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 ...

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 the ...

, approximately west of Bend, along Century Drive Highway. The ski area is on the northern side of

Mount Bachelor Mount Bachelor, formerly named Bachelor Butte, is a dormant stratovolcano atop a shield volcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range of central Oregon. Named Mount Bachelor because it stands apart from the nearby Three Sisters, it ...

, a

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...

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 and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

. Since 2001, the ski area has been owned by

Powdr Corporation The Powdr Corporation, 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, co-founder of the ...

Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. The vast majority is in Summit County, and it extends into Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City' ...

. 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 Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, the second largest single-mountain

in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, 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 numero ...

, 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 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 the US military to re ...

Elite Force ski trooper Bill Healy (1925–1993) 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 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

for the land. The four other major stockholders were Felix Marcoulier (1917–2004), Dr. Bradford Pease (1912–2004), Oscar Murray (–present), 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 snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

and a -long

platter lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

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, actor, broadcaster, and traveler, best remembered for publicising T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). He was also involved in promoting the Cinerama widescreen ...

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 chair lifts were added, and in 1973 the green and orange chair lifts 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 (short for snow and caterpillar) is an enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. Major manufacturers are Pisten Bully (Germany), Prinoth (Italy) and Tucker (United States). Snow groomers A snow ...

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

. 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 (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) 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 hel ...

athletes, and hosts several professional

USSA Ussa is a Local Government Areas of Nigeria, local government area in Taraba State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Lissam. Ussa borders the Cameroon, Republic of Cameroon in the south; the Donga River forms its northern boundary. U ...

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 from

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...

and

Billings Billings is the largest 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 Billings Metrop ...

, 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, carrying a series of chairs. They ...

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. 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 landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

, 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 where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

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 footwe ...

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. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing. Traditionally in Greenland and the e ...

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 World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. She was the first American to win a World Cup event, a slalom race in Oslo, Norway, on February 25, 1968. Although Cutter competed on the ...

(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 concept i ...

victories, 1968 Olympian, runner-up in World Cup slalom standings and fourth overall in

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

* 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, me ...

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 Vall ...

(b. 1988), World Cup racer, 10th in

downhill Downhill may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Downhill'' (1927 film), a British film by Alfred Hitchcock * ''Downhill'' (2014 film), a British comedy directed by James Rouse * ''Downhill'' (2016 film), a Chilean thriller directed by Patrici ...

at the 2011 World Championships

Resort statistics

Skier visits

Number of guests per day.http://www.mtbachelor.com/site/about_us/company_info/forest_service/MDP_Text.pdf

Elevation

*Summit: *Base: *Lift-served **Maximum: - top of ''Summit Express'' **Minimum: - base of ''Northwest Express'' **Vertical drop:

Trails

*Skiable area: accessible by lift, with groomed daily *Trails: 101 total 15% Novice 25% Intermediate 35% Advanced 25% Expert *Longest run: *Average annual snowfall: *

Terrain Parks A terrain park or snow park is an outdoor recreation area containing terrain that allows skiers, snowboarders and snowbikers to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built re ...

: 15 (Woodward Mountain Parks, Slopestyle, and Sunshine) ** Including 1

Superpipe A superpipe is a large halfpipe structure used in extreme sports such as snowboarding, freestyle skiing, skateboarding, scooters, freestyle BMX and vert skating. Overview For winter sports, the term ''superpipe'' is used to describe a halfpip ...

Lifts

*14 Total **8 Express Quads ***''Pine Marten Express'' - (2006, 1986) ***''Outback Express'' - (1987) ***''Sunrise Express'' - (1993) ***''Skyliner Express'' - (1989)
(Bend) Bulletin
' - Catch your breath - 1989-12-21 p.E1 ***''Summit Express'' - (1997, ''1983 (express triple)'') ***''Little Pine Express (formerly Sunshine Accelerator)'' - (1993)
(Bend) Bulletin
' - Bachelor's high-tech lifts move more skiers faster -1993-12-03 - p.5, winter-rec ***''Northwest Express'' - (1996) ***''Cloudchaser Express'' - (2016) - Opened 12/16/2016 **1 quad chairlift ***Early Riser **3 triple chairlifts ***''Alpenglow (formerly Carrousel)'' ***''Rainbow'' ***''Red Chair'' **3 magic carpets ***Chipmunk ***First Rays ***Lava Tube

Lift specifications

References

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

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