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--> --> Meager amount of snow kept skiers at home The Associated Press Snow wasn't the only no-show on Oregon's ski areas this past ski season. A meager snowpack kept many snowsport participants at home, and ski operators will market Oregon slopes outside the Northwest - and as far away as Japan - to stop that meltdown. Lift ticket sales dropped for the second straight year, and official state results to be completed later this summer likely will show they fell by as much as 12 percent or 13 percent, said Scott Kaden, president of the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association. "It's hard to sell our product when it doesn't snow," Kaden said Wednesday during the annual meeting of the Oregon Ski Industries Association in Hood River. "People were waiting for 10-inch storms that were supposed to come every Friday." By February, Oregon's snowpack had reached a level 62 percent of average. Meanwhile, visits to ski areas around the country reached a record number this past ski season, showing the potential for future growth in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon ski areas want to entice winter visitors from outside the region with the message: "You've been everywhere else. It's time to come to Oregon," said Dave Tragethon, marketing director at Mt. Hood Meadows, which saw visits fall by 9 percent this year. In September, the ski association will send a representative to Japan to promote Oregon slopes, the first such overseas marketing effort. The association will have to overcome a struggling Japanese economy and the recent cancellation of direct flights between Portland and Japan. Despite the drop in visits at Mt. Hood Meadows, the state's second-largest ski area stayed profitable, said Dave Riley, vice president and general manager. "I'm not sure everyone could say that, though," he said. Mt. Bachelor, the state's largest ski area, picked up unexpected legal expenses related to its pending merger with Utah-based Powdr Corp. That has left the resort struggling to post a profit for the season. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing