Friday was a phenomenal day to be on any mountain in the Northwest. I was fortunate enough to be at Mt. Bachelor, as I'm in Bend for a few days visiting family.
The word "epic" has become a cliche in the skiing and snowboarding world, but no other word truly captures the essence of Friday any better. The sky was mainly clear; there was no wind; it was cold; the snow was light & dry; and it was busy but not overly crowded. And as an added bonus, the Northwest Express chair and runs opened for the first time this season... and Bachelor got the Summit chair open for business around noon.
Not surprisingly, the best skiing was over on the Northwest side of the mountain where 5 feet of snow lay untouched. That first run down Devil's Backbone was memorable, to say the least. Later in the morning, I made it up to the Summit shortly after it opened. There was a fair amount of wind-packed and slabby snow, so the top wasn't as good as the tree-lined runs lower on the mountain. But that didn't stop me from doing three top-to-bottom runs from the Summit down into the tree-lined bowls south of the Rainbow chair. Good stuff.
My only complaint was that Bachelor seemed to still be in "early December, no crowds" mode. They didn't run the Rainbow or Red chairs, despite up to 10 minute waits to board the Sunrise & Pine Marten lifts; they had minimal staffing in the lodges during the lunch rush; and the Pine Marten lodge still hadn't fully openend for the season. Not the best planning, in my opinion, for the first nice day after 4 feet of new snow that happens to be one day before the start of a major holiday period. It wasn't overly crowded, but the crowd could've and should've been better managed by having more facilities open. But in the big picture, it was a fantastic day.
And now... a brief weather update:
Saturday's storm looks a bit warmer (initially) than it did yesterday. So you'll notice a change in my snow level forecast below. A similar situation will occur with the next storm later Sunday. We'll be back to colder storms and lots of high-quality new snow by midweek, however.
Saturday - Increasing rain or snow. Snow level rising to 4,500 feet around midday, then lowering back to 3,000 feet in the evening. Snow accumulation 4-8" Saturday evening & overnight.
Sunday - A few morning snow showers, then increasing rain or snow in the evening. Snow level 3,000 feet in the morning, but rising to 6,000 feet by the time the rain/snow arrives in the late-afternoon or evening. Only minor snow accumulation during the day.
Monday (Christmas Eve) - Heavy snow at times and windy. Snow level down to 2,000 feet. Snow accumulation 8-14".
Tuesday (Christmas) - Mainly dry and cold early. Increasing clouds with snow arriving again by evening. Snow level 2,000 feet. No snow accumulation during the day.
Enjoy!
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