Busy weekend fills Mt. Bachelor parking lots

When the powder comes, so do the skiers and boarders.

“We had a great day of skiing, and if we could stay longer today, we definitely would,” Annie Jenkins of the Medford area said Monday. “It’s been phenomenal, and we love to see the snow.”

Thousands of people were loving the snow on Presidents’ Day weekend. Mt. Bachelor officials liken the holiday to Christmas.

“We didn’t turn people away yesterday (Sunday), but we were pretty darn close to being at capacity,” resort spokesman Andy Goggins said.

Jenkins said she expected a crowd on one of skiing’s biggest weekends.

“The lots were full, which you would have totally expected for Presidents’ Day weekend,” she said.

Add long-awaited snowfall, and you can’t get to Mt. Bachelor early enough.

“There’s a lot of pent-up powder demand out there, so now that we’re getting good snow, we’re seeing crowds come up here earlier and earlier,” Goggins said.

Some frustrated drivers turned to any spot available –the side of the highway, the entrance of a sno-park.

Park illegally, and police said you will likely get a ticket — you might even get towed.

While Mt. Bachelor officials said they won’t be adding any more parking for a few years, they are urging you to take advantage of front row parking: ride the shuttle.

“They’re brand-new buses,” Goggins said. “They are very comfortable. It’s great to be able to take advantage and leave the driving to a bus driver.”

And if you’re still discouraged by all the lines of cars filling the lots, and the lines to get on the lifts, don’t put up the skis for the season yet.

“This is our last busy holiday weekend, so the crowds will subside,” Goggins said.

So the mountain is set to return to the locals — with more powder on the way.