Gondola games.

Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

WILLAMETTE PASS - The snow is long gone from Willamette Pass Ski Area, but the adrenalin-pumping

rushes down the slopes of Eagle Peak and Peak Two continue, through clouds of dust and the hot summer sun.

The downhill racers on the slopes this time of year, however, are mountain bikers, not skiers.

Looking, as one of their number put it, "like hockey players on steroids," the armor-plated and helmeted bikers careen down ski runs, service roads and single-track trails, then turn around and do it all over again - up to a dozen times a day.

"It's super fun," said Dave Morrell of Bend. "I've only ridden each trail once, but I've decided I'm going to buy a season pass."

The pass would be for riding the Oregon Skyway, the 2-year-old gondola lift that Willamette Pass Ski Area operates from June through September. Fifteen enclosed gondola cars, each capable of carrying six passengers, shuttle continuously between the ski lodge and the summit of 6,666-foot Eagle Peak seven days a week throughout the summer.

Downhill mountain bikers are just one group taking advantage of the recreational opportunities created by the Oregon Skyway.

About 60 percent of the gondola riders are simply sightseeing, according to Ray Gardner, the ski area's mountain manager. They're looking to take in - perhaps over a picnic lunch - the sweeping views of Odell Lake, Diamond Peak and, on a clear day, the rim of Crater Lake to the south. A walk of a couple hundred (uphill) yards to the summit of Peak Two opens up vistas to the north of Waldo Lake and Cascade peaks as far away as Mount Jefferson.

The rest of the riders, however, are involved in active "gondola games" like biking, hiking and playing disc golf.

Mountain bikers, who crowd into the cars with their bikes two and sometimes three at a time, account for about 30 percent of the gondola ridership, Gardner said.

Hikers, who drop down onto the Pacific Crest Trail or one of several other trails in the area, and disc golfers, who play a professionally designed 18-hole alpine disc golf course that snakes its way from the summit back down to the lodge, each account for about 5 to 7 percent of the ridership.

"We're getting a real good response from people," Gardner said. "We've sold a bunch of ($48) season passes to bikers and disc golfers - they can really get their money's worth on that."

The downhill mountain bikers are the most gung-ho of the gondola enthusiasts.

"This has really been great - we'd been waiting a long time for this to happen," said Wayne Corley, a Eugene carpenter who'd been doing traditional mountain bike riding in the area for almost 10 years.

Not having to pedal uphill "is a big part" of the appeal, Corley said.

Riding a bicycle downhill among trees, rocks, downed logs and loose soil can be dangerous.

"And that's the beauty of it," Corley said. "I guess it wouldn't be the weekend to us if it wasn't (dangerous)."

Not many "beginner" mountain bike trails are accessible from the top of the lift, Gardner said. "The lift access stuff is intermediate and advanced."

Corley, however, says the service roads down the hill "are pretty safe for all to enjoy."

Even those road routes, however, can be turned into a thrill ride.

"On Friday nights a lot of bikers go up there and ride down the jeep trials, and we can average like 50-55 miles per hour coming down," said Shawn Mangun, another gondola season pass-holder.

Gardner and other Willamette Pass employees who serve on the "ski patrol" during the winter months have responded to treat "a few" injured mountain bikers.

`It's generally just `road rash,' ' Gardner said. "When you fall in dirt and gravel, it's a little harder than when you fall in snow."

Kellen Schmitz, a recent graduate of South Eugene High School, said he broke his wrist, as well as several parts on his mountain bike, in a series of falls last summer.

The injury occurred in spite of the fact that Schmitz wears "full body armor" - including chest protector and elbow, knee and shin guards - while riding.

"And this thing saved my life last year," he said, holding up a full-face helmet that Darth Vader would have been comfortable wearing. "I came right down in a rock garden and hit face first."

Even with all the protective gear, Schmitz acknowledged, the falls hurt.

So why do it?

"It's a good sport," he said. "It's a `big air' sport, right up there with skiing and snowboarding, which I do in the winter. ... It's a lot like motocross, but you have a lot more control over the bike and less noise pollution. And you can ride wherever you want to."

Well, not everywhere.

The Pacific Crest Trail and other trails within designated wilderness areas are not open to mountain biking.

"If you get caught riding on the PCT, they could take your bike away and, more importantly, they could take away our right to even be here," Corley said.

Besides, there are plenty of trails open to bikes that can be accessed from the top of the Oregon Skyway - from the Kaleidoscope ski run that peels off from the base of the gondola and swings east and south to the lodge to an 11-mile ride that utilizes the Skyline and Maiden Peak trails and swings past Gold and Marilyn lakes.

"Our Nordic Trail system is 20 kilometers (12 miles) itself," Gardner said, "so I'd guess there's around 20 miles all together" on the ski area site. And several ski area trails link up with Willamette National Forest trails.

Members of the Willamette Valley Freeriders and other downhill mountain bike clubs from as far away as Ashland regularly participate in work parties that maintain and expand the bike trails in the area.

In addition to recreational downhill riding, Willamette Pass is hosting a series of downhill bike races this summer. Remaining races in the series are scheduled on Aug. 14-15 and Sept. 4-5. The latter is the state downhill mountain bike championships.

For hikers, Gardner said, the most popular trail goes from the summit down to the Pacific Crest Trail and the Rosary Lakes Basin, a collection of three small lakes at the base of steep cliffs on the northeast side of Eagle Peak. From there, the PCT leads back to Willamette Pass. Depending on the route taken, that's an 8- to 10-mile loop, Gardner said.

"The nice part about it is, it's all downhill," he said.

Oregon Skyway

What: Ten-minute rides to the summit of 6,666-foot Eagle Peak aboard one of 15 six-passenger gondola cars. Hike, mountain bike or ride the gondola down to the lodge.

Where: Summit of Willamette Pass, about 70 miles southeast of Eugene on Highway 58.

When: Daily through Labor Day and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September. Hours of operation: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday-Sunday.

Cost: Adult lift passes, $12 per day or $48 for the summer season. Youth passes, $5 per day. Children under 5, $1.

CAPTION(S):

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