Mount Bachelor ski resort (stylized as Mt. Bachelor) is a
ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...
located in
Central Oregon
Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards t ...
, approximately west of
Bend, along
Century Drive Highway. The ski area is on the northern side of
Mount Bachelor, a
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...
rising atop a volcanic shield in the
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...
.
Since 2001, the ski area has been owned by
Powdr Corporation
Powdr, stylized as POWDR, is an American privately held company that owns and operates ski resorts in the United States and Canada. It is headquartered in Park City, Utah, and was founded in 1994 by John Cumming, an early investor in the clothi ...
of
Park City, Utah
Park City is a city in Utah, United States. Most of the city is within Summit County, Utah, Summit County, with some portions extending into Wasatch County, Utah, Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is sou ...
.
[ It is the largest ski resort (by area) by more than in ]Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, the second largest single-mountain ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...
in the U.S.
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
, behind Vail
Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the nume ...
in Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, and the sixth largest of all ski resorts in the nation.
Mount Bachelor offers one of the nation's longest ski seasons, mid-November through the end of May (weather permitting).
History
The Mount Bachelor Ski Area was founded by former 10th Mountain Division
The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division (military), division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in ...
Elite Force ski trooper Bill Healy on December 19, 1958, with $75,000 (equivalent to $ today) and a one-year lease from the U.S. Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...
for the land. The four other major stockholders were Felix Marcoulier, Dr. Bradford Pease, Oscar Murray, and Phil Gould. The founders raised $100,000 from local investors and made many important management decisions that would shape the path of Mount Bachelor and Central Oregon for decades to come.
The ski area opened as ''Bachelor Butte'' in October 1958 with a rope tow
A surface lift is a type of cable transport for mountain sports in which skiers, snowboarders, or mountain bikers remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher ...
and a -long platter lift
A surface lift is a type of cable transport for mountain sports in which skiers, snowboarders, or Mountain bike, mountain bikers remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularit ...
rising ; a lift ticket
A lift ticket or lift pass is an identifier usually attached to a skier's or snowboarder's outerwear that indicates they have paid and can ride on the ski lift(s) that transport people and equipment up or down a mountain.
Types of lift tickets
...
was three (equivalent to $ today). The name of the volcano was changed to ''Mount Bachelor'' in 1983 after the Bend Chamber of Commerce persuaded state and federal officials to adopt the more descriptive term Well-known broadcaster and avid skier Lowell Thomas
Lowell Jackson Thomas (April 6, 1892 – August 29, 1981) was an American writer, Television presenter, broadcaster, and documentary filmmaker. He authored more than fifty non-fiction books, mostly travel narratives and popular biographies of ex ...
visited the young ski area in 1961, flying over from Sun Valley with agribusiness magnate
The first chairlift was "black chair" in 1961, shortly followed by "red chair" in 1964. In 1967 and 1970, the yellow and blue chairlifts were added, and in 1973 the green and orange chairlifts were added. The "Outback chair" was added in 1976, "Rainbow" in 1980, and "Sunrise" in 1982. The first area of the mountain developed for skiing was the northeastern side. The northwestern side was not lift-served in 1973, but those who ventured for the "Outback Trail Tour" paid a dollar in advance and got a return ride by a snowcat
A snowcat (a portmanteau of snow and caterpillar) is an enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to travel over snow. Major manufacturers are PistenBully (Germany), Prinoth (Italy), and Tucker (United States).
Snow groomer ...
to the lodge. A new trail was finished in 1975, and the Outback double chairlift was installed at a cost of $700,000. It was replaced by the $3 million high-speed quad ''(Outback Express)'' in the summer of 1987; with a capacity of 2,800 passengers per hour. The -long Northwest Express chairlift was added in 1996, a high-speed quad with vertical. This lift further expanded the terrain to the west and increased the resort's overall vertical, lowering the minimum lift-served elevation to . In 1976, Mount Bachelor had a severe drought and was only open January 2 through February 14, and February 26 through April 30. There was a loss of an estimated $4 million which took four years to recover. Following the drought, the Nordic initiative began and the main lodge expanded.
Plans for the first summit chairlift were announced in autumn 1979; the high-speed detachable triple was installed in the summer of 1983. At the time, it was just the second detachable chairlift installed in the world. It was upgraded to a quad in 1997.[ Original plans for a summit lodge and an accompanying service road were abandoned in 1982 to attain approval from the ]U.S. Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...
.
Due to its challenging terrain parks and excellent snow conditions, Mount Bachelor is the official home training resort of many professional and Winter Olympic
The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in ...
athletes, and hosts several professional USSA competitions each year.
On April 4, 1968, a single-engine light airplane crashed on the slopes of Mount Bachelor with three fatalities. Bound for Eugene
Eugene may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...
from Boise
Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...
and Billings
Billings is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billin ...
, it was found three days later at the level by skiers after a multi-day regional air search in limited visibility.
Terrain
The mountain is famous for its dry snow (for the Pacific Northwest), with typical snowfall of over per year and a mid-winter base over . The resort boasts a lift-served vertical drop of with a lift running to , just below the volcano's summit, which is accessible via a short hike. As one of the tallest mountains in the vicinity, Mount Bachelor often experiences high wind speeds causing the chairlift to the summit to be put on standby.
