last two weeks. Willamette Pass,
Mt. Bachelor, Hoodoo Ski Bowl
and Timberline soon hope to ac
quire the final few inches of snow
needed to open.
Eugene area skiers don't have to
go very far to find superior slopes.
Mt. Bachelor, Willamette Pass
and Hoodoo Ski Bowl are all
within close proximity. It's pos
sible to make a one-day trip to all
three areas, although I personally
find it almost impossible to make
the three-hour drive back from
Bachelor after skiing all day.
Mt. Bachelor
Steve Turner at Mt. Bachelor
reports the area changed its name
this year to the Mt. Bachelor Ski
and Summer Resort. The area's
fairly new Summit chairlift runs
into July and August for skiing or
for taking in the spectacular view
from the 9,000* mountain.
Mt. Bachelor has a couple of
special deals —a first-time skier
package and a "kids stay and ski
free" package —as well as num
erous lodging and skiing packages
covering every price range.
The first-time skier special costs
$29 for one day and $56 for two
days. It includes morning and af
ternoon lessons, equipment rental
and a lift ticket for the beginner
chair lifts. Turner says this special
is "extremely popular," and that 80
percent of the people who try it
continue to MPHIIC ski.
The "kids stay and ski free'
package will begin sometime in
January. Details haven't been fin
alized, Turner says.
Bachelor is located 22 miles
southwest of Bend. It sports 10
high-speed chair lifts and 500
acres of machine-groomed trails
and it is open seven days a week.
Lift tickets cost $20 for a full
day for adults and $12 for children
aged 12 and under. Adults also
can purchase full-day lift tickets
for the orange and yellow chairs
for $12. The trails accessible from
the orange and yellow chairs pro
vide plenty of stimulation for be
ginning skiers. Half-day lift tickets
can be used from 12:30 pm until
They cost
the lifts close at 4 pm.
$16 for adults and $9 for children.
The lifts start moving at 9 am on
weekdays and 8 am on weekends.
Besides the first-time skier les
son package, Bachelor also offers
group and private lessons for any
one from age four on up.
Day care is available for chil
dren aged six weeks to six years.
The Bachelor staff recommends
reserving spots in the day care
program early because it often fills
up. Day care people also will
schlepp children aged four to six
out to the Tiny Tracks Ski School
and back. Parents of the young
children can see the little nippers
flopping around in the snow from
many of the slopes and from the
main lodge.
Bachelor's amenities include
four lodges, equipment sales and
rentals, food and drink ranging
from snack-bar style to leisure
dining, as well as lock-ups for skis
and for personal belongings.
The Bachelor staff maintains its
own roads and parking lots so a
Sno-Park permit isn't necessary to
park there.
Dozens of rooms await over
night visitors to Mt. Bachelor,
many with packages available
through the Mt. Bachelor central
reservation line —382-8334. Write
to Mt. Bachelor at PO Box 1031,
Bend, OR 97709.
Willamette Pass
Willamette Pass, located 70
miles east of Eugene via Highway
58, is the newest and closest ski
area to Eugene. It's the only resort
in the state, besides Bachelor, at
which you don't need a Sno-Park
permit to park in the parking lot.
Skiers familiar with the Willa
mette Pass area also will be glad to
know the chair lifts have been
speeded up, according to Karla
Wilson of Willamette Pass.
The area has two chair lifts and
a rope tow. A full-day lift ticket
costs $13 for adults and $9 for
children 12 and under. A half-day
lift ticket costs $9 for adults and
$6 for children. Lifts operate from
9 am-4 pm Wednesday through
Sunday.
Night skiing starts on selected
trails after Jan. 1. Lift ticket rates
for twilight (12:30-10 pm) cost $13
for adults and $9 for children.
Night rates (4-10 pm) are $9 for
adults and $6 for children.
Willamette Pass boasts one
lodge offering all of the basic
amenities including equipment
rental, lockers, lessons, and food
and drink. Day care is available
and the staff at Willamette Pass
recommends reservations because
the day care fills up and is some
times cancelled if no one signs up
by the day before.
A major expansion is in the
works for Willamette Pass, but it
is on hold for this year, according
to Wilson (See article on WPSC
expansion plans.)
The closest lodging is at Odell
Lake Lodge, Odell Lake, or at the
Eagle's Nest Resort at Crescent
Lake Junction, both seven miles
away. For more information
about Willamette Pass, call 484
5030.
Hoodoo Ski Bowl
Hoodoo Ski Bowl is almost as
close as Willamette Pass —86 miles
east of Eugene on Highway 20 —
and it offers $5 lift tickets during
finals week, Dec. 17-20.
You need a Sno-Park permit to
park in the Hoodoo parking lot.
The permits cost $2 for a day or $9
GrD
Eugene’s Cross-country
Ski Professionals
13th & Oak • 343-6088
for a season and you can purchase
them from any motor vehicles of
fice and at some resorts and ski
shops. One permit can be used for
any road or parking lot in the
state.
Hoodoo has no day care but
will offer a Ski-Wee program
starting this year. Ski-Wee pro
vides a full day of activities for
children starting at age five, in
cluding lunch and a ski lesson.
