The ongoing series of blizzards making their way through the Cascades forced Mt. Bachelor ski area to shut down operations due to extreme winds and downed trees midday Thursday and continuing into Friday.

“In the past week we have seen some of the most extreme conditions in the last two decades here at Mt. Bachelor,” said ski area spokesperson Lauren Burke. “There have been a number of downed trees across the mountain and wind gusts over 100 mph for the last day and a half. We remain laser focused on the safety of our guests and employees, and are constantly assessing conditions and adjusting operations as needed throughout these major storm cycles.”

The weather forecast indicates storms could worsen throughout Friday and into Saturday before improving Sunday, but Burke said Mt. Bachelor will be open Saturday. The ski area has been open with limited operations since Tuesday.

Farther north but at a significantly lower elevation, Hoodoo Ski Area has been impacted by the blizzards to a lesser degree.

The recent snowfall has significantly improved conditions at Hoodoo, which opened late into the season on Wednesday. Considering conditions, Hoodoo has not opened much of its more expert terrain.

At both Hoodoo and Mt. Bachelor, there will be a significant amount of fresh snow. Over the last 10 days, Mt. Bachelor has gained over 5 feet of snow with more expected over the next few days. Hoodoo has likewise accumulated several feet, but cannot give exact measurements due to wind conditions.

With such an extensive amount of fresh powder, guests at both ski areas are cautioned to beware of tree wells. For safety, Mt. Bachelor recommends guests ski with a buddy and stick to groomed areas.

Tree wells are areas underneath the bows of trees that are protected from high volumes of snow. These areas are dangerous for skiers and snowboarders who can fall into that area and become smothered in unpacked snow, risking suffocation.

Robbie Spafford, assistant patrol director at Mt. Bachelor, said the most dangerous areas guests should avoid are patches of younger trees where the lower boughs are submerged beneath the snow.

“For us, the continued issue is the second growth, small trees that are sticking out of the snow that the snow hasn’t become condensed in between the branches of the tree,” Spafford told The Bulletin. “There’s 100 inches of snow below those trees in some places … those trees could be 15-20 feet tall from the ground up. You’re just seeing the tips of them that are coming out.”

Four people have died in tree wells at Mt. Bachelor since 2018, with another person successfully rescued from a tree well after a Sunriver man snowboarding nearby saw her disappear under the snow in 2023.

Mt. Bachelor staff are also aware of the danger of avalanches. Following two recent avalanches at Palisades in Tahoe, guests might be wondering how safe it is to ski at Mt. Bachelor.

Spafford assured The Bulletin that Mt. Bachelor’s avalanche danger is very different from conditions seen in the Sierra and other continental mountains.

“Our hazard is a little different in this maritime snowpack … When it’s actively snowing that’s when (our) avalanche risks are higher (but) we do not have a persistent deep slab — or a deep weak layer — issue like the continental snowpack does,” Spafford said.

In areas where there is an avalanche corridor, particularly above the summit crossover, safety personnel have been shooting mortars to artificially trigger avalanches in a controlled environment. So far, they’ve produced two small avalanches, which is a positive indication that risks are actively being mitigated.

Despite the extensive measures Mt. Bachelor is taking to ensure safety, Spafford said there are a few safety measures he would recommend guests employ when on the mountain.

The main safety measure is using the Mt. Bachelor app, which allows you to track other people in your group and call ski patrol if you feel something is wrong.

“If you got to the bottom of the lift and you look at the app and you see that your friend is midslope still, you could wonder why aren’t they moving? What’s going on? And that would be a great time to press the button to call ski patrol … so we can go and check on that guest.”