Oct. 27, 2025
HE SNOW IS STARTING TO FALL = IMPRORTANT READING AHEAD FOR HOODOO FAMILY MEMBERS.
For those who start watching the cams at Hoodoo.com around now, you have seen that we now have about a foot and a half of snow on the ground, although when you read this it may be higher or lower. Maybe even gone at this time of the year. The question I often hear though under these conditions is “When is the soonest you will open?” The realistic answer is the Friday after Thanksgiving. There are a myriad reasons why it is hard to open earlier. First, just as we decide to open early we get a rain storm and the snow goes away. But let’s assume that this 18 inches grows to 30 inches by mid November. We then have to make sure we have the employees to open.
So, with that let me remind everyone that our Job Fair is on Saturday, November 8 from 10 am to 1 pm at Hoodoo, regardless of the weather. If you are a long term employee you should still show up unless you have cleared it with Matthew, Jake or your section leader. At this point we probably do have enough returning employees to inable us to open soon after that, but realistically we would like to have at least another week to train and retrain everyone. So the highly improbable earliest we would open would be Saturday November 15, but the more realistic early date is November 22. Nevertheless we are planning on an opening date of Friday, November 28. Historically our opening is usually around the first weekend in December. So with all of this information, you are now in charge of trying to outguess us as to when we will really be open. Of course, like always I will be putting the pressure on for opening as soon as possible.
READ ON. This year Hoodoo is joining the digital age. For the first time, we will be using gates at our lifts. In order to open the gates you will have to have a ticket card showing so that our “robot gates” will let you in. The cards that hold the Digital tickets will be available for $5. Everyone who wants to ski at Hoodoo must purchase one of these cards. We plan to put out a new card every year although at this point we are thinking you will be able to use your 2025-26 card for more than one year, maybe forever if you take care of them. We realize that some people may want to buy a new card every year as a collectors item, so a new original card will be available but not needed if you have your old one..
Once you have your card, you may buy your tickets in advance from your computer, phone, our Hillside Ski and Sport in Sisters, or at Hoodoo in various locations in the lodge. A code will be used to download your tickets upon purchase and will be accessed by showing your card. The cards are purchased one time for the season and spit out from machines that will be at Hillside Ski in Sisters, Berg’s in Eugene, or at about 6 locations throughout the Hoodoo lodge. We will have various deals thoughout the year if you buy your tickets early, especially midweek, such as continuing our Thrifty Thursday prices. We may offer other deals for those who buy in advance midweek. Those deals will be announced as the season begins. One last thing, if you have already purchased your season pass during last year’s spring vacation, your ticket card will be free for one card per pass. Then during the year you will download your daily season pass ticket code from your phone, computer or one of the offices in the lodge.
If you are a season pass holder now, you just need to pick up your card in the beginning of the season as you finish your season pass paper work, if that is not already done. Then download tickets from your computer or phone or one of our offices as needed. If you do not yet have your season pass do so soon before the prices go up due to some last minute tariff (Come on DT, that was just a joke). For real, prices will go up from the fall to winter prices on December 1. There will be a one-time charge for the card plus the season pass charge. For daily tickets there is a one time charge of $5 for the card. If you lose or forget your card or if it is stolen somehow, there will be an additional charge of $5 to get a new card and your ticket will be transferred to this card if it was already downloaded. This goes for season passholders as well, but for you it means there is only an additional cost of $5 if you forget or lose your seasonpass.
This new card system should make life better for almost everyone. You will find there will be several advantages. For instance, you will not have to go to the lodge for your tickets assuming you already have your card. (Remember to keep it with you and you then will only have to buy it once). You daily lift ticket people will be able to download your ticket from home or car once you have your card. This means parking will be much easier. Rather than everyone wanting to park near to front ticket office, you might want to park in the Autobahn parking where there are more openings and then you can easily start he day at the Ed Lift above the shops. On Saturdays if you come up after 9 you will learn to park in the Autobahn lot rather than going down to the main lodge. ONE WARNING THOUGH, IF THE DAY IS REALLY CROWDED LIKE ON SUNNY SATURDAYS AFTER 10 OR 11, IF WE LOOK LIKE WE ARE ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF PARKING, WE MAY TURN OF YOUR ABILITY TO BUY A TICKET FOR THAT AFTERNOON . So it will always be best on sunny weekends or holidays to know you have a ticket before you come up. Season passholders will always be given a daily ticket even if the computer section is closed make it easier by thinking ahead.
Many of you know who I am so when you see me in the parking lot or just around, please do not hesitate to tell me what you think of the new system. However, the rule is that you have to actually use it before you start complaining. Thanks,. More instructions about how to use it will be given when the system is up and running.
See you on the slopes,
– Chuck