Stanford Smith A barren Hoodoo ski area waits under clear skies for a barrage of snowflakes in this 1981 file photo. The snow on Three Fingered Jack, in background, seems tantalizingly close. By Brian Bubak Albany Democrat-Herald Twenty years ago nary a flake was on the ground at Hoodoo Ski Area. Now there's nearly five feet of snow blanketing the runs. Twenty years ago there were three chairlifts and an aging rope tow.
Today there are four lifts, and the rope tow is a thing of the past.
Twenty years ago its future was uncertain. Today, under new ownership, the Hoodoo Ski Area has plans to build a new lodge this summer, replace two lifts within three years and expand into new terrain within five. The ski area opened for short periods early and late in the season, but never received much snow. All told, Hoodoo was open for less than 30 days that season. Photographs show a worker standing on bare ground under an idle chairlift and runs covered by brush instead of snow.