Conditions Report
Report from April 26-27, 2024
Mt. Bachelor, Oregon, is a special place at the end of April: it can still feel like winter. Although the resort was operating on “spring hours” (8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.) this weekend, it was snowing the entire time we were present. It’s hard to agree with the resort’s assessment that spring had already arrived.
Northwest Express is the crown jewel of chairlifts in the Pacific Northwest, at least, when it runs. When we arrived at its base a little after 8:30 a.m. on Friday, our hearts stopped: the lift wasn’t moving. Just a couple of minutes later, the great lift lumbered back into motion and kept in motion until its slumber at 1:00 p.m.n Phew!
We spent all but two laps of our two days at Mt. Bachelor riding Northwest, so here’s the full report. The snow conditions overall were great for this late in the year but a little bit varied. The top third was absolutely glorious, featuring wind-loaded ridges and overall solid coverage. Between the new snow coming down and the snowpack having stayed cold, the top 800 vertical feet of the lift were in winter condition. It was sometimes hard to see, but that’s classic Northwest.
The middle was less consistent. There were spots that felt like the top third, but those were mixed with zones of wind-strafed ice. The good stuff made you just confident enough to start flowing and forget the ice to come, especially when the snow was coming down. This made for spooky skiing, especially out in the West Bowls, where misjudging the ice could lead a rider into the tightly-packed trees.
The bottom third was in less fortunate condition. Given that the base of Northwest sits lower than the resort’s regular base, the warmer weather had certainly taken its toll. Where one couldn’t see the dirt, there was soggy snow that was getting the wrong type of precipitation. The groomed runouts were the only way to successfully navigate back to the lift, so we stuck to those, however, they did get quite sticky by day’s end.
On the bright side, Mt. Bachelor will provide another month of lift access to skiers and riders before it switches to accommodating bikes full-time. Although Northwest and Cloudchaser are closed as of Sunday evening, three lifts, Pine Marten, Skyliner, and Summit, promise to stay open until May 26, 2024. I can personally attest to spring Summit laps being a unique joy, and that the five open hours are plenty in which to enjoy and exhaust oneself.
Beyond spring skiing, from May 2-5, Mt. Bachelor is hosting Rendesvan, a festival at the base of the slopes. Rendesvan includes music, food, and the type of vibes one expects from the mountain outside of Bend, Oregon. Notably, during Friday and Saturday of the festival, Pine Marten Express will be open from 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. So, if you fancy some sunset riding, it’s time to head to Bend.
Snow Conditions
Weather Forecast
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