With several feet of snow predicted to fall throughout the Central Cascades this week, Hoodoo Ski Area, known throughout Central Oregon for its popular night skiing, is planning to open on Wednesday.

Over the past weekend, storms blanketed Mt. Bachelor ski area with several inches of new snow, with more heavy snowfall expected throughout the Central Cascades through Wednesday. It’s this storm cycle, said Matthew McFarland, Hoodoo Ski Area’s general manager, that has deposited enough snow to allow the ski area to begin operations.

“If it’s good, wet snow, we can open with somewhere between 24 and 30 inches of snow. We definitely hit that point,” McFarland said. “We will be open, not a question.”

For much of this winter, the El Niño weather pattern, defined by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, has ushered in unseasonably warm conditions. These conditions have proved disastrous for skiers and snowboarders, as resorts across the country struggle to adapt operations to poor snowpacks and icy conditions.

McFarland, who has worked as Hoodoo Ski Area’s general manager for over two decades, doesn’t recall another ski season in which the Hoodoo has opened this late into the winter.

“Last Thursday, we were sitting on 5 inches of snow, and now we’re sitting on 33 (inches),” said McFarland. “That’s the difference between not even being able to ride a sled down a hill to being able to open the whole ski area.”

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McFarland is optimistic that all six lifts and 32 runs at the resort will be operational on opening day. However, there is a forecast for high winds that may cause the closure of lifts situated at higher elevations on the mountain.

Hoodoo is Central Oregon’s only ski area for night skiing, giving snowboarders and skiers the opportunity to ride from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. four days a week. The ski area is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Autobahn Tubing Park will remain closed, but is anticipated to open later in the season.