Sometimes all it takes is one storm.

Nearly 3 feet of new snow had fallen at Virginia Meissner Sno-park west of Bend by Wednesday morning, enough to allow for cross-country skiing at the sno-park for the remainder of the winter.

“We’re open and ready to go,” said Meissner Nordic Club operations manager Larry Katz Wednesday morning as he prepared the snowcat for grooming trails at Meissner. “Call it the first day of the season or whatever, but this is enough snow that we’re good for the rest of the winter. It’s so deep. There’s places with drifts over 3 feet, so we’re in good shape.”

About a foot of snow is required to bring the snowcat out for grooming, according to Katz. Snowcat operators will groom cross-country ski trails at Meissner seven times a week, all paid for through donations to the nonprofit Meissner Nordic Club.

“We’ll be grooming as many hours as the guys want to work in the next couple of days,” Katz said. “It’s going to take multiple passes on the same trail to flatten it out and get things going. By the weekend we’ll have all the trails open. That’s my goal and I think we’ll be able to do it.”

Slow start to winter

While most Central Oregon cross-country skiers have been skiing at the Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center this winter, now they can access Meissner, which is located about halfway to Mt. Bachelor ski area from Bend along Century Drive. On Wednesday morning, Mt. Bachelor reported 26 inches of snow in 24 hours for a base of 69 inches. Hoodoo ski area opened Wednesday after its base grew from 20 inches to 47 inches in one 24-hour period, according to skihoodoo.com.

It has been a late start for winter recreation across Central Oregon as an El Niño weather pattern has made for a mostly warm, dry winter until this week. Hoodoo, located northwest of Sisters, is typically open by early to mid-December. Meissner Sno-park is usually open by Dec. 1, and actually did open on that day last month, with just enough snow to be groomed with a roller pulled by a snowmobile on a few trails. The snow did not last long and by Dec. 6, the snow was gone.

Trails at Meissner were groomed with the roller/snowmobile this past weekend before the major storm allowed Katz and snowcat driver Bill Warburton to bring out the snowcat on Wednesday.

“The suns out, it’s a beautiful day up here,” Katz said. “The trees are covered in snow. It’s kind of magical.”

Tour of Meissner set for Jan. 21

The new snow comes just in time for the sno-park to be able to host the annual Tour of Meissner, which includes classic Nordic ski races of 17 and 30 kilometers set for 8 a.m. Jan. 21.

“There is a lot of pent-up excitement to Nordic ski in Central Oregon, what better way to share that spirit then to be a part of the Tour of Meissner,” noted a press release for the event.

Skiers can register at meissnernordic.org/tour-of-meissner. Registration closes on Jan. 17.

The Tour of Meissner “brings together the generous spirit and energy of the Central Oregon Nordic community and showcases the expansive community-supported Meissner Nordic trail system,” according to the release.

The Tour is billed as one of the largest classic ski events in the West and is a benefit for the Meissner Nordic Club. There is no entry fee for the race, but there is a suggested donation of $30.

For more information visit meissnernordic.org.