Ski season delayed at Oregon mountains as everyone waits for major snow

Ski enthusiasts across the Pacific Northwest are wondering when the skiing season is likely to start.

Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, say it’s an El Nino year, which means the eastern Pacific Ocean is about half a degree Celsius warmer than usual. In practical terms, that means conditions in Oregon and Washington will likely be slightly warmer and wetter.

The Mt. Bachelor ski resort had originally been scheduled to open Friday but had to delay to wait for more snow.

“While we have received some solid early season storms in late October and early November, we’ve also seen a few rain events and warmer temps,” Mt. Bachelor spokesperson, Lauren Burke, told the Bend Bulletin.

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John Burton with the Timberline Lodge ski area on Mount Hood said their average opening day is Nov. 16. The mountain already has a 12-inch base of snow, but Burton said it’s not clear when resort runs will open this year.

“We need one more good storm,” he said. “We need 22, 24 inches on the ground, and then there’ll be an opener.”

With cold temperatures in the forecast, both mountains can supplement snow packs with machine-made snow. But only a big winter storm can provide the volume needed to get lifts running again.

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Timberline offers summer skiing on the Palmer Glacier, but it shuts the area down during winter because it’s so exposed to the weather. The Palmer run closed in September, and there’s no skiing at Timberline until there are a couple of big storms and the lower slopes can open.

Timberline tends to open with two or three lifts and slowly add lifts to a maximum of eight or nine.