Update: Mt. Bachelor is reporting that the 35 inches that they recently received set a new record for total snowfall within a 24-hour period.
After months of unanswered snow prayers this week’s storm has apparently over-delivered. Avalanche danger, a power outage, high winds and difficult road conditions prompted Mt. Bachelor to take the unusual step of closing the mountain for the day. According to Mt. Bachelor’s website, the resort has received over 35 inches of snow in the past 24 hours. While powder junkies might be tempted to poach some of that new fallen snow while the lifts sit idle, the resort has advised the public to remain off the mountain while crews conduct avalanche operations.
The mountain is running on back-up power today while crews perform maintenance operations.
The staff hopes to have the mountain open tomorrow by 9 a.m. but is advising skiers to check with the website before departing in the morning.
Not everyone is as hard hit as Bachelor. Hoodoo is up and running, according to Marketing Director Leif Williams. While the winds are up, there is plenty of new snow to be had (18 inches over the past day) with a rain and snow mix falling presently. So leave the scotch guard Levis at home, grab your Gore-Tex and get some turns.
If you can’t make it up this week, the resort is hosting Oregon’s first snow skate rail jam contest this Saturday with cash prizes and plenty of accompanying entertainment for fans. Redmond’s Cakeatr will be on hand to provide kids with snow cones, using the company’s instant snow cone “technology.”
Registration for the snow skate jam is at 11 a.m. Slopestyle event begins at 1 p.m. and downhill at 4:30.
This article appears in Jan 19-25, 2012.
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