On December 19, 1958, Bend’s alpine ski community gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a new ski area west of town on snow-capped Bachelor Butte. The new area’s offerings were minimal: a rope tow and a Poma lift to haul skiers up the slopes of the conically shaped butte, and a parking lot.
Despite a lack of comfort amenities, the skiing proved to be spectacular—
the snow was, and is, some of the most consistent and arguably the driest snow in the Northwest, as longtime skiers here will tell you.
Now, 50 years later, Bachelor Butte has undergone many changes over the years. There was the all-important geographical name change to “Mount” Bachelor, to give the ski area more panache. And along with that came several day lodges to accommodate the needs of day skiers; new lifts (including the first high-speed lifts in the Northwest) that opened up more skiing terrain, including the mountain’s summit and western flanks; the first significant network of groomed cross-country ski trails in the Northwest; a terrain park to accommodate snowboarders and freeride skiers; and a lift-served tubing area for kids.
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The ski area’s management team is also focused on green initiatives. “Becoming more green is a corporate philosophy,” says Dave Rathbun, president of Mount Bachelor Inc., which is part of the Powdr Corp. holding company that owns and operates seven ski areas across the U.S. Rathbun points to some of Bachelor’s more important green initiatives like buying renewal energy credits that offset 100 percent of the electricity used at the area.
Mount Bachelor has also switched to using bio-fuels in all their diesel-powered snow grooming equipment and buses. Along with that has come a “no idling” program for all company vehicles. “If a vehicle is going to sit in one place for over a minute,” Rathbun says, “it’s shut off.” Other green moves include recycling all cooking oils from the area’s restaurants, and an overall recycling program that resulted in 18 tons of garbage not being put into landfills during the 2008-09 ski season. In addition, all the lighting in the vehicle maintenance shops and ski and sports shops has been made more energy efficient.
As the ski area continues to become environmentally friendly, its management also looking at future expansion. Pending the outcome of presentations at public meetings, Mount Bachelor hopes to make amendments to their master plan and have them approved by the U.S. Forest Service.
The master plan revisions include adding a new base lodge and more parking at the current Sunrise Lodge location. “It also includes the addition of a new high-speed lift east of the current Rainbow lift which will open up the eastern flanks of the mountain and take skiers 800 to 1,000 feet higher than Rainbow currently does,” Rathbun says. “With the new lift will come a pod of eight to 10 new trails.” Mount Bachelor is already the largest ski resort in Oregon (the sixth largest in the country), and the expansion will further enlarge the mountain’s already-expansive 3,683 skiable acres.
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Opening up the mountain’s east side will be a real boon for skiers because, as longtime Bend area backcountry skiers already know, the east-facing slopes offer some spectacular tree and glade skiing. That, and they are far more protected from the storms that tend to lash the mountain’s west-facing windward slopes.
For skiers who value a feeling of solitude while on the mountain, in terrain accommodating to all skill levels, Mount Bachelor is a jewel, similar to the resorts of California or Colorado but without their hefty price tag. And if you haven’t seen the view from the 9,000-foot summit of Mount Bachelor, you’ve been missing out.
Mount Bachelor Ski Resort
13000 SW Century Dr., Bend
800/382-7888
mtbachelor.com
