For over a decade, Mt. Bachelor Shuttle has helped skiers and boarders enjoy the mountain with less stress

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- With nearly ideal conditions, everyone is trying to sneak up to the mountain for some skiing, even though it's the middle of the week.

In the middle of the day, the parking lot for the ski shuttle is packed. This program has been going strong for more than a decade.

On Thursday, we talked with people who take the shuttle nearly every day and someone using it for the first time.

Darrell Mellum, visiting Bachelor from Seattle told KTVZ, "Well, I'm an out-of-towner, so for me, it just makes sense, you know. I'm renting skis up there this trip and I won't have to lug skis around."

For the past five years, the program has added more than 9,000 riders each year. Data from Cascade East Transit shows 56,000 people took the shuttle last year. The program is such a success, CET is looking to add more shuttle pick-up times on high-demand days, but isn't ready to announce anything concrete yet.