Hoodoo has three chair lifts and
a rope tow. A lift ticket for an
adult costs $10.50 for a whole
day; senior citizens and children
under six ride free. A rope-tow
ticket costs $5.50. Hoodoo
operates Tuesday through Sunday
except during school vacations
and holidays when it's open on
Monday also. They plan to open
the weekend before Thanksgiving
(Nov. 23 and 24) and to operate
only on weekends until Dec. 17.
Hoodoo has a new advanced
run; they replaced all of their ren
tal equipment and cleared and
widened existing runs. Food,
drink and lessons are also avail
able.
The closest lodging is the Blue
Lake Resort in Sisters, the Meto
lius River Lodges and Resort and
the Black Butte Motel and RV
Park, all in Camp Sherman. Call
the Hoodoo Ski Bowl at 342-5540.
Four ski areas grace Mt. Hood
National Forest near Portland:
Timberline, Mt. Hood Meadows,
Mirror Mountain (formerly Mul
torpor Ski Bowl) and Cooper
Spur. You need a Sno Park permit
to park at all of these facilities.
Timberline
The Timberline ski area features
the historic, national landmark
Timberline Lodge, pictured in
some of the outdoor segments of
'The Shining." It's located 60 miles
east of Portland.
One special the area offers is a
"stay the night, ski free" package
for Sunday through Wednesday
nights. A lift ticket is given to up
to two occupants of a room.
Rooms range in price from $50 to
$97.
Seniors also ski for free on
weekdays and for half-price on
weekends and holidays.
The ski area is open seven days
a week. It has five chair lifts and
two rope tows. A full day-night
lift ticket (9 am-10 pm) costs $16
for adults and $11.25 for children;
a full day lift ticket (9 am-4 pm)
costs $15 for adults and $10.50 for
children; a half day ticket (morn
ing or afternoon) is $11 for adults
and $9 for children; swing shift
(1-10 pm) costs $14 for adults and
$10.50 for children; night (4-10
pm) costs $12.50 for adults and
$8.50 for children; and short night
(7-10 pm) costs $8 for adults and
$7 for children.
The area also has a day lodge
with food, drink, rental equip
ment, lessons, and offers the Ski
Wee program for young ones.
Timberline now operates in full
swing and can be reached on the
telephone by dialing 1-800-452
1335.
Mount Hood Meadows
Mount Hood Meadows built a
new “north” lodge and renovated
the "south" lodge for this year's
alpine season. Steve Bratt, direc
tor of skiing at Mt. Hood Mea
dows, calls it “a dream come true"
for people who work there.
Mt. Hood Meadows, located 68
miles from downtown Portland,
provides an electronic ski message
center in Sandy which flashes up
to-date information about events
and conditions at Mount Hood
Meadows.
Meadows has eight chairlifts
and a free rope tow. On
weekends, adult tickets cost $19
for a day; juniors 12 and under
buy tickets for $12. Mid-day (11
am-7 pm) and swing (1 pm to clos
ing) tickets cost the same. Evening
tickets (from 4:30 pm to closing)
cost $11 and $8; and all-day, all
night lift tickets (from 9 am to
closing) cost $21 or $12. Weekday
rates are the same except for day,
mid-day and swing tickets which
cost $17.50 and all-day, all-night
tickets which cost $19.50. Hours
are 9 am-4:30 pm, Mondays and
Tuesdays. Wednesdays through
Fridays lifts stay open until 10:30
pm, Saturdays until 10 pm, and
Sundays until 7 pm.
The area has the usual amenities
of food, drink, lessons, and rental
equipment. It also offers a chil
dren's activity program called
Kidski for children from age 4.
Closest lodging is at Govern
ment Camp, 11 miles away, and
at Welches, 18 miles away. The
area can be reached by calling
337-2222.
Mirror Mountain
Mirror Mountain is 53 miles
east of Portland on Highway 53.
The biggest news at this area is
that it plans to build a hotel/con
vention center at the mountain
which will include four new chair
lifts and a gondola, a new day
lodge, and the hotel and con
vention center.
Right now, Mirror Mountain
has four chair lifts and six surface
tows. All are fully lighted for
night skiing, unlike most areas
that light only some of their runs
at night. Lift tickets for adults cost
$16.50 on weekends and $14.50
during mid-week. Children's lift
tickets cost $10 for a full day.
Hours are 9 am-4:30 pm. Night
skiing costs $10 for adults and $8
for children, and the lifts stay
open until 10 pm. There's a night
ly special for $8 from 7-10 pm,
and a Sunday and Monday night
special from 5-10 pm which costs
$7.
Mirror Mountain has food and
drink facilities, lessons, rental
equipment, and equipment sales.
Closest accommodations are at
Government Camp and at Rippl
ing River.
For more information, call 289
2500.
