Snow starting to fly on Mt. Bachelor

If you’re itching to hit the slopes — the wait is almost over — Mt. Bachelor plans to fire up its snow machine next week, and the resort hopes to open before Thanksgiving.

Fresh powder falling the last couple of days has put two inches on the mountain, enough for Jeremy Davidson to take his 4-year-old daughter Claire up for a snow day Tuesday.

“We came up to get our first feel of the snow,” Davidson said. “It cheers us up, and it’s beautiful to see everything looking white.”

It’s the third dusting the mountain has received so far this fall. There’s hope this time around, it sticks for the season.

“Hopefully we can get some more precipitation, and it will come as snow and build the base to be sufficient for opening day,” said Mt. Bachelor spokesman Stirling Cobb.

The ski resort is shooting to open some lifts Nov. 25 — the day before Thanksgiving.

They’ll use 4.5 million gallons of water to make their own snow and rely on Mother Nature to hopefully provide the rest.

Fingers are crossed that it won’t be a repeat of last less-than-stellar snow year.

“It was one of the worst years that we’ve had in quite some time,” Cobb said.

Last season, the mountain only got 211 inches. That’s less than half of the average snowfall.

Mt. Bachelor hopes the predicted El Nino winter will allow for an average snowpack.

Wednesday skiers and boarders who have pre-purchased passes can pick them up from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Cascade Lakes Brewing Company.

You’ll be able to get your passes in the Old Mill from Nov. 10-20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.