Oregon Ski Resort's Lifts Halted By Icing
Mt. Bachelor in Oregon posted a video today explaining what they mean when they refer to "icing on lifts."
The video, shared to Instagram, was apparently shot earlier this morning by their Lift Maintenance team.
Officials at Mt. Bachelor explained, "a mix of rain and snow across the mountain on Sunday and Monday caused ice buildup on lifts. With this level of icing, we can’t run the lift to shed the ice, it needs to be manually removed by our team - tower by tower, chair by chair."
Getting the ice off is no easy task: someone from mountain operations has to latch themselves to the chairlift cable, then literally hack at the ice until it disconnects from the lift so the chairs can pass through the wheels again.
Watch mountain ops get the ice off a tower in the video below.
Mt. Bachelor explained that the ice, while caused by rain and unstable conditions, has also been a silver lining for skiers on the mountain, especially those who like things hard and fast.
We'll be the first to admit that the occasional narrow ski carving day can be pretty dang satisfying.
"While rain has caused challenges with our snowpack this early season, the groomers are skiing great right now and we’re having a ton of fun being back on hill. The sun is out today, and the snow is fast and fun around Sunrise and Pine."
Early season versus no season? We'll take early season variable conditions any day.
Mt. Bachelor says that they are working to expand terrain on the mountain, but they are waiting for more natural snowfall, specifically building features in Pacific City and Otter Rock, potentially by the end of the week.
"We’re keeping a close eye on the weather forecast and are seeing some activity headed our way here in the next week or two."
According to NOAA, there is a chance for snow as early as Wednesday night, and possibly even more snow Saturday through Tuesday of next week.
Mt. Bachelor urges everyone to "think snow and keeping doing those snow dances! The all-new Skyliner Express is going through the final load test and certifications this week and we’re excited to announce an opening date here very soon."
We'll keep our eyes peeled, and our boots in narrow skis until then.
Related: Mt. Bachelor Opening For Season Thanks To "Atmospheric River"
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