Saturday morning, Bend awoke to an inch of snow, the beginnings of the final winter storm this week, forecast to bring an additional five to nine inches of powder. A quick tour of TripCheck showed a blanket of white from Madras to La Pine.

Road conditions and cold temperatures cold, driving all but the most dedicated snow fiends inside for the day. Of course, until they realize they’ve forgotten to buy a snow shovel, that is.

Matt Freid, store manager of the Ace Hardware on Third Street, said there are always people coming into the store for some type of winter supply they forgot to stock up on.

“I don’t know why because you know it’s going to snow every year. But people do the same thing in the summer with fans … everybody waits until the last minute,” Freid said.

In the last week, heaters have been particularly popular purchases, in addition to snow blowers, hose bib covers and vent covers. And when there’s a storm in the forecast, the store stocks up on supplies in anticipation of a busy day.

“You won’t see this many shovels at any of the smaller stores,” he said.

While some in Bend worried about the forecast for this weekend, others reveled in it. One brave Bend man brought his kids out to Drake Park for a sledding adventure. Casey Ringseth and his kids Harper, 5, and Grayson, 7, didn’t stick around long, though.

“Figured we’d get out here and enjoy it while it’s still above zero,” he said.

With Mt. Bachelor ski area closed partway through Thursday and all day Friday due to what spokesperson Lauren Burke called “the most extreme conditions in two decades,” crowds surged to the mountain for the start of Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.

Lift lines were long and chair lifts delayed due to de-icing procedures, but the ski area opened as promised with warmer temperatures than those seen at lower elevations in Bend.

Saturday is expected to be the last day of snow and sub-zero temperatures until Wednesday. Sunday the high temperature will be back up to 28, with temperatures climbing throughout the week.