Mount Bachelor ski area facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Bachelor
Pine Marten Express chairlift in 2009
Mount Bachelor Location in Oregon Show map of Oregon Mount Bachelor Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Mount Bachelor Deschutes County, Oregon, U.S.
Nearest city	Bend: 22 mi (35 km) east
Coordinates	44°00′11″N 121°40′37″W / 44.003°N 121.677°W / 44.003; -121.677
Vertical	3,365 ft (1,026 m) lift-served
Top elevation	9,065 ft (2,763 m) Summit Express
Base elevation	5,700 ft (1,737 m) Northwest Express 6,350 ft (1,940 m) Pine Marten Express
Skiable area	4,318 acres (17.5 km2)
Runs	101 total - 15% novice - 35% intermediate - 30% advanced - 20% expert
Longest run	4 mi (6.4 km)
Lift system	11 - 8 express quads - 3 triple chairs - 2 magic carpets - 2 tubing tows
Terrain parks	5
Snowfall	462 inches (1,170 cm)
Snowmaking	Yes
Night skiing	none

Mount Bachelor ski resort, also known as Mt. Bachelor, is a super fun place to ski and snowboard in Central Oregon. It's about 22 miles (35 km) west of Bend. The resort is built on the northern side of Mount Bachelor, which is a large volcano in the Cascade Range.

This ski area is owned by Powdr Corporation, a company from Park City, Utah. It's the biggest ski resort in Oregon by size, covering over 4,300 acres! It's also the second largest single-mountain ski resort in the U.S., right after Vail. Mount Bachelor is known for having one of the longest ski seasons in the country, usually open from mid-November all the way through the end of May, if the weather is good.

Discover Mount Bachelor's History

How Mount Bachelor Started

The Mount Bachelor Ski Area was created by a former ski soldier named Bill Healy. He opened it on December 19, 1958. He started with some money and a special agreement with the U.S. Forest Service to use the land. Other important people helped him raise money from local investors to make the resort what it is today.

When it first opened in October 1958, it was called Bachelor Butte. It had a rope tow and a platter lift. A lift ticket cost only three dollars back then! In 1983, the name of the volcano was changed to Mount Bachelor because it sounded more like a big mountain.

Growing with More Lifts

The first chairlift, called "black chair," was added in 1961. More chairlifts followed quickly: "red chair" in 1964, then "yellow" and "blue" in 1967 and 1970. In 1973, "green" and "orange" chairs were added. As the resort grew, they kept adding more lifts like "Outback chair" in 1976, "Rainbow" in 1980, and "Sunrise" in 1982.

In 1987, the "Outback chair" was upgraded to a faster lift called Outback Express. Then, in 1996, the Northwest Express chairlift was added. This lift opened up even more skiing areas to the west.

The Summit Express

In 1983, Mount Bachelor installed its first chairlift to the summit. This was very special because it was only the second "detachable" chairlift ever installed in the world! A detachable chairlift can slow down at the top and bottom, making it easier and safer to get on and off. This lift was later upgraded in 1997 to a faster quad chair.

Mount Bachelor is also a favorite training spot for many professional and Winter Olympic athletes. This is because it has awesome terrain parks and great snow!

Explore Mount Bachelor's Terrain

Mount Bachelor is famous for its "dry snow," which is great for skiing and snowboarding. It usually gets over 462 inches (11.7 meters) of snow each year! In the middle of winter, the snow base can be over 150 inches (3.8 meters deep).

The resort has a vertical drop of 3,365 feet (1,026 meters). This means you can ski down a very long way! The highest lift goes up to 9,000 feet (2,743 meters), which is just a short hike away from the very top of the volcano. Because Mount Bachelor is so tall, it can sometimes get very windy, which might cause the summit chairlift to close temporarily.

Trails and Lifts at Mount Bachelor

Ski area in the winter

Chairlift in the summer

Mount Bachelor has a huge skiable area of 4,318 acres (17.5 square kilometers) that you can reach by lift. About 1,600 acres (6.5 square kilometers) are groomed every day, which means the snow is smoothed out for a perfect ride. The longest run is over 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long!

There are 14 different lifts at Mount Bachelor, including:

• 8 fast "Express Quads" (quads mean they carry four people)
• 1 regular quad chairlift
• 3 triple chairlifts (carry three people)
• 3 "magic carpets" (like moving sidewalks for beginners)
• 2 tubing tows (for pulling you up the hill for snow tubing)

Some of the main lifts include Pine Marten Express, Outback Express, Skyliner Express, Summit Express, and Northwest Express. The Pine Marten Express was actually the world's first "height-adjustable" detachable quad lift!

