Cascades, Mt. Bachelor snowpack well below average; summer water issues loom again

(Update: Adding video, comments from Mt. Bachelor skiers and riders, resort, Deschutes basin watermaster, Deschutes National Forest public)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- As rain fell at Mt. Bachelor Monday, the effects of another mild winter were looming.

Eric Decker, who has skied at Mt. Bachelor for the last six years, told NewsChannel 21, “I hope we’ll be skiing by the end of May, but we’ll see.”

Snowboarder Adam O’Sullivan added: “Who knows (if we will make it to Memorial Day weekend)? This week is going to be warm -- we’ll see what’s left.”

As the lifts came to a stop on Monday, the resort had an 81-inch base, compared to 110 inches a year ago on this date. The mountain went into April 2021 with a 109-inch base.

But that doesn’t look likely this year, with temperatures the next week expected to reach into the 50s at the base area.

“I wished it was 10 degrees, 20 degrees colder, but it isn’t,” Decker said. “Welcome to climate change.”

Mt. Bachelor spokesman Dustin Fletcher said the goal is still to stay open until the day before Memorial Day, as it did last season.

In a statement to NewsChannel 21, Fletcher said, “Our operations teams have seen years like this before and are prepared to move/harvest existing snow to offer the best skiing and snowboarding experience for as long as possible. "

He added with the Skyliner lift down for the season, the Sunrise lift will replace it on the spring schedule, and the Cloudchaser and Northwest lifts will run daily through May 1.

Mt. Bachelor is selling daily lift tickets through May 29, as well as its spring pass, which gives unlimited access from March 26 to May 29.

But lack of snow has other problems, especially for irrigation districts.

Deschutes Basin Watermaster Jeremy Giffin said, “We’re 71 percent of average on our snowpack.”

Indeed, SNOTEL automated measurements Monday show the Upper Deschutes-Crooked River Basin snow-water equivalent nearly 30% below normal and the snowpack 17% below normal.

At this point last year, Giffin said, we had an above-average snowpack. But a dry spring led to irrigation districts shutting off in the middle of summer, and it could happen again.

"We're going to be very tight on irrigation water this summer," Giffin said.

Of course, dry conditions also will lead to high wildfire danger.

Deschutes National Forest Public Affairs Specialist Jaimie Olle said, "We are looking at elevated risk for wildfires, starting in May and June for Central Oregon."

Even with all of that, some skiers are still optimistic they can hit the slopes for a couple more months.

Skier Missie Eggert said, "Next season is a new year, and it will probably be great next year."