MOUNT HOOD, Ore. — More than a thousand skiers and snowboarders hit the Mount Hood slopes Saturday for the first day of the ski season at Mount Hood Meadows.
"Yeah, I'm feeling ready," Matt Alfano, a beginning skier, told KGW.
Mount Hood Meadows initially delayed the start of the ski and snowboard season for a week due to inclement weather. Large amounts of rain melted much of the snow on Mount Hood earlier this week. Meadows was forced to wait until more snowpack arrived to begin the season.
Early Saturday, many visitors began lining up outside the lodge hours before it opened.
"We had people in the parking lot at 7 a.m., just really wanting to get going,” said Greg Pack, the general manager of Mount Hood Meadows. “We don't open the lifts until 9."
Many beginners took to the slopes for the first time Saturday morning.
"I'm almost ready to try a chair lift,” proclaimed Matt Alfano, after testing out his skis on a couple of hills.
Alfano was skiing with his friends, who hadn’t even planned to go to Mount Hood until a couple days before the trip.
"We actually got roped into this trip a little bit,” Justin Alvarez said. “Like we were just like, 'We're going to the mountain to go skiing.' And I was like, 'Okay, cool.'"
They also didn’t realize the season had just begun until they began skiing and snowboarding.
"We're just glad that we were able to get tickets the first day," Alvarez said.
For first-time skiers and snowboarders, Mount Hood Meadows staff recommend people take a lesson. It lasts around two hours before staff send people up slopes to begin skiing and snowboarding.