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SALEM, Ore. — It isn't the miles, it's the smiles.
Oregon ski resorts that are farthest from population centers can prove most worth the drive. The snow that falls there is light, the sun is bright and the atmosphere light.
"At all those Eastern Oregon resorts, the snow they get has already gone over the Cascades, and the moisture is gone," said Louis Smith of Eugene, a season-pass holder at the Hoodoo resort, where he taught for years. "They get a much drier, lighter snow than we get."
Anthony Lakes near Baker City, Spout Springs near Pendleton, Ferguson Ridge near Joseph and Warner Canyon near Lakeview each claim to have the best powder in Oregon.
Mount Ashland has the only freeway skiing in the state — it's a mere eight miles off Interstate 5 near the Oregon-California border — and Mount Bailey offers the most remote experience, Sno-Cat-only skiing just north of Crater Lake National Park.
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