Durango, Colorado-based Mountain Capital Partners today announced Willamette Pass, Oregon will join its collective of Western ski resorts through a joint venture with current owner Tim Wiper. Willamette Pass becomes the eighth ski resort to join MCP and its first in the Northwest. The company currently operates resorts in four Southwestern states as as well as a lift-served bike park in Texas. “For more than two decades, MCP has strengthened its position in the Southwest, acquiring, building, developing and successfully growing nine resorts in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Texas,” said MCP managing partner James Coleman. “While Willamette Pass Resort’s location introduces a new geographical region to the company, the skiing is fantastic and the opportunity to carry on the tradition of Willamette Pass made the decision an obvious one,” he continued. Willamette Pass will join the Power Pass family of season pass products and current resort leadership is expected to remain in place.
Willamette Pass features a fleet of four Riblet and CTEC chairlifts including Oregon’s first six pack. The mountain also has significant expansion potential in the fast-growing Pacific Northwest ski market. Mountain Capital Partners specializes in building and improving resorts through targeted capital improvements including new lifts and snowmaking. “MCP expects to bring meaningful upgrades to resort operations starting this winter,” said the company’s press release.
Founded in 1941, Willamette Pass offers guests access to 29 trails across 555 skiable acres. “Since this resort’s founding, this has been a family business and, together with our incredible staff, we’ve put in this work for one reason: our love for skiing,” said Tim Wiper, who has owned the resort with his family since 1982. “Mountain Capital Partners clearly shares our undeniable passion for this sport, and they are the right partner to not only lead Willamette Pass Resort into the future but also work together with us to carry on our remarkable legacy.”
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Would be really nice if they brought back night skiing so UO students could go somewhere closer than Hoodoo
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It will be good to see some outside capital put into this ski area. Very good terrain and lots of snow but like many small, local ski areas it needs a partner. I learned to ski at this ski area when it just had one Poma platter lift and a couple of rope tows. Lets just hope that the ongoing Cedar fire does not reach the ski area (currently a few miles away).
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Cool, will indeed be interesting to see if they expand their hours. Heading there in Feb for my third attempt to ski a bunch of OR places (low/no snow years). Nice that I can get my kids the Powder Kids pass.
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Hopefully some of those “proposed” trails, that have been on their trail map for 15+ years will finally become skiable.
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MCP has done some pretty good things with both Snowbowl and Purgatory.
As a Power pass holder I’m excited to have another mountain accessible to me.
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Willamette Pass is a fun ski area. They have nicely spaced trees that are steep up top and mellow out as you get lower on the hill. My recommendation for MCP is to rebuild the Willamette Pass web presence, get a new website, trailmap, webcam and social media team.
On mountain they should build a massive terrain park on “By George” and “Swoosh” Runs. Then work on getting the night skiing and tubing hill back up and running. Friday night & Saturday night spin the lifts until 10 or 11.
In time add a quad up the front of west peak then a triple down the backside of west peak. There is a lot of fun steep terrain to the skiers right of RTS.
Willamette can be a competitive ski area. Not everyone from Eugene wants to drive all the way to Hoodoo or Mt Bachelor.
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