GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. — Recent and upcoming weather systems are bringing in early start to the winter skiing season in the Cascades, with a heavy helping of snow on the way this week to top off what's already fallen in the past couple months. All of Oregon's ski resorts are preparing to begin operations, and some of them have decided there's enough snow on the ground to start things up already.
"This is a bonus day," snowboarder Jeremy Gomez from Portland said while hitting the slopes at Timberline on Monday. "We didn’t expect to go snowboarding in November."
A spokesperson for Timberline Lodge said this year's opening is the resort's earliest since 1972. The early coating of snow is all the sweeter for skiers and businesses alike because it comes after last winter's skiing season was cut short by a lack of cooperating weather.
"It didn't really get going until January," said Huckleberry Inn owner Ed Rogers. "We missed all of December. So we don't want to do that again, so this is a good little start here."
Timberline isn't the only resort that's been able to open early. Here's the rundown of what's already operating and what's on the way:
Timberline Lodge
Timberline began early operations on the weekend after Halloween, opening one lift for limited hours. After repeating the preview last weekend, the resort announced that there was enough snow to begin daily operations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting, retroactively making the start of the season Saturday, Nov. 9.
The resort's website warns that many slopes are still closed and beginner terrain is not yet available. As of Monday, the Pucci lift is still the only one running, but Timberline's webcams show it's already carrying plenty of skiers up to the top. Additional lifts and slopes will open as soon as snow conditions permit, according to Timberline.
Mt. Bachelor
Mt. Bachelor announced Monday that it will kick off its ski season this Friday, Nov. 15, two weeks ahead of schedule and on the earliest date since 1998. The initial opening weekend will only be available to Mt. Bachelor Passholders, who will be able to use the Skyliner and Little Pine lifts. Nordic Passholders will also be able to use cross-country trails.
The resort will only operate on weekends for the first two weeks, closing down each Monday through Thursday for pre-season maintenance work. $50 lift tickets will be available for the weekend of Nov. 22-24. Daily operation will begin the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 29.
Mt. Hood Meadows
Mt. Hood Meadows wrote in a blog post last month that it was aiming to open at the end of November, but the current round of snowy weather has changed the game. The resort announced Monday that it will kick things off with a preview weekend starting this Friday, Nov. 15 — the earliest the resort has opened in 15 years.
South-side lifts Buttercup, Easy Rider and Daisy will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., along with the Ballroom Carpet conveyor. Additional lifts and terrain will open as weather allows, the resort said in a news release. Meadows will reevaluate conditions after the preview weekend and make a determination about further early opening days.
The Oct. 30 blog post noted that early forecasts point to a likely La Niña weather pattern, which tends to mean the winter season will be colder and snowier. There have been 15 La Niña winters over the past 40 years, and 12 of them brought higher-than-average seasonal snowfall for the resort, according to the blog post.
Mount Hood Skibowl
No word about an early opening for Skibowl either, at least as of Monday. The resort's website lists a projected winter opening schedule that kicks off Saturday, Dec. 7, though it notes that the schedule is weather-dependent and the operating hours could change.
Hoodoo Ski Area
In the central Cascades in Linn County, the Hoodoo ski resort's website doesn't list any information yet about season opening dates, although preparations are clearly underway; recent posts on the resort's social media pages have advertised season passes and a job fair.
Hoodoo wasn't able to start operations until early January last winter due to a stubbornly low snowpack, although that's atypical; in most of the previous few years the resort began operations in early- to mid-December.