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Local snowboarder Gabe Triplette cuts a turn down the side of the cinder cone at Mt. Bachelor on Monday. About two dozen snowboarders and a couple of skiers were hiking up the hill to take advantage of the new snow.
Pete Erickson / The Bulletin
Bachelor, other resorts to open this weekend
Snow sets the stage for ski season in area, around state
By Anna Sowa / The Bulletin
Published: November 14. 2006 4:00AM PSTCentral Oregon ski resorts hope recent wet weather will continue to dump snow on their slopes as they prepare to open later this week and next.
Timberline and Mt. Bachelor expect to open for skiing and snowboarding Thursday and Friday, respectively, with Hoodoo opening the following weekend.
Mt. Bachelor is tentatively expecting to open the mountain to ski-school participants Friday and then to pass-holders Saturday, said Janette Sherman, Mt. Bachelor spokeswoman.
The ski area, located 22 miles southeast of Bend, had 23 inches of snow at its base Monday night. Barely a trace of snow fell Monday, according to Sherman.
High winds have made snow coverage uneven on some areas of the mountain, she said, primarily near the 9,065-foot summit.
The summit will not open until the wind-caused bare spots can be covered, Sherman said, though she could not say an exact date.
Mt. Bachelor employees can use snow groomers and shovels to cover bare spots, she added.
Timberline ski area will open at 9 a.m. Thursday, which is earlier than the resort’s 20-year average of Nov. 18, said Jon Tullis, Timberline director of marketing.
Timberline, the 6,000-foot ski area located at Mt. Hood off U.S. Highway 26, reported 29 inches at the base with more accumulating Monday, Tullis said.
“All this moisture has put lots of snow on the mountain and given us good coverage,” Tullis said, adding that the early opening is not unusual. “Sometimes we open as early as Halloween, but mid-November is the average.”
Heavy precipitation in the past week has caused recent road damage and washouts on U.S. Highway 35 near Mt. Hood, but Tullis said because Timberline’s main access is from Highway 26, the resort has not been hurt by the closures.
Hoodoo Mountain Resort is scheduled to open the Friday after Thanksgiving — Nov. 24 — depending on snow conditions, said President Chuck Shepard. The resort had 16 inches of snowfall Monday, Shepard said, with heavy snowfall continuing throughout the evening.
The ski area needs at least 24 to 30 inches to open, he added.
Shepard said the resort will decide the exact opening date early next week, depending on snowfall. It takes three days of grooming and preparation to get the ski area ready, Shepard said.
“If we don’t feel ready, we will start putting it off,” he said. “By Thanksgiving, we will know if we’ll open for that weekend. Or the weekend after.”
Hoodoo is located at the 5,703-foot summit of Santiam Pass on U.S. Highway 20, about 20 miles northwest of Sisters.
Anna Sowa can be reached at 541-383-0304 or asowa@bendbulletin.com
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