In good news for winter sports lovers, this week’s storms are expected to bring more than two feet of snow to the Cascades.
Mount Bachelor ski area near Bend is opening tomorrow, though spokesperson Lauren Burke said skiers should be prepared for challenging conditions. “It’s going to be a classic Mt. Bachelor, full-on, storm-system opening day," she told KLCC. "So if you are heading up, you know, we are expecting really snowy roads. And yeah, bundle up, it’s going to be windy, cold, snowing, but we cannot wait to get some powder turns in.”
Burke said the season was originally scheduled to start on the day after Thanksgiving, but that conditions in the Pacific Northwest are always a moving target.
Mt. Bachelor’s website says: “Our goal is to open Little Pine and Sunrise lifts but we may have delays due to the storm in progress.” A new high-speed, six-person chairlift is expected to debut later this month.
Burke advises people to pre-purchase tickets online. They can be picked up at several locations in Bend or at the mountain, without waiting at a ticket window.
As of Friday (12/1), Lane County's Willamette Pass Resort hasn’t yet announced an opening day. Officials there will monitor the weather over the weekend, with fingers crossed for more snow.
