Snow falls, making C.O. ski shop business rise

Central Oregon got its first taste of winter Monday morning as large snowflakes covered cars and yards around Bend.

“I wasn’t expecting it until probably November,” said COCC freshman Isabel Garcia.

“It was a little bit surprised,” said Bend resident Lisa Barnett. “I’m not the biggest snow fan, so it caught me off-guard.”

Although the taste of winter came too soon for some Central Oregonians, others felt the snow couldn’t come soon enough.

“It’s like being a little kid,” said Bend resident Jon Tapper. “You rush out and you see the snow. My kids were really excited to see it.”

Also excited to see the flakes falling were local ski shops, who after an average winter last season are hoping for plenty of snow this year.

“It was great waking up to fresh snow,” said Skjersaa’s shop Manager Matty Pilger. “It definitely gets people in the shop more and thinking about getting their skis and snowboards tuned, and maybe buying some new pants or jackets.”

Some people started their winter shopping Monday morning with the first snowfall.

“We had a lot of people buying beanies this morning because it was colder,” said Pilger.

“People seem to get really excited about trying to decide what skis or boards they want for the season, kind of coming in to do their research,” said Skjersaa’s Sales Associate Cody Montgomery.

Those snow-lovers may be able to test their new snowboards and skis soon. Mt. Bachelor is already covered in almost a foot of snow.