Ski Season Plows Ahead, But Enthusiasm May be Waning

BEND, Ore. (AP) — Don't tell Central Oregon ski areas there is too much of good thing.

Especially up on Mt. Bachelor, where heavy snowfall this winter is keeping the mountain open until Memorial Day, resort officials say.

The ski area experienced its third snowiest winter on record, said Mt. Bachelor spokesman Drew Jackson. December, January and February each produced more than 100 inches of snow, a consistent stretch of snowfall never before seen at Mt. Bachelor.

But Jackson said there's a drawback to all that snow: winter fatigue.

"Once it starts to turn warm and nice in town, in Bend, the number of other outdoor recreation opportunities start to increase," he said. "We have to compete more for people's time. Inevitably, we lose to some extent."

In an average April, the ski area sees about 60 percent of the visitors it had in March. By May, the ski area sees half of what it gets in April.

That drop off has already been more noticeable this spring.