Ski weather at Mt. Bachelor, Hoodoo and the sno-parks
A ski score for every Central Oregon ski area and sno-park, for each of the next few days. It rates the lift hours, 9 AM to 4 PM: sun, wind and temperature, plus new snow by morning.
Which ski area looks best this week?
Not enough snow yet. No ski area or sno-park has 6 inches of snow on the ground. Scores appear once there's enough snow to ski.
| Place | Snow on the ground |
|---|---|
| Mt. Bachelor Base AreaSki area · 6,345 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Mt. Bachelor Summit / Upper MountainSki area · 9,065 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Sunrise Lodge AreaSki area · 6,650 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Dutchman Flat Sno-ParkSno-park · 6,350 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Virginia Meissner Sno-ParkSno-park · 5,370 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Swampy Lakes Sno-ParkSno-park · 5,787 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Wanoga Sno-ParkSno-park · 5,497 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Edison Butte Sno-ParkSno-park · 5,040 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Kapka Butte Sno-ParkSno-park · 5,910 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Skyliners Sno-ParkSno-park · 4,740 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Hoodoo Ski AreaSki area · 4,668 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Ray Benson Sno-ParkSno-park · 4,800 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Three Creek Lake Sno-Park / TrailheadSno-park · 5,160 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Newberry Caldera / Tenmile Sno-ParkSno-park · 5,596 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
| Gold Lake Sno-ParkSno-park · 5,015 ft | 0″Not enough to ski |
How is the ski score worked out?
Each day is scored for the lift hours, 9 AM to 4 PM. Sun, wind and temperature count about equally. Clear sky scores best; full overcast means flat light. Gusts over 35 mph often put upper lifts on wind hold. The best temperatures run from the high teens to the mid 30s; above 40 the snow turns to slush, and below zero even a sunny, calm day scores low.
New snow by 9 AM adds up to 15 points. Snow falling during the day costs a little, because of flat light and low visibility, and rain costs a lot. A bluebird day pairs at least 4 inches of new snow with clear sky.
A place gets a score only with at least 6 inches of snow on the ground.
Sources: hourly forecast from Open-Meteo, updated hourly. Snow on the ground from NOAA's SNODAS analysis, updated daily; where SNODAS has no value, the forecast model's snow depth. Mt. Bachelor's new snow uses its morning snow report when one is recent.