
Willamette Pass's terrain rises from a base at 5,118 feet to a summit at 6,683 feet atop Eagle Peak, a vertical drop of 1,565 feet across 29 runs spread over 555 acres in the Oregon Cascades. Terrain splits 45 per cent intermediate, 24 per cent expert, 21 per cent beginner and 10 per cent advanced, with average annual snowfall of roughly 400 inches. The resort offers Power Pass access.
Willamette Pass includes Oregon's steepest lift-served run, a distinction that has helped the resort retain a loyal following of experienced skiers despite its modest overall scale. The mountain's substantial snowfall total, around 400 inches annually, supports reliable conditions through a season shorter than some larger Oregon resorts. Its history of local, family-style ownership for much of its existence has shaped a distinctly community-oriented character.
Roy and Edna Temple founded the ski area in 1941, logging a section of 6,683-foot Eagle Peak and installing a rope tow to get started. Ownership proved unstable through much of the 1960s: a group of ten Cottage Grove teachers purchased the area from George Korn for 55,000 US dollars in 1962, but the resort passed through at least eight ownership changes over the following years, closing for two or three seasons and at one point replacing its volunteer ski patrol with management employees.
After a further transition through the Eugene-Lane Teachers Credit Union and a brief 1979-80 closure during a foreclosure action involving neighbouring Hoodoo, brothers Charles Wiper Jr. and Tom Wiper Sr. bought a 60 per cent share of the resort in 1981 and invested 750,000 US dollars in the area's first chairlift and other improvements. The Wiper family of Eugene owned and operated Willamette Pass from 1982 until 2022, when the resort entered a new joint venture with Mountain Capital Partners. Adult daily tickets run from 69 to 79 US dollars, with the Power Pass from 249 dollars.
Willamette Pass spreads 29 runs across 555 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 45%, with 6 beginner runs to find your feet and 10 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
The 2025-26 season at Willamette Pass ran from 13 December 2025 to 29 March 2026, a roughly fifteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 400 inches. This substantial snowfall total supports reliable conditions across the resort's terrain despite its comparatively short operating window relative to some larger Oregon resorts. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season storm activity.
Midwinter, from January through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to the resort's varied terrain, including Oregon's steepest lift-served run. Given the resort's history as a locally owned, community-focused mountain for much of the past eighty years, Willamette Pass draws primarily from the Eugene and southern Willamette Valley region rather than national destination traffic. Weekend crowds are generally heavier than weekdays.
As a Power Pass resort under the 2022 joint venture with Mountain Capital Partners, Willamette Pass now draws some visiting skiers holding that multi-resort pass in addition to its core regional base. The Power Kids Pass, offered at no cost, reflects a continued emphasis on family accessibility consistent with the resort's community-oriented history. School holiday periods bring increased family visitation.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. The Wiper family's four decades of ownership from 1982 to 2022 shaped much of the resort's community character, a legacy that continues under the current Mountain Capital Partners joint venture. Willamette Pass's reputation for Oregon's steepest lift-served terrain remains its clearest point of distinction each season.
Willamette Pass sits on Eagle Peak in the Oregon Cascades, with a base elevation of 5,118 feet and a summit at 6,683 feet across a 1,565-foot vertical drop over 555 acres. This puts the resort along the Cascade crest in the southern Willamette Valley region of Oregon.
The town of Oakridge lies within a reasonable drive of the resort, offering local lodging and services, while Eugene, home to the Wiper family who owned the resort for four decades, provides more extensive amenities a further distance to the west. The broader Willamette National Forest surrounds the resort, offering additional summer and shoulder-season recreation beyond skiing.
Oregon State Route 58 provides the main route to Willamette Pass from Eugene and the southern Willamette Valley, climbing steadily into the Cascade Range. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, and travellers should carry chains during winter weather advisories given the elevation involved. There is no direct public transport service to the resort.
Eugene Airport is the nearest airport with commercial service, offering a practical option for visitors flying into the southern Willamette Valley before making the drive up to the pass. Most Willamette Pass visitors, however, are Eugene-area locals or regional Oregon skiers driving up rather than fly-in destination travellers, consistent with the resort's long history as a community-owned mountain.
Hotels and lodges near Willamette Pass, powered by Stay22.

Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.

Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.

A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.

Arizona Snowbowl advertised eight $1 lift ticket days this winter. Go looking and only three are showing - 10 March, 1 April and 10 April - so the rest may already have gone. The consolation is a calendar full of $9 days, including all but one day in April. Opening day is 20 November, weather permitting, and opening weekend is $19.

