Mt. Hood Meadows, Bachelor set to open today

UPDATE 6:40 a.m. Friday:

Officials with Mt. Hood Meadows report they will open 3 lifts: Buttercup, Easy Rider and Daisy at 9 a.m. Friday.

Mt. Bachelor is also expected to open today with the Sunshine Accelerator lift only. The Nordic Center and Snowblast Tubing will also be open. Two additional lifts were expected to open Saturday.

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Original post:

Worried about spending too much time with in-laws during the holiday weekend?

Fear no more, Oregonians, the state’s ski areas are planning to open Friday and for the weekend.

The blast of snow currently blanketing the Cascade Range inspired Oregon’s two largest ski areas, Mount Hood Meadows and Mount Bachelor, to announce plans to open Friday and run lifts over the weekend.

Mount Hood Skibowl plans to open its Snow Tube and Adventure Park on Saturday and Sunday. Timberline Lodge is already open on a limited basis.

Snowstorms to hit Northwest passes, impacting holiday travel

Hoodoo Ski Area, east of Salem on Santiam Pass, won’t open this weekend, but is getting snow and plans to open Dec. 15.

The amount of snow that actually falls will determine how many lifts and how much terrain is open, officials at Bachelor and Meadows said.

“Our crews are thankful to be working this Thanksgiving, in hopes of a great limited opening Friday,” said Dave Tragethon, spokesman for Meadows. “If the forecast delivers to its full potential, it’s likely Meadows will continue daily operations for the season.”

At Bachelor, west of Bend, the plan is to run the Sunshine Accelerator lift, along with the Nordic center and snow tubing on Friday. Snow permitting, the ski area will open the Pine Marten and Skyliner lifts beginning Saturday.

“The snow is a little late this year, but we’re pretty close to our normal range of opening,” Bachelor spokesman Drew Jackson said.

At Mount Hood Skibowl, in Government Camp, snow tubing will open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tubing hill includes a conveyor lift.