‘Intense’: Those looking to enjoy C.O. snow find heavy traffic on way to hot spots

'There not a lot to do, so skiing becomes what you do'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- As eager snow-goers in Central Oregon made their way up toward Mt. Bachelor Tuesday morning, many became stuck in a long line of traffic.

NewsChannel 21 received emails and phone calls from skiers reporting traffic was stopped.

One person said it took him three hours to make it to the mountain.
When we arrived, traffic was back to a crawl.

"We didn't have a winter, so everybody's trying to jump on board and get as much snow as we can right now," snowmobiler Bryan Harrison of Bend said.

Mt. Bachelor officials told us that during major storm cycles, with heavy snow and high winds, it can prove challenging for the snow removal team to keep up with clearing the parking lots, even working through the night.

They were also temporarily down one snow blower, and that some drivers didn't realize there are two ways to enter.

Read full statement from Mt. Bachelor below

"The traffic was pretty intense on the way up here -- it was bumper to bumper," Harrison said. "It looked like a mile, so it was intense."

Harrison said with COVID-19 shutting down many other entertainment venues, he's noticing more traffic on the roads.

"There's not a lot to do, so skiing becomes what you do," he said.

Harrison said limited parking in general is becoming a normal conversation for Central Oregon outdoor enthusiasts.

"Way too many people coming in to get into the sport -- which is great for all of you new guys getting into the sport. But you know, the local guys, we like to have our spots, and we still spots that people haven't discovered," he said.

Despite the traffic and the crowds, most skiers are loving all the fresh snow!

Mt. Bachelor statement:

Mt. Bachelor and the Cascades continue to be in the midst of a back-to-back significant storm cycles. While this is Mother Nature delivering snow that will keep us skiing for months to come these persistent storms can create challenges with snow removal in parking lots.

During huge storm cycles with heavy snow and wind it can prove challenging for our snow removal team that works through the night in preparation for guest arrival at 7:00 a.m. With the storm cycles and being down a snow blower awaiting parts, which have now arrived and the snow blower has been repaired, the snow removal in parking lots was impacted today. With two snow blowers back in action we expect to have lots plowed through the night and parking lots consistent with what have been cleared throughout the season. Even with being down one snow blower, all guests who had reservations today, February 16, gained entry into the resort and were guided to parking spaces. At times, there was single lane back up from West Village due to guests not realizing that there are two lanes entering the resort for scanning. We continue to educate our guests on traffic flow when checking in with parking attendants.