For years, Whitewater's Short Side was where you ducked a rope and hoped for the best: unmapped, ungroomed and unpatrolled. This winter it's inbounds. Six new runs of glades and fall-line skiing add 190 acres (about 77 hectares), taking the resort past 1,400 acres in total. F2 Logging spent a month in the trees to make it happen, and opening day is pencilled in for 4 December. Bonanza now needs less snow to groom, too.

Mammoth got its first snow of 2026-27 on Monday 28 September - and promptly lost it by Tuesday morning. Barely an inch fell at McCoy Station, but with opening day pencilled in for Friday 13 November, it's the first sign the Sierra is waking up. Last year's date slipped from 14 November to 20 November, so nobody's booking flights on a dusting just yet. Here's where California's early openers stand.

Four connected areas, 70 lifts and a World Championship course, yet Saalbach Hinterglemm still runs like a family holiday. Two days on snow and a Worlds Super-G later, here is who it suits, what the Ski ALPIN CARD covers and why Epic Pass holders should pay attention. Big on blues, light on steeps.

Sölden's World Cup opener has been two giant slaloms on the Rettenbach glacier for as long as most fans can remember. From 2027/28 it could be four. Director Jack Falkner wants to add two Super-Gs, backed by a nod from Vincent Kriechmayr, and turn the opening into a full week where the ski world gathers in the Ötztal. FIS and the ÖSV are yet to sign off. This year, it's still just the two GS races on 24 and 25 October.
Willamette Pass's 2025 - 2026 season typically runs from December 13 through March 29. That window is roughly 106 calendar days, though daily operations depend on snow cover, weather, and lift maintenance.
Resorts in Oregon, Usa often announce firm dates closer to winter; check the live snow report before you travel if you are planning around opening weekend or spring closure.
Willamette Pass lists about 555 acres skiable of marked terrain spread across 29 named runs (225 hectares alongside 555 acres skiable). That footprint is what most riders experience on a lift-served day. Side-country or hike-to terrain may sit outside these published numbers.
Use the trail map to see how the mountain is laid out and where the longest fall-line runs connect back to base.
Trail grading at Willamette Pass breaks down roughly as 21% beginner, 45% intermediate, 10% advanced, 24% expert. The mix is balanced enough for mixed-ability groups, so learners can stay on marked green/blue (Green/Blue) terrain while stronger skiers peel off to steeper pitches.
Percentages describe the resort's published piste mix, not vertical feet. A mountain with modest "expert" stats can still feel demanding if the steep terrain is long or exposed. Read the trail map alongside these numbers when planning your route.
Base elevation at Willamette Pass is about 5,118 ft (1,560 m), with the summit around 6,683 ft (2,037 m), giving roughly 1,565 ft (477 m) of vertical from base to top.
Higher start heights usually mean colder, drier snow holding longer into spring, but also thinner air and faster weather changes. Pack layers if you are riding from village level to summit lifts in one day.
Willamette Pass averages about 400 inches (1,016 cm) of natural snowfall per season. That is a long-term climate figure. Any single winter can run well above or below it depending on storm track and temperature.
For trip planning, pair this baseline with the live snow report and webcams: fresh cycles show up in overnight totals and summit cameras long before season averages tell you much about today's surface.
Published single-day adult pricing on SnowStash currently spans US$10 to US$79, depending on date band and whether you are buying peak or regular windows. Multi-day products (season passes) usually lower the per-day cost if you are staying several days. Tickets can be bought online through the resort's official checkout (linked from our lift tickets page) or at on-mountain ticket windows, subject to availability.
Buying ahead of peak holidays and weekends generally saves money and guarantees access on sold-out days. Before you commit, scan the snow report and webcams so you are paying for conditions that match your expectations.
SnowStash pulls together 1 live mountain webcam, a downloadable piste map, and the daily snow report for Willamette Pass so you can plan from home. Webcams refresh on a short interval and are the fastest way to judge visibility, wind exposure, and whether storm snow is still falling.
The snow report adds structured totals, base depth where available, and lift/trail status when the resort publishes it. Use both together: cameras show what it looks like right now, and the report summarises numbers your group can compare day to day.
Yes. The downloadable PDF/image map is better for offline planning, marking meeting points, and understanding the full mountain layout at a glance.
Both versions are on the trail map page for Willamette Pass. If you are navigating with kids or meeting friends across separate lifts, screenshot or print the static map and keep the live map open on your phone for operational updates.
Willamette Pass sits in Oregon, Usa. That regional context matters for travel planning: airport transfers, snow tyres, and typical storm patterns all follow geography as much as resort marketing.
Browse nearby accommodation from the resort page if you are comparing village-base vs valley-base stays; where you sleep changes your first lift of the day more than most trail stats do.