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Lakeview, Modoc ski area opening By Lee Juillerat Updated: Dec 16, 2022 11:00 AM A A Skiers of all ages enjoy Warner Canyon. [Courtesy photo] The folks who oversee Lake County’s Warner Canyon Ski Area are “hopepening” they’ll be opening for downhill skiing and snowboarding Saturday. “We’re ‘hopepening’ we’ll open Saturday,” says ski hill manager Ken Odegaard, noting he and others are working to finish tests for the area’s new electrical system, auxiliary ski lift motors and other recent upgrades. “If not, it will be next week for Christmas vacation.” A decision isn’t expected until Friday afternoon. Located 18 miles from Lakeview off Highway 140 East, Warner Canyon will operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends and select other dates. Warner Canyon, managed by the Fremont Highlanders Ski Club oversees operations at Warner Canyon, a community ski area served by a triple chairlift that rises from the base elevation of 5,700 feet to its summit at 6,480 feet. Odegaard says the ski hill has seen heavy snow, explaining, “I haven’t seen it this good a shape maybe ever. The whole mountain is covered.” Warner Canyon’s 21 runs include five beginner and five intermediate trails along with 11 advanced/expert trails. The longest run is 1.1 miles. During the season, Warner Canyon will be open Saturday and Sunday, except for Christmas Day, through March 18-19. The area will be open daily during the Christmas holiday season, Dec. 26 through Jan. 2. In addition, night skiing from 5:30 to 9 p.m. is planned Jan. 26, with day and night skiing Jan. 27 and 28. Half-day skiing from noon to 4 p.m. is planned Feb. 10. The annual Snofest is planned Feb. 25. Lift tickets for full- and half-day skiing and snowboarding are: $10 and $5 for youth 5 and younger; $20 and $15 for preteens 6 to 12; $30 and $20 for students 13 to 18; $40 and $30 for adults; and $20 and $15 for seniors 69 and older. Full-day skiing/riding is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. while half days begin at noon. Season passes, including family and corporate passes, also are available. Over the past several months, several projects have kept volunteers busy, including the installation of a motor that replaces a backup motor that had been at Warner Canyon since 1957. The backup motor was purchased through a $75,000 grant from Oregon Parks and Recreation and Lake County in-kind contributions valued at $75,000, a total of $150,000. The grant and in-kind funds also were used to upgrade the safety system. Another upgrade was relocating the hill’s upper lift shack to allow more room for larger snowcats used to groom trail, especially near the top unloading ramp. The Lakeview Volunteer Fire Department provided three people to assist with moving the shack, which was done earlier this year. Odegaard and Highlanders President Eric Wolf said many individuals and businesses provided labor and funding for this year’s projects, including Dave Knowles, Dave Staub, Greg Larson, Prescott Rice, Rob Sharp, Andy Pardue, Pardue Construction, Chuck Messner and a Warner Creek Correctional Facility work crew, Along with skiing and riding, Warner Canyon features what Odegaard describes as a “rustic, old-style ski lodge” that offers lunches, beverages, snacks and such family-friendly amenities as a woodstove, window views of the ski hill, picnic tables for families or large groups to gather at for eating and socializing and shelves to stow extra gear. Tailgating is allowed and popular with the local adult crowd. Equipment rentals, including skiing and snowboarding equipment, are available in Lakeview at Tall Town Bike and Camp, 19 N.E. St., with sizes for children and adults. For information call 541-947-4862. Information on ski and snowboard instruction programs is available by visiting the Warner Canyon website at warnercanyonskihill.com or by calling 541-947-5001. Parking is provided right next to the lodge and ski hill. Oregon Sno-Park permits are required and must be displayed in the parked vehicle’s windshield. Permits can be purchased at a DMV office, a designated agent (such as a sporting goods store) or at Warner Canyon when buying a ticket. COVID raises Warner Canyon’s profile Warner Canyon Ski Area can be described as a sleepy, little ski hill that had its wakeup call. The ski area near Lakeview has seen an increase in out-of-town skiers and snowboarders in recent years, despite some marginal snow conditions. According to ski hill manager Ken Odegaard, “We’ve been discovered” with influxes of skiers and riders from far Northern California and Southern Oregon, including the Klamath Basin, Rogue Valley and Bend areas. A variety of factors are credited for the increase, including short lift lines and much less expensive lift ticket prices. Although the time to wait in lift lines has increased in recent years, even on an extremely busy day the wait time seldom exceeds 15 minutes. Price is a factor, too, especially for families. Odeegard said more families are coming from the Medford and Bend areas because they can stay in a hotel in Lakeview or RVs in the ski hill’s parking lot, buy meals and ski or ride for less than they would spend on lift tickets at other areas. At Mt. Bachelor, for example, this year’s cost for a day pass ranges from $103 to $155, not including parking and upgrades. “People can ski up to the lodge, step out, leave their skis in the snow, and they’re still there when they come back,” Dave Knowles, a longtime Warner Canyon skier and volunteer, said of the hill’s family-friendly atmosphere: “Jim Howard used to say, ‘Warner Canyon doesn’t have a lot of anything, but it has a little bit of everything.’” Odegaard echoes Knowles, saying, “I think people are starting to see Warner Canyon as a fun, little mountain that’s not too expensive. We’re pretty inexpensive compared to other areas.” There are already plans for more improvements at the hill next year, including installation of a new rope tow, which will be funded by a $20,000 grant from Reser’s Fine Foods, and adding a year-round vault toilet and expanding the parking lot. Warner Canyon, which opened in 1938, is Oregon’s second oldest ski area after Timberline, which opened a year earlier. The area is located on Lake County-owned land. In 2000 the Highlanders sold their improvements to the county for $1 and now lease the facility from the county for $5 a year. County ownership allows the ski hill to obtain grants, such as those used to construct the chairlift and other projects. Reach freelance writer Lee Juillerat at [email protected] or 541-880-4139.