Hoodoo

Hoodoo is located in Santiam Pass in Oregon, roughly two hours northeast of Eugene. This ski area is one of the smaller ski areas on the West Coast with 806 acres of skiable terrain. However, just because Hoodoo doesn’t have thousands of acres doesn’t mean that it doesn’t deliver with the skiing. With a base elevation of 4668 feet and a summit elevation of 5702 feet, Hoodoo has a fairly respectable vertical drop of 1035 feet. Hoodoo also gets an impressive amount of snowfall, averaging at 450 inches (11.4 meters) per year. While there is no lodging available on-site, Hoodoo does have RV camping available on the south side of the lot.

The Mountain and Trails

There are 32 named trails at Hoodoo with an official difficulty breakdown of 30 percent novice, 30 percent intermediate, and 40 percent advanced. The lift system is made up of seven lifts; three quads, one triple, one double, and two surface lifts. All total, the lift system can carry 5280 skiers per hour up the slopes.

Beginner skiers are naturally best served by sticking near the base until they’re sure of themselves. There are several great cruisers found from the Manzanita chair, including the lower half of Over Easy and Blue Valley. After they are comfortable with the mountain, take the Big Green Machine to the peak and ride the novice cruiser Over Easy its entire mile long length back to base.

Intermediates will find several fun steeps and groomers off the Ed Chair, while those taking the leap up to the peak will find some great runs down the backside of the mountain around Hodag. There’s also a slalom course off Ed that offers something a little different to break up the day.

If you’re an advanced skier, you’re going to want to hit the Big Green Machine right away. From there, the mogul-filled Grandstand will lead right into a couple of great steeps or a gnarly glade. Ski the backside for a wide-open tree-lined trail or hit the glades right away through Crater. There’s also some great unmarked territory that’s still considered “in-bounds,” but it requires a little hike to get back to the lifts from the base.

There’s one small terrain park with some nominal boxes and jibs for freestylers. Hoodoo is looking to make improvements to their park over time, so things can only get better.

Bottom Lining

Hoodoo has long been a local favorite and it’s easy to see why. It’s a smaller mountain, so you might not want to spend an entire week here. However, as part of a ski-vacation trip down the Cascades, it should definitely be one of your planned stops. With an awesome and friendly staff, inexpensive lift tickets, and night skiing on Fridays and Saturdays, Hoodoo brings a lot to the table. There’s also a great little ski school to help you brush up on basics and cross-country trails if you want to try something different.