Central Oregon has a dry climate, plentiful sunshine and excellent weather conditions for sunny days on the mountain. Mt. Bachelor is the largest resort in the area – outstripping every other resort by 1,000 acres. It usually opens in November around Thanksgiving and runs through May, making it one of the longest ski seasons in the country. With already a fair amount of snow, the runs are bolstered by snowmaking.
Central Oregon, the town of Bend and Mt. Bachelor ski area are excellent options for summer recreation and bike riding in particular. Bachelor’s mountain bike park is a popular option for village visitors after the ski area’s winter closing date. Mt. Bachelor lodging options are based out of Bend and Sunriver, and many of the properties offer transportation via the Mt. Bachelor Shuttle.
Mt. Bachelor is situated within the Deschutes National Forest in the scenic Cascade Range of central Oregon. Only 22 miles outside of Bend, Oregon, along the Century Divide Highway, Mt. Bachelor ski area offers a modern lift infrastructure and updated amenities within 40 miles of nearby Redmond Municipal Airport. Mt. Bachelor is approximately 115 miles south of Portland.
Mt. Bachelor’s top elevation is 9,065 feet, providing 360-degree views from its summit and a vertical drop of 3,365 feet. An average annual snow base of 150 to 200 inches and an average annual snowfall of 462 inches fall on the 4,318 skiable acres and 101 runs, breaking out as follows: 15% green, 35% intermediate, 30% black diamond/advance and 20% double-black diamond/expert. The base elevation is 5,700 feet. All these are serviced by 11 chairlifts.
Mt. Bachelor has terrain suitable for all ability types, ranging from long-groomed cruisers to expert chutes and steeps. The ski area is one of the largest resorts in the Northwest and offers abundant terrain options. The resort is becoming famous for its freestyle terrain and has made significant improvements to the five terrain parks.
Mount Bachelor is technically a strato-volcano atop a shield volcano situated along the Cascade Volcanic Arc. The volcano last erupted approximately 10,000 years ago. Mount Bachelor gets its name for being isolated from the Three Sisters, a group of three volcanic mountains that are northwest of Mount Bachelor.
If wind is predicted, try to get up on the mountain early. Mount Bachelor is known to be very windy, and the resort will shut down the chairlift during extremely high winds.
Mount Bachelor is a destination for freestyle skiers and snowboarders. Boarders should try out the 400-foot super pipe, which has been used as a USSA Olympic Qualifier. Beginners should head to Sunshine Park to build up their skills.
The mountain also has a lot to offer for Nordic skiers since it has the longest groomed Nordic season in North America. During the summer, mountain bikers can enjoy the downhill bike park.