Industry News
Last month, on August 22, POWDR Corporation announced it was selling Killington Resort and Pico Mountain, Vermont, to local passholders, as well as three other resorts, including Mount Bachelor, Oregon.
Shortly after the announcement, a local effort emerged to buy the resort in Central Oregon to bring it back to local community ownership. Guests at Mount Bachelor have grown weary over the years of POWDR’s ownership. Among the complaints have been customer service, parking, traffic, ticket and pass prices, snow management and terrain access, long lines, the introduction of the “Fast Tracks,” and the most glaring of all, the breakdown and failure of multiple lifts.
Local residents Chris Porter and Dan Cochrane spearhead the efforts and organized a meeting last week to discuss the feasibility of operating Mount Bachelor with local ownership. Those in attendance included other locals, government representatives, and private investors. “The effort is to bring it back into local ownership of the community,” Cochrane told the Central Oregon Daily. “It’s the original foundation of the town, and we would love to return it to the great ski hill that it once was.”
At the meeting, the group officially incorporated as Mount Bachelor Community Inc. and is actively pursuing B Corp Status. Benefit Corporations are a type of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on workers, customers, suppliers, the community, and the environment. B Corps aim to create a positive impact on society in addition to generating profits. The nonprofit B Lab certifies B Corps to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
As a B Corp, Mount Bachelor Community Inc. will be committed to delivering meaningful public benefits while providing investment opportunities to community members. It will pursue both specific and general public benefits, including environmental preservation of the natural areas in and around Mount Bachelor, promoting eco-friendly and sustainable business practices in all operations, and creating social and economic opportunities for the local community, including job creation and support for local businesses.
As far as purchasing the resort, Porter and Cochrane made this statement in an email response:
“We are making significant progress toward the purchase of Mount Bachelor as a community partnership, and we look forward to sharing more updates with you soon. In upcoming correspondence, we will include details on investment, contribution, and volunteer opportunities, giving you a chance to directly support and be a part of this exciting venture.”
Mount Bachelor is the biggest, and some consider the best, resort in all of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. It is known for its expansive terrain and breathtaking views of the Cascade Mountains. With a vertical drop of 3,365 feet and 4,323 acres, it is the seventh-largest resort in North America. It is known for its light, dry snow, diverse terrain, family-friendliness, and long seasons. Having the resort under local ownership with those who truly care would be a welcome development for those who visit.