Trails and lifts
Total lift accessible area is with approximately groomed daily. The longest run is just over . There are 12 chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers. They are the primary on-hill tran ...
s: Alpenglow, Early Riser, Northwest Express, Outback Express, Pine Marten Express, Rainbow Chair, Red Chair, Skyliner Express, Summit Express, Sunrise Express, Little Pine, and Cloudchaser. Northwest Express, Outback Express, Pine Marten Express, Skyliner Express, Summit Express, Sunrise Express, and Little Pine are express quads.
Following the Summit triple in 1983, the Pine Marten was the first express quad, installed in the summer of 1986.[ The accompanying lodge at the top of Pine Marten was built two years later. The ''Pine Marten Express'' was the world's first height-adjustable detachable quad. It was overhauled in 2006 for $3.5 million, with new terminals, cable, and all new moving parts.][ The ''Outback Express'' was installed in 1987 and the ''Skyliner Express'' in 1989.]
(Bend) Bulletin
' - Catch your breath - 1989-12-21 p.E1
Mount Bachelor has outlined in its master plan that it intends to replace its Sunrise Express to a high-speed six-pack, along with replacing its Rainbow triple chairlift with a high-speed quad. In addition, the ski area plans to expand its downhill mountain bike terrain and install a zip-line.
In the early 1990s, Mount Bachelor had intentions of installing an 8 passenger high speed gondola which would run from the Sunriver access road. However, while marketed in ski magazines, this gondola was never built.
In recent years, Mount Bachelor has made sweeping efforts to attract freestyle skiers and snowboarders. A super pipe is among the best on the continent
A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention (norm), convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single large landmass, a part of a very large landmass, as ...
, and hosted the 2006 USSA Olympic Qualifier. The resort's Bachelor Parks terrain park encompasses 3 parks, is nearly a mile (1.5 km) long, descending 850 vertical feet (260 m) and featuring a number of jumps, rails, boxes, and jibs for freestyle riders. Other parks include "Slopestyle Arena", and "Sunshine Park" for beginners.
In 2003, ''Transworld Snowboarding'' magazine (editors & readers) ranked Bachelor as the fourth best snowboarding resort in North America.
Mount Bachelor also has a cross country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...
area with 12 groomed trails covering 35 miles (56 km) and 850 feet (260 m) of vertical.
Activities
Skiing/ Snowboarding
Mount Bachelor offers lift accessed skiing and snowboarding seven days a week from late-November to the end of May. Hours are generally 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On nice weather days Mount Bachelor offers skiing 360 degrees off the summit of the mountain. Bachelor holds some of the driest snow relative to the Cascades. The mountain's wide variety of elevation and aspect allows skiers and snowboarders to find good snow nearly every day of the season. Many avid skiers and snowboarders can access a bulge on the north side of the mountain referred to as 'the cone' by hiking before, during and after the resorts typical hours of operation.
Nordic skiing
Mount Bachelor has the longest groomed Nordic season in North America, running from late-November through late-May. Snow conditions may extend into June.
Mountain bike park
Starting in the summer of 2013, Mount bachelor was granted a special use permit from the Forest Service allowing chairlift for downhill mountain bike laps. Mountain bike trail continue to be developed, varying from a family-friendly single track trail to "bad to the bone" downhill bike park.
Other features at Mount Bachelor include snowshoeing
Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...
, dog sled
A dog sled or dog sleigh is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow, a practice known as mushing. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for Sled dog racing, dog sl ...
ding, and on-mountain interpretive tours. Seven restaurants, three bars, and three coffeehouses on the premises are distributed in three day lodges. Additional accommodations and lodging are nearby at Sunriver and in the city of Bend.
U.S. Ski Team
*Kiki Cutter
Christina "Kiki" Cutter (born July 24, 1949) is a former FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, World Cup Alpine skiing, alpine ski racer from the United States. She was the first American to win a World Cup event, a Slalom skiing, slalom race in Oslo, Norway ...
(b. 1949), five World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
victories, 1968 Olympian, runner-up in World Cup slalom standings and fourth overall in 1969
1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
* Tommy Ford (b. 1989), World Cup racer, 2010 Olympian, eight U.S. Alpine titles
* Mike Lafferty, (b. 1948), 1972 Olympian, third in World Cup downhill standings and ninth overall in 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
*Laurenne Ross
Laurenne Ross (born August 17, 1988) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. She specialized in the speed events of downhill and super G.
Born in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada, Ross was on skis at age two at the Snow Valle ...
(b. 1988), World Cup racer, 10th in downhill at the 2011 World Championships
References
External links
*
Ski Lifts.org
- photos of lifts at Mount Bachelor
Oregon History.org
- history of Bachelor Butte ski area
Historic Photo Archive
- Bachelor Butte parking lot in 1963 on November 10
Terraserver
- USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...
topo map & aerial photo-->
{{Authority control
1958 establishments in Oregon
Buildings and structures in Deschutes County, Oregon
Ski areas and resorts in Oregon
Tourist attractions in Deschutes County, Oregon