Needs snow to go: Mt. Bachelor opening day in limbo

Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort is praying for more snow, as opening day is scheduled for Friday.

The base has about 4 to 10 inches of snow, with the higher level of the mountain seeing about 20 inches.

Drew Jackson, director of sales and marketing, told NewsChannel 21 on Monday they are hoping to get more than 10 inches of snow on the base to open up.

Friday has been the resort’s tentative target date at this point, but Mt. Bachelor can’t commit to that just yet, because the resort needs more snow to fall, Jackson said.

Jackson said once they have enough snow on the mountain, they will need to do more prep work for the ski resort to start firing up the chairlifts.

Mt. Bachelor is hoping Mother Nature will be on its side as they are finishing Cloudchaser, the new chairlift on the east side of the mountain.

Jackson said the ski resort is putting the final touches on the new lift and it is on track to open in mid-December, just before the holidays.

Tom Nelson drove from Portland to get away from the rain and grab some fresh powder Monday at Mt. Bachelor, even though the resort is not yet open.

Nelson decided to check out some of the slopes by himself.

“I thought it was going to be very limited snow, but it was a lot more than I was expecting,” Nelson said.

Powder House Ski and Snowboard in Bend is seeing many people come in and get their ski gear as they prepare for the holiday weekend.

“Everybody is excited and business has been outstanding, and we’re selling skis and season leases. It’s been good,” owner Tom McGee said.

McGee said he expects business to pick up as more people travel to Central Oregon to check out and hit the slopes.

Mt. Bachelor is advising skiers to keep an eye on its website in upcoming days, when the resort will make the announcement about opening day.