It was a bluebird day with perfect conditions at Mt. Bachelor last week. 

When I’m not reporting and writing articles, I’m curating stories and filming reels for The Bulletin’s Instagram page, which means I’ve driven up to Mt. Bachelor twice this season without a chance to strap on my skis. Mid-November, I captured a recent snowfall ahead of the resort’s opening on Nov. 30, and three weeks ago, I filmed Jetty, the ski resort’s newest addition to the avalanche dog team.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet the almost 4-month-old avalanche dog in training, as safety rules dictate members of the public aren’t supposed to pet the small bundle of cuteness.

So it was with much anticipation that I rode up to the mountain to go skiing last week. My parents were visiting from out of town, and it was their first day skiing Mt. Bachelor. I had those first-day-of-the-season jitters where I wondered how much my body would remember from the previous season.

We parked at the West Village Lodge and started on the Pine Marten chairlift. It’s where I usually begin my day before moving toward the Red, Outback and Northwest Express chairlifts. The day after our visit, the Northwest Express lift was shut down without warning after a gearbox hose burst. According to Mt. Bachelor spokesperson Johnny Sereni, it reopened Thursday after a series of tests.

Personally, I prefer the additional vertical feet on the northwest side of the mountain — and perhaps the lack of traffic more so. But with my parents in town, I’d scheduled a day off work. As a result, we didn’t have to contend with the usual weekend crowds. After riding Thunderbird from the top of the Pine Marten lift and lower Leeway via West Boundary from the Red chairlift, we headed to the top of the stratovolcano.

The 360-degree views from the Summit chairlift last Friday were stunning, as was the lift itself. It was almost entirely encased in snow and resembled a castle, or perhaps a Disneyland ride. The sign that usually reads “Mt. Bachelor/Summit Lift/El. 9,000 ft.” had disappeared. A mix of weather and some kind of heat reaction had caused the snow to form a bulging, intricate pattern, disguising the lift as an otherworldly edifice.

After soaking in the high-elevation sights, we started on our way down. Even on a sunny day, the sightline directly below the Summit chairlift is limited due to the steep vertical. It felt exposed, which triggered my mom’s fear of heights. We took it slowly, traversing from Healy Heights to Upper Wanoga Way, which we rode all the way down to Lower Wanoga and the Cloudchaser lift.

Not only was it gloriously sunny, but the snow was soft enough to carve turns and fluffy enough to fill the spaces between the trees adjacent to the groomed runs. I’d often find my dad disappearing into those trees, which he especially enjoyed just off of Wanoga Way.

It was a short few years ago when I would have considered late January a slow start to the ski season, but I couldn’t have been happier with my first day on the slopes. As a restricted four-day pass holder, each day is precious, so I’ve learned to hold off on beginning the season too early. I’ve found the conditions of mid-to-late season much less icy — and a lot more gratifying.