SNOW REVIVES SKI RESORTS.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so weather watchers at the Hoodoo Ski Area opted for a bonfire to win over the snow gods - sacrificing three pairs of skis and a snowboard to the cause.

The gods answered: Five minutes after they were done, the snow started on Saturday. And it hasn't stopped yet, Hoodoo owner Chuck Shepard said Tuesday.

"Things were so bad last weekend that we were thinking we'd have to close for the season," he said. "This snow really saved us."

Hoodoo, on Highway 20 northwest of Sisters, and other ski areas in the Cascades have gotten up to 2 feet or more of new snow since then, with more in the forecast. A new series of Pacific fronts is expected to move into the north and central Cascades today through Friday, the National Weather Service in Portland said.

Snow levels could drop to 2,500 feet today as the first cold front moves inland. A warm front is expected to bump snow levels up to 4,500 feet late Thursday, with another cold front on Friday dropping it back down to around 3,000 feet.

About 6 inches of snow could fall with each new frontal system, the weather service said.

It's good news for ski areas everywhere, but perhaps more so for Hoodoo, which closed for several days last month when warm temperatures and rain produced a large pond at the base of the chair lifts.

While the bonfire was all tongue-in-cheek, the snow that's fallen since then is no laughing matter, Shepard said. The abnormally dry winter - the snowpack is a paltry 37 percent of normal - means Hoodoo will lose money this season, he said.

"But this snow has extended our season by probably five weeks," he said. "It's going to save us hundreds of thousands of dollars."

About 2 1/2 feet of snow has fallen at Hoodoo since Sunday and an equal amount is expected between today and the weekend, Shepard said.

The slopes at Willamette Pass have been open since just before Christmas, but the latest snow "has definitely put some smiles on people's faces," mountain manager Ray Gardner said.

Nearly 20 inches of new snow fell between Saturday and Tuesday, and the Highway 58 resort now has 23 inches at its base and double that on its upper slopes, he said.

"It looks like the winter pattern is finally back, with snow off and on for the next 10 days or so," Gardner said. "It definitely looks encouraging versus what it has been."

At Mount Bachelor near Bend, a strong season just got better, with 19 inches of snow falling between Monday and Tuesday morning, spokesman Chris Johnston said.

The ski resort now has 91 inches of snow at the midmountain level, he said.

Johnston was glad to hear Hoodoo has opened - because its closure was convincing many skiers to give up on traveling anywhere.

"The perception is that Oregon is Oregon everywhere, even though we're quite a bit further east that anyone else," he said. "We've gone from great conditions to excellent conditions."

Back at Hoodoo, Shepard is just grateful there's enough snow for skiing - and wishes he'd thought of the bonfire idea a lot earlier. "Next year, we'll do it in mid-November," he said.

CAPTION(S):

Sydney Bineham, 2, of Eugene takes a taste of new-fallen snow near Odell Lake Resort on Tuesday. "It looks like the winter pattern is finally back, with snow off and on for the next 10 days or so. It definitely looks encouraging versus what it has been." - RAY GARDNER, WILLAMETTE PASS MOUNTAIN MANAGER Please turn to SNOW, Page A4 Snow: Wintry conditions are back Continued from Page A1