Future Plans for Mount Bachelor

Mount Bachelor has exciting plans for the future! They want to upgrade their Sunrise Express lift to a super-fast six-person chairlift. They also plan to replace the Rainbow triple chairlift with a high-speed quad. Plus, they want to add more downhill mountain bike trails and even a zip-line!

Awesome Terrain Parks

Mount Bachelor has worked hard to become a top spot for freestyle skiers and snowboarders. They have a 400-foot (122-meter) superpipe, which is one of the best in North America. It even hosted an Olympic qualifying event!

The resort's Bachelor Parks area has three different parks. It's almost a mile (1.5 km) long and drops 850 vertical feet (260 meters). These parks are full of jumps, rails, boxes, and other cool features for freestyle riders. There's also "Slopestyle Arena" and "Sunshine Park" for beginners. In 2003, Transworld Snowboarding magazine even ranked Mount Bachelor as the fourth best snowboarding resort in North America!

Cross-Country Skiing

If you love cross-country skiing, Mount Bachelor has a fantastic area for that too. It has 12 groomed trails that cover 35 miles (56 km) and go up and down 850 feet (260 meters).

Fun Activities at Mount Bachelor

Skiing and Snowboarding

Mount Bachelor offers skiing and snowboarding seven days a week, from mid-November to the end of May. The lifts usually run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On sunny days, you can even ski 360 degrees around the summit of the mountain! The mountain's different elevations and directions mean you can almost always find good snow.

Nordic Skiing

Mount Bachelor has the longest groomed Nordic (cross-country) skiing season in North America. It runs from mid-November through late-May, and sometimes even into June if there's enough snow!

Mountain Bike Park

Since the summer of 2013, Mount Bachelor has offered downhill mountain biking. You can take the chairlift up with your bike and then ride down on trails. They are still building new trails, from easy family-friendly paths to super challenging downhill tracks.

Other Adventures

Besides skiing and biking, you can also enjoy snowshoeing (walking on snow with special shoes), dog sledding (being pulled by dogs!), and snow-tubing (sliding down hills on big tubes). There are also restaurants, bars, and coffeehouses located in the four day lodges on the mountain. If you need a place to stay, there are many options nearby in Sunriver and Bend.

Mount Bachelor and the U.S. Ski Team

Mount Bachelor is a training ground for many talented skiers. Some famous U.S. Ski Team members who have trained here include:

• Kiki Cutter (born 1949): A top World Cup skier and Olympian.
• Tommy Ford (born 1989): A World Cup racer and Olympian with many U.S. Alpine titles.
• Mike Lafferty (born 1948): An Olympian and strong World Cup downhill skier.
• Laurenne Ross (born 1988): A World Cup racer who placed well in World Championships.

Mount Bachelor Resort Facts

Skier Visits

Here's how many guests visited Mount Bachelor each season:

Mountain Heights

• Summit: 9,065 ft (2,763 m) (the very top of the mountain)
• Base: 6,350 ft (1,935 m) (where the main lodges are)
• Highest lift-served point: 8,975 ft (2,736 m) (top of Summit Express)
• Lowest lift-served point: 5,700 ft (1,737 m) (base of Northwest Express)
• Total vertical drop: 3,300 ft (1,006 m) (how far down you can ski from top to bottom)

Trail Details

• Skiable area: 4,318 acres (17.47 km²) (all the terrain you can ski)
• Trails: 88 total
  • 15% Novice (easy, green circle)
  • 25% Intermediate (medium, blue square)
  • 35% Advanced (hard, black diamond)
  • 25% Expert (very hard, double black diamond)
• Longest run: 1.5 miles (2.4 km)
• Average annual snowfall: 462 inches (1,173 cm)
• Terrain Parks: 5 (Bachelor Parks P1-5, Slopestyle, and Sunshine)
  • Includes 1 Superpipe

Lift System

• 14 Total Lifts
  • 8 Express Quads (fast four-person chairs)
    • Pine Marten Express (2006, originally 1986)
    • Outback Express (1987)
    • Sunrise Express (1993)
    • Skyliner Express (1989)
    • Summit Express (1997, originally an express triple in 1983)
    • Little Pine Express (formerly Sunshine Accelerator) (1993)
    • Northwest Express (1996)
    • Cloudchaser Express (2016) - Opened December 16, 2016
  • 1 quad chairlift (regular four-person chair)
    • Early Riser
  • 3 triple chairlifts (three-person chairs)
    • Alpenglow (formerly Carrousel)
    • Rainbow
    • Red Chair
  • 3 magic carpets (beginner moving belts)
    • Chipmunk
    • First Rays
    • Lava Tube
  • 2 tubing tows (pull you up for tubing)