Although Mt. Bachelor ski area hoped to stay open until Memorial Day, it is set to close Sunday, citing dwindling snowpack.

“This was a difficult decision and one that I wish I didn’t have to make,” Dave Rathbun, Mt. Bachelor’s president and general manager, said in a news release. “Unfortunately, with so little snow remaining in our base areas, the goal of staying open until Memorial Day weekend is no longer realistic.”

Sunday — May 10 — will mark the earliest Mt. Bachelor has closed since 1976-77, according to more than 40 years of records kept by the ski area. That season, the resort closed April 30, 1977.

During the last “challenging snow year,” the 2004-05 ski season, Mt. Bachelor closed May 15, 2005, said Drew Jackson, Mt. Bachelor spokesman.

“This year will not go down in the books as being a dry year,” Jackson said. “The biggest factor this year was the warmth. We got a lot more rain than normal, especially at the base.”

Four ski seasons — 1976-77, 1977-78, 2000-01 and 2004-05 — brought less snow to Mt. Bachelor, according to the ski area’s records.

Since Oct. 1 , Mt. Bachelor has received 212 inches, more than 17½ feet, of snow, according to the ski area. Historically, Mt. Bachelor has averaged 462 inches, 38½ f eet, of snow each ski season.

Although Mt. Bachelor fared better in terms of snow than other ski areas in Oregon, the maximum base depth of 53 inches reached Feb. 28 was the lowest maximum base depth in the ski area’s records. The ski area opened in 1958, and its records go back to the 1971-72 ski season. On Tuesday, Mt. Bachelor reported a base of 14 inches.

Although snowpack was lower than average, Mt. Bachelor got enough snow to have a fairly full ski season. Mt. Bachelor opened for the season Nov. 24, about the same time of year it has for the past five seasons. Other ski areas in Oregon, such as Hoodoo Ski Area near Sisters and Willamette Pass along state Highway 58, did not have as good of seasons.

Hoodoo opened Dec. 31 and stayed open for the first two weekends in 2015 only to close Jan. 12 because of a skimpy amount of snow. On April 20, Hoodoo announced it was closing for the season.

“The 2014-15 season at Hoodoo Ski Area was one of unusually warm weather, high hopes and very low snow levels,” read a news release from Hoodoo. “As much as we hoped, prayed and danced for tons of fluffy, white powder, Mother Nature had a different plan.”

The 2013-14 ski season was also a short one at Hoodoo because of a lack of snow. Hoodoo did not open until Feb. 8, 2014, and was open for a couple of weeks.

Willamette Pass opened in early January but soon closed. By the start of March, the ski area had a message on its website saying it was done for the season.

— Reporter: 541-617-7812,

ddarling@bendbulletin.com