Willamette Pass Makes History With Major Snowmaking Expansion

Crescent Lake, OR  — Willamette Pass Resort today announced the completion of a major expansion of its snowmaking system, one of the most significant infrastructure investments in the mountain's history. The snowmaking upgrade more than triples the resort's prior snowmaking capacity and continues a tradition that began decades ago, when Tim Wiper built Oregon’s first snowmaking system at Willamette Pass.

The expansion also delivers top-to-bottom snowmaking coverage, a first step in Willamette Pass's Master Development Plan, the resort's long-term roadmap for future investment across the mountain.

"Everything we do at Willamette Pass comes back to giving people the freedom to ski," said Mindy Ingebretson-Wolowicz, general manager of Willamette Pass. "More reliable snow means more days on the mountain for our guests."

The expansion more than doubles Willamette Pass's snow gun fleet to 19 guns and will provide snowmaking coverage on multiple trails, including Kaleidoscope, Eagle's Flight, Perseverance, By George, Rough Cut and Sleepy Hollow. The upgrade is expected to support earlier season openings, more consistent conditions throughout the winter and an extended operating season, reducing the resort's reliance on natural snowfall timing.

"This is about helping to provide our guests and our community a season they can count on," Ingebretson-Wolowicz said. "Every generation at Willamette Pass has built on what came before it. We're proud to continue that tradition."

Willamette Pass's new snowmaking system will make its debut in the upcoming winter, with the resort's opening day scheduled for Dec. 11.

Willamette Pass, founded in 1941, has been owned and operated by Tim Wiper and his family since 1982 - a tenure marked by several regional firsts in lifts, terrain and technology. The resort entered a joint venture with Mountain Capital Partners in 2022.

Established in 1941, Willamette Pass Resort offers access to 555 acres of lift-served trails with an average annual snowfall of 430 inches. Located approximately an hour from Eugene, Ore., the 1,563 feet of lift-served vertical is accessible by six lifts and 29 trails. The area features a ski and snowboard school, rental shops and 20 kilometers of cross country skiing. 

Headquartered in Durango, Colo., Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) is the third-largest ski resort company in the United States by number of resorts and an independent owner-operator of mountain and resort assets across the United States and Chile. With a portfolio spanning 17 ski resorts, golf courses, and bike parks - including Purgatory Resort (CO), Arizona Snowbowl (AZ), Valle Nevado (Chile), La Parva (Chile), Willamette Pass Resort (OR), and Spider Mountain Bike Park (TX) - MCP operates with a single purpose: Give People the Freedom to Ski. In total, MCP's ski and bike resorts feature more than 8,000 acres of lift-served terrain, 500+ trails, 70 lifts, and 20 terrain parks. Since 2015, MCP has invested more than $160 million in capital improvements across its portfolio. Through the Power Pass - providing access to ski resorts across two hemispheres - and a growing portfolio of year-round outdoor recreation destinations, MCP gives guests a reason to be outside every month of the year. For more information, visit mcp.ski.