It is not even January, and already Hoodoo Ski Area has been open for more days than it was all of last season.

The cinder cone northwest of Sisters, modest in stature by Cascade mountain standards (but popular with snowriders from Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley when conditions are right), opened for business this season on Dec. 18 with nearly 50 inches of snow. Currently, Hoodoo has a base of 61 inches.

“It’s nice to have smiling faces out here, and it’s nice to have some snow to go play in again,” says Matthew McFarland, general manager at Hoodoo.

Last season, Hoodoo was open just 12 days (Dec. 31 through Jan. 11) as the snow base never reached 30 inches and the ski hill was forced to close. Two years ago, Hoodoo was open for only about two months (February and March) in another low-snow season.

“We have more snow right now than we did the last two years combined,” jokes McFarland, whose statement is not entirely accurate yet not far from the truth.

Hoodoo and other Oregon ski resorts have been pounded with snow throughout much of December and have been reaping the benefits of hosting skiers and snowboarders over the holidays. Willamette Pass ski area southwest of Bend off state Highway 58, which did not open at all last season for lack of snow, also opened on Dec. 18 and now reports a base of 72 inches.

Willamette Pass will remain open through Sunday and then begin its Wednesday through Sunday operating schedule on Jan. 6.

Hoodoo will remain open through Monday, with night skiing offered through Saturday, then will begin its Thursday through Monday operating schedule on Jan. 7. Night skiing will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays from Jan. 8 on.

Hoodoo’s annual New Year’s Eve Celebration is set for Thursday and includes fireworks just after 9 p.m. and live music in the lodge until midnight.

A combination of rain and unseasonably warm temperatures put a damper on the ski seasons the last two years at Hoodoo, located at 4,668 feet on Santiam Pass. But with a solid base of more than 5 feet, it seems Hoodoo could remain open well into spring. The mountain typically ceases its operations in mid-April.

“We’ve got a good base of snow going,” McFarland says. “It’s nice and solid, beautiful for a base. With more snow on top of it, the skiing should be fantastic, and there should be plenty of it.”

Strong December storms brought many fresh powder days for Hoodoo skiers and snowboarders earlier this month and well into the holidays. While a relatively small Central Oregon ski hill compared with Mt. Bachelor ski area, Hoodoo boasts steep terrain that is well-suited for deep-powder skiing and riding. As of Tuesday, four lifts were operating at Hoodoo.

“The Hoodoo regulars are loving it,” McFarland says. “They’re all super happy — just glad to be back on the hill. That’s what everybody is saying, ‘Finally, we’ve got snow again.’”

Skiers and snowboarders who purchased season passes to Hoodoo for last season are being allowed to roll those passes over to this season.

“We understand the customer comes first, and we do what we have to do to take care of them,” McFarland says. “If they bought a pass for something that didn’t happen, we can’t hold that against them. Anybody who wants to roll their pass, we’ll roll it. We don’t mind doing that.”

Skiers and snowboarders are not the only ones happy for Hoodoo’s mid-December opening, which has also been a boon to the 100-plus employees who work at the resort on a seasonal basis but have had little to do the past two seasons besides pray for snow.

McFarland says that the last two seasons were likely just a “weird couple of years” rather than the new normal. It may seem like Hoodoo opened early this season, but historically, mid-December is a typical opening time for the ski hill, according to McFarland.

“But after the last couple of years,” McFarland says, “we do kind of feel like this is early in the season to be open.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0318,

mmorical@bendbulletin.com