Andy Tullis / The Bulletin file photoA skier races around a gate while competing in the alpine section of the 2014 Pole Pedal Paddle course at Mount Bachelor.

The shortage of snow this winter could have dramatic effects on Central Oregon’s most popular multisport race.

Officials with the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation, which organizes the annual U.S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle race each May, are making contingency plans for this year’s PPP, set for May 16, should there not be sufficient snow at Mount Bachelor to stage the alpine and/or nordic skiing legs of the race.

MBSEF events director Molly Cogswell-Kelley said Friday there should be enough snow to stage the alpine leg of the race on runs accessed by Mt. Bachelor ski area’s Pine Marten chairlift.

“But there’s a really good chance that the alpine leg will finish at a different spot,” Cogswell-Kelley said.

The greatest current concern for MBSEF is the nordic leg, typically an 8-kilometer ski on trails near the Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center.

If there is not enough snow on those trails come May, MBSEF has two backup plans for the nordic stage of the PPP, Cogswell-Kelley said. First, organizers will consider staging a point-to-point or out-and-back leg on the lower trails between Sunrise and West Village lodges.

If the snow situation is so dire that the nordic stage must be scrapped, it could be replaced with a short trail run.

Replacing the nordic stage with a mountain bike stage was discussed, but that is no longer a possibility, said Cogswell-Kelley, who noted potentially unsafe trail conditions and large crowds as reasons for nixing the mountain bike idea.

“Realistically, it would just be unsafe,” she said. “We may have to do some sort of short, 10- to 15-minute trail run. Because where the alpine leg might end, the only safe way to the bike exchange would be running down. But we would develop a (run) course that wasn’t just a straight shot down the hill.”

Even with the addition of a short trail run, the 10-kilometer run later in the race would remain unaltered, she said.

Cogswell-Kelley said that MBSEF’s goal is to announce a solidified plan before the cost of PPP registration increases on April 16.

The nordic leg has been relocated in previous low-snow years, she noted.

“But it’s never been this bad,” Cogswell-Kelley insisted. “We’re getting a little bit of snow, and the temperatures are staying cool right now. That’s great, but can that hold out for another month?”

Snow — a few inches, anyway — is forecast for Mount Bachelor starting Sunday and into next week. The snow depth at the base of Bachelor was 42 inches as of Friday morning, according to Mt. Bachelor ski area.

The PPP includes teams, pairs and individuals racing from Mount Bachelor to Bend in the sports of alpine skiing, nordic skiing, road cycling, running and paddling. The event usually draws about 3,000 participants.

For updates on the situation or to register for the race, visit www.pppbend.com.

— Reporter: 541-383-0318, mmorical@bendbulletin.com