She’s coming: That powdery, silvery, shivery, white beauty. She’s gathering herself up in storm clouds high above the Pacific, traveling across the Cascades, the Wallowas and the Blue mountains. She’s pulling herself together and getting ready for a dramatic, first day at high school, queen of the prom, I’ll-be-down-when-I’m good-and-ready, diva-like fashion. We’ll wait. Because winter in Oregon is always worth waiting for.

In the meantime, we’re watching ski films, lurking in our basements and garages, tuning our gear. We’re trolling meteorology websites that promise a La Niña a winter. We check the snow report on Oregon ski area websites, and thrill at inching base depths. We’re buying our passes and getting our photos taken, cajoling our families into planning the holidays around our ski plans. Some of us even have our gear all tuned and packed, loaded in the Subaru, waiting for go-time.

At night we stand on the back porch and look south to Mt. Hood and Mt. Bachelor, east to Anthony Lakes and further south to Willamette Pass and Mt. Bailey. We send out a message of welcome, of gratitude in advance. And when we go to bed at night, we drift off to sleep hoping she just might get here tomorrow.

Editor’s note: For the latest Oregon mountain conditions, ski events & deals, check out our partners SkiOregon.org