Industry News
While some people do not care for winter and the snow that is associated with it, skiers are a different breed that hopes for as much snow as possible every winter at their local mountains. Sometimes Mother Nature cooperates, but for some regions around the United States, ski resorts can often miss out on those big snow dumps during the season. Two years ago that was not the case for Mammoth Mountain in California, which saw a record-breaking 715 inches of snow in a season. The world record season snowfall total for a ski area is 1,140 inches at Mt. Baker ski area, Washington, during the 1998-99 season. This season, Mt. Bachelor, Oregon, is off to a great season with snow totaling 123 inches and a base depth of 51 inches.
Weeks after Mt. Bachelor’s earliest opening since 1998, another announcement came on Tuesday that the Summit chairlift will be opening, marking the earliest opening in over a decade. The mountain is currently operating with 106 open trails, 77 groomed trails, and 7 chairlifts. “Get out there and enjoy top-to-bottom ripping before the next storm blows in later this week,” Mt. Bachelor stated in its daily mountain report update. Daily operations are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. until April 20, 2025, conditions permitting.
The early-season snow and clear, calm conditions over the past few days made it possible to open the lift early, bringing the resort’s operating footprint to 2,800 acres. Alpenglow and Rainbow lifts are scheduled to open for the season on Saturday, adding even more beginner terrain and an additional Woodward Mountain Park. The forecast calls for the return of more snow continuing throughout the rest of the week, with predictions of 14 to 22 inches of snow possible by Sunday evening. “With the West Village base depth sitting at 48” and an active storm pattern ahead, skiers and riders can look forward to the best conditions in the Pacific Northwest leading into the holiday season,” Mt. Bachelor said.
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.
On August 22, 2024, POWDR Corporation announced it was selling Killington Resort and Pico Mountain, Vermont, to local pass holders, as well as three of its other resorts, including Mt. Bachelor, which it has owned since 2001. Mt. Bachelor is the largest ski resort in the Pacific Northwest. Shortly after the announcement, a local group, now called Mount Bachelor Community Inc. (MBCI), emerged to buy the resort in Central Oregon to bring it back to local community ownership. The group is expected to offer somewhere over $150 million for the ski resort. It is estimated that Mt. Bachelor contributes $157 million to the Central Oregon community and is the second largest employer in the area.
- Related: All the Latest Updates on Locals’ Plan to Purchase Mt. Bachelor, OR [Updated December 11, 2024]
For more information, visit Mt. Bachelor’s website.