Cooper Spur
Cooper Spur, located 24 miles
south of Mt. Hood on Highway
35, has only one T-bar and a rope
tow. But a full day of skiing on the
bar only costs $6 for adults and $5
for children 12 and under, and $3
and $2.50 on the rope tow. Night
skiing costs $3 for adults and
$2.50 for children on the bar and
$2 and $1.50 on the rope tow. All
lifts cost $1 on Wednesday nights.
There is a special weekday intro
duction package.
Cooper Spur offers a snack bar
and rental equipment. Closest ac
commodations are in Hood River.
Call the area at 352-7803.
Mt. Bailey
For skiers bored with the same
old trails (or not) and for those
looking to blaze new personal ad
ventures in skiing, Mt. Bailey of
fers the most unique opportunity.
Located 80 miles east of Rose
burg off Highway 230, the moun
tain has no lifts, although the ul
timate goal is to get one. So, ac
cess to the top of the mountain is
once daily by two snowcats. Each
day, the snowcats transport 20 or
fewer intermediate-to-advanced
skiers to the top of the ungroomed
hill to spend the day, with guides,
making their way to the bottom.
The full day of skiing includes six
to eight two-mile runs and lunch.
One day of this blissful activity
costs $85, including the meal but
not including equipment.
Mt. Bailey's Marketing Director
Shelly Hummel says skiing Mt.
Bailey is "really becoming quite
the thing to do in Oregon." She
says experienced skiers from the
west coast say it's the best snow
available on the west coast. Five
other snowcat accessible, alpine
mountain areas exist in the United
States, three in Canada.
Hummel coordinates the ski
trips to Mt. Bailey through the
Diamond Lake Resort. Packages
including dinner, breakfast and
lodging are available. Two days
cost $222, three cost $324 and five
cost $528.
No alpine equipment rentals are
available and facilities only exist
at the Diamond Lake Resort. The
resort offers snowmobiling and a
ski-sliding hill with a rope tow.
Hummel says there's no organized
day care; but babysitting ar
rangements are possible. Nordic
rental equipment is available. For
more information call 793-3333.
Five other ski areas beckon to
skiers in Oregon: Mt. Ashland,
Warner Mountain, Dixie Moun
tain, Anthony Lakes and Spout
Springs. Parking at all the areas
requires a Sno-Park permit.
Mt. Ashland
Mt. Ashland lies 18 miles south
of Ashland off 1-5. It will observe
Ladies' Day on Wednesday start
ing in January. Ladeez will receive
a free glass of champagne and a
free lesson at noon.
Seven lifts, a T-bar and a rope
tow allow skier access to runs. A
poma lift operates on weekends.
A full day's (9 am-4 pm) lift ticket
for an adult costs $14, for children
aged 7 to 11 the cost is $11,
children six and under ride free.
Half-day lift tickets (from 12:30
pm) cost $11. A full day on the
lower lifts costs $11. Just the rope
tow costs $4. Lift tickets for night
skiing cost $9. The rope tow at
night costs $4 and a marathon
ticket from 9 am-10 pm costs $18.
Lifts operate on Thursday, Friday
and Saturday nights.
Mt. Ashland rents and sells
equipment, offers lessons, has
food and drink, and Ski-Wee and
racing for the kids. The closest
lodging is in Ashland.
Warner Mountain
Warner Mountain is 10 miles
northeast of Lakeview. The area
has one T-bar leading to eight
runs for beginning to expert
skiers. Daily lift ticket cost is
$7.50, a half day costs $5.
The area has a day lodge and a
shelter, rents equipment and gives
lessons around Christmas.
Closest accommodations are in
Lakeview. A shuttle is available
from Hunters Resort in Lake view.
Call Warner Mountain at
947-2379.
Dixie Mountain
Dixie Mountain lies east of Eu
gene, between Bend and Burns,
near Prairie City.
This is a kind of bare-bones
spot with a single rope tow that
costs $1.50 per day to use. There's
a warming hut with coffee and
candy bars for sale. Closest ac
commodations are at Prairie City.
Call Dixie Mountain at 820-3642.
Anthony Lakes-Spout Springs
Anthony Lakes and Spout
Springs both hover in the north
eastern part of Oregon and both
are managed by the same com
pany.
Both areas have discount pack
ages for first-time skiers.
Anthony Lakes has one chairlift
and a poma lift. Spout Springs has
two chairlifts, a rope tow and a
poma lift. Lift tickets at Anthony
Lakes cost $14 for a full day for
adults and $10 for children. A full
day on the poma lift costs $7. At
Spout Springs, lift rates for a full
day (9 am-4 pm) or swing (1-10
pm) cost $12 for adults and $7 for
children. Night skiing (from 4-10
pm and not available at Anthony
Lakes) costs $9 for adults and $7
for children.
Both areas rent equipment, of
fer lessons, have food and drink
and have standard daycare as well
as daycare/lesson packages.
Closest lodging to Anthony
Lakes is at North Powder —22
miles —or at La Grande—42 miles.
A hostel in Elgin is Spout Springs'
nearest lodging —18 miles. Mil
ton-Freewater lies 35 miles away
and Pendleton is 44 miles away.
Call both areas at 963-8282.
Happy skiing! Catch you on the
slopes!
