Charlie Sherman, at right, and Tucker Brett take a photo together while riding on the first chair of the season on the Little Pine lift during opening day at Mt. Bachelor ski area on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, west of Bend.  

MT. BACHELOR — Charlie Sherman and Tucker Brett arrived at the Mt. Bachelor ski area parking lot at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2. Out of their car, they made pancakes off a portable stove as heavy snow pounded down on them.

The first chair at Little Pine lift wouldn’t depart for more than four hours, but the Oregon State University-Cascades students were too excited to wait at home. This year they have season passes and intend to make the most of it — starting on opening day at the ski area.

Other cars trickled into the parking lot after them, full of skiers and snowboarders eager to get onto the mountain as soon as possible. The ski area was originally scheduled to open Nov. 24 but was delayed due to safety concerns over a low snowpack.

But a recent series of storms rolling over the Cascades gave the mountain more than the additional foot it needed to safely open Saturday, with one more lift running than expected.

Everyone at Mt. Bachelor on Saturday drove up the Cascade Lakes Highway in blizzard-like conditions. Cars followed each other’s tail lights as heavy snow blanketed the landscape and winds threatened to push them off course.

Off to the side, a winter wonderland was begging for fresh tracks.

“It’s not easy opening a ski resort. It’s like a little town,” said John Merriman, president and CEO of Mt. Bachelor. “I’m super proud of the staff. We went from zero to a hundred at a time when we are having a big storm.”

In the parking lot, most people waited in their cars for the lifts to start running, but an excited few braved the snow to vie for the first chair. Sherman, Brett and about 30 others were rewarded for their efforts by Mt. Bachelor staff with warm breakfast burritos and free swag. The food was quickly devoured to minimize the time gloves were off.

Waiting in line behind Sherman and Brett was Mark Bend. He was eager to start his 42nd season at Mt. Bachelor. He hasn’t made every opening day since 1981, but he’s been able to come to most of them. Saturday stacked up well against the rest, he said.

“This is awesome! We have fresh snow, big stoke! 42 years of shredding,” Bend said.

Despite the heavy snow and frigid temperatures, everyone in line was having a good time. Mt. Bachelor staff kept up the excitement with bullhorns and burritos, keeping everyone up to date on the countdown to opening.

“The stoke is high. The park is open, I’ve had a burrito, I’m warm. What more could you ask for?” Sherman said as he waited the last few minutes for the first chair.

Five minutes before 9 a.m., Merriman took up the mic. It was finally time to load the lifts. He thanked everyone for being there and applauded the staff’s efforts. His first season at Bachelor, Merriman was just as eager to hit the slopes as everyone else.

By 10 a.m., ski school had already hit the slopes, the intrepid learners ready to brave the stinging snow and low visibility. One instructor laughed as a powerful gust of wind propelled him forward on his skis through the lift line.

Inside the lodge, staff prepared the Clearing Rock Bar for a toast with Merriman and guests set for 11 a.m. As the crowd gathered, there were shouts of “I love opening day” and “This snow is insane.” The snow indeed was fantastic, Merriman agreed.

After a short speech and a toast, Merriman mingled before hitting the bar with a group of mountain guests. The five of them took a simultaneous shot in celebration from glasses mounted on an old ski.

Merriman couldn’t say when more lifts would open, but said perhaps after this ongoing series of storms abate.

“We do have the ‘R’ word in the forecast,” Merriman said. The ‘R’ word being rain. “We’ll see what that does to our snowpack, but the plan is every week to get some more lifts open. We’re hoping to have another lift or two in about a week, then kind of move on from there.”

For opening day, the ski area was able to open three lifts: Little Pine, Sunrise and Rainbow. Merriman said he wasn’t sure if Rainbow would remain open for the rest of the week, but was pleased staff was able to provide an additional lift for crowds on opening day.

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