Snow piling up at Anthony Lakes

Published 6:53 am Friday, November 15, 2024

The potential for an earlier than usual start to the ski season at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort continues to grow with each successive wintry storm.

The ski area in the Elkhorn Mountains, about 35 miles northwest of Baker City, had three inches of new snow Thursday night and reported a base of 15 inches on Friday morning, Nov. 15, said Chelsea Judy, the area’s marketing director.

Workers were on the slopes with groomers on Thursday to spread and pack the new snow, Judy said.

A series of freeze and thaw cycles last weekend helped solidify the base, which sets up the slopes for future storms.

“We definitely have a great start up here,” Judy said on Friday morning.

The National Weather Service is predicting snow to continue for much of the weekend and into early next week.

Elsewhere in Oregon, Mount Hood Meadows and Mount Bachelor ski areas are opening Friday, Nov. 15.

Judy said Anthony Lakes could potentially open on Saturday, Nov. 30, during Thanksgiving weekend, but that will depend on the weather over the next two weeks.

The ski area typically needs around two feet of snow to have even a limited opening, although at that depth many runs aren’t skiable due to rocks.

Check the resort’s website, www.anthonylakes.com, for snow reports.