Willamette Pass is heading into the 2026-27 ski season with a dramatically larger snowmaking system after a winter marked by a delayed opening, warm temperatures and multiple interruptions to operations.
The Oregon ski area announced Sept. 24 that it has more than tripled its previous snowmaking capacity. The expanded system includes 19 snowguns and adds nearly 70 acres of snowmaking coverage across the mountain.
For the first time, Willamette Pass says it can make snow from the top of the mountain to the bottom when temperatures cooperate. New coverage includes Kaleidoscope, Eagle’s Flight, Perseverance, By George, Rough Cut and Sleepy Hollow.
Of the resort’s 19 snowguns, 16 are fan guns and three are mounted tower guns. The project has been years in the making, according to Willamette Pass, but its arrival follows a winter that showed just how important snowmaking can be when natural snowfall and temperatures fail to cooperate.
Last Winter Was a Difficult One at Willamette Pass
Willamette Pass did not begin its 2025-26 season until Dec. 26 after mild weather delayed the resort’s planned opening.
Even then, operations started small. Only the Sleepy Hollow beginner chair and magic carpet opened on the first day, with the resort continuing to make snow while waiting for conditions that would allow additional terrain to open.
Problems returned in February.
Willamette Pass temporarily closed the Midway chair on Feb. 1 and reduced its operating schedule as unusually warm, spring-like conditions affected the snowpack. Six days later, heavy rain forced the ski area to pause operations entirely beginning Feb. 8.
The difficult conditions were covered at the time by Unofficial Networks when [Willamette Pass temporarily paused operations following the heavy rain].
Peak 2 did not open for the first time that season until Feb. 21. In announcing the opening, Willamette Pass described 2025-26 as a “tough snow year.”
By mid-March, Willamette Pass was again among several Western ski areas whose operations were on hold because of poor snow conditions.
A Dramatic Change From the Winter Before
The difficult 2025-26 season followed one of the best winters in Willamette Pass history.
During 2024-25, the ski area recorded 272 inches of snow and operated for 142 days across seven months, its longest season on record. Willamette Pass opened Nov. 22 and had its entire mountain operating before the end of November. The season ultimately stretched into May.
That sharp year-to-year difference also illustrates the challenge ski areas face when natural snowfall and sustained cold weather are unreliable.
Snowmaking cannot solve that problem entirely. Willamette Pass still needs sufficiently cold temperatures to operate the equipment, something the resort lacked for extended periods early last winter.
What the larger system does provide is the ability to make substantially more snow when favorable temperatures arrive and spread that snow across far more terrain.
“More reliable snow means more days on the mountain for our guests,” Willamette Pass General Manager Mindy Ingebretson-Wolowicz said. “Every generation at Willamette Pass has built on what came before it. We’re proud to continue that tradition.”
Willamette Pass says it first introduced snowmaking in 1990. The resort is targeting Dec. 11 for its 2026-27 opening day, conditions permitting.
