SeniorsSkiing Guide: Mt. Bachelor, OR
New Lift Opening On Dec 16 Makes Mt. Bachelor Sixth Largest In US.
The powdery slopes of Mt. Bachelor await skiers at the top of the new Cloudchaser Express lift. Credit: Jon Tapper
The season seems to go on forever at Central Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor, where Pacific storms dump huge annual totals, and the upper-elevation slopes hold onto the snow.
From November to late May, Mt. Bachelor keeps the lifts spinning for an ardent group of skiing faithful.
Among them are some dedicated seniors.
John Flynn, 66, of Sunriver, Ore., logged 190 ski days last season, and he’s busy skiing nearly every day this year.
“I just love it there,” says Flynn. “You pull into the parking lot, andyou’re in paradise.”
A view of Mt. Bachelor from the West Village parking lot.
Credit: John Nelson
Art Vinall, a Bend artist, is another senior keeping his slope dreams alive. At age 98, he’s still shredding at Mt. Bachelor.
“It’s a darn good mountain, and they usually have great snow. I learned to ski in the East, where it’s always so icy. This is so much better,” he says.
Mt. Bachelor is growing larger this year with the opening in mid-December of the new Cloudchaser Express lift on the mountain’s southeast side. The resort now has more than 4,300 acres of lift-served terrain, making it the sixth largest ski area in the U.S.
Snow, terrain and more
- Location: Bachelor is about 22 miles from booming mountain town of Bend, Ore., on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway.
- Snowfall: The volcanic slopes of Mt. Bachelor receive 460 inches a year, and with a base area elevation of 6,350 feet, the snow hangs around well into spring.
- Terrain, lifts: About 50 percent of the mountain is rated intermediate or easy; 50 percent is rated most difficult or extreme. Most of Bachelor’s lower slopes are rated intermediate, making it “a great family resort,” says Stirling Cobb, marketing and communications manager. Seven of the resort’s 11 chairlifts are high-speed quads, handling large crowds easily on big days.
- Vertical: 3,365 feet from Mt. Bachelor summit (9,065 feet) to the base of the Northwest Express lift (5,700 feet).
- Nordic: Bachelor offers 56 kilometers of trails, with high-quality upper-elevation snow in a wilderness setting.
Lot to lift access
- Parking: Three sprawling parking lots serve the Mt. Bachelor complex. The main lot is at the West Village and offers a gear drop-off zone. Close-up, permit parking costs $20 per day.
- Public transportation: Bachelor Shuttle operates regular bus service between Bend and the resort.
- Accommodations: No accommodations at the base; stay in the happening town of Bend, with an amazing selection of lodging, dining and shopping.
Culture
- The vibe: Outdoorsy Oregon meets upscale resort. Nearby Bend is a popular tourist destination and is known as “Beer City, USA” for its love of craft brews.
- Dining: Beyond the base day lodges, consider eating at the mid-mountain Pine Marten Lodge. It’s in a beautiful location just above treeline and houses a sit-down cafe, Scapolo’s (Italian for “Bachelor”).
Bottom line
- You’ll pay for all that lift-capacity and vertical: Adult passes are $92. Seniors (65-69) are $76, and Senior Plus (those 70 and older) are $52.
- Bachelor has it covered from every angle. It’s a high-end resort with lots of well-groomed, family-friendly runs, but also offers challenging steeps on the upper mountain.
- This may be the best resort anywhere for spring skiing, where you can grab some turns in the morning and choose another activity (name it: mountain biking, kayaking, golfing, fly-fishing, beer-drinking) in the afternoon.
A skate-skier glides on the trails at Dutchman Flat near Mt. Bachelor.
Credit: John Nelson
Electronic Gizmo Gift Ideas Keep You Connected
Wander, But Don’t Get Lost.
“Why am I here? What happened?”
I was lying on my back in a narrow 20-ft deep snow hole. My concerned buddy was looking at me from above. I took a few photos and started thinking how to get out of my snow jail without ropes or means of communication with ski patrol. The conditions were tricky, but I was lucky to quickly struggle up and out and still managed to enjoy the rest of the day on Whistler’s magic slopes.
But what if I were alone or out of sight of my ski group? Bad things do happen: medical emergencies, collisions, getting lost. Staying connected could be crucial. We know that some areas, especially in the mountains, have limited or no cell coverage. So, what are the options?
Radios
Two-way radios still rock in situations when you need to contact other people (who also have radios), including ski patrol, EMS, and police. The coverage depends on the power of a device and terrain conditions. In the mountains covered with trees, the coverage could be 1-3 miles.
- Midland GTX1000VP4. Very affordable, reliable classic radio with NOAA Weather Alert and a range of up to 36 miles in a “line-of-sight”. About $59.00 from Amazon.
- Backcountry Access BC Link Group Communication System. Specially designed for harsh conditions of skiing, not very cheap, but simple, waterproof, and reliable. REI lists for $149.00
- goTenna Text and Location Communicator. A very compact and light device (0.11 ounce) lets your SmartPhone text and send your location info to other people even in the zones with no cell coverage. Technically the range is 2-5 miles, depending on conditions. Sold in pairs. $149.95 from REI.
Satellite GPS
GPS devices rely on satellite connections. Some devices provide only geolocation info, others let you send and/or receive text messages practically anywhere in the world on cell phones or computers.
- SPOT Gen3 Satellite GPS Messenger. Standalone device which can automatically send messages with your coordinates to your family or emergency responders. Should work anywhere in USA. Requires subscription. Usually about $149 but might get a Holiday deal with subscription sign up.
- DeLorme AG-008727-201 InReach Explorer Two Way Satellite Communicator with Navigation. Send and receive text messages via Iridium satellites. Built in GPS and compass help to navigate around. In case of emergency, you can trigger an SOS message. Working together with your cell phone, DeLorme gives you an access to the maps. Requires subscription. About $390 online.
- Suunto Ambit3 Peak Sapphire GPS Multifunction Heart Rate Monitor. GPS locator and a heart rate monitor in a shape of a wristwatch from a seasoned Finnish manufacturer. Your device will provide navigation info, heart rate, altitude, speed, and more data, which you can download and analyze later. Prices vary online from about $300 up. Shop around.
No matter what device you use, keep it dry and as warm as possible. Put it in a pocket next to your skin, unless you pull it out very often. Regularly charge or replace the batteries, otherwise it is a useless piece of equipment.
A few companies are making gloves and even insulated gloves and mittens which are touch screen compatible. Now if you need to answer your phone, you don’t need to take off your gloves! Click here for some examples.
Whisper Ridge: 100 Square Miles Of Snowcat Skiing In Utah
It’s New This Year And Something To Shout About.
Helo to cat, cat to snow fields, skiing and glamorous camping, aka “glamping”.
Credit: Whisper Ridge
It’s the largest backcountry resort in the country: 3,300 feet vertical, 300+ average inches of snow, and luxury yurt “glamping.”
Check your bucket list. Better add Whisper Ridge. Peace, quiet, the hush of snow, make your own tracks, and the vastness of mountain ranges virtually to yourself.
Are you drooling?
Whisper Ridge is located about 60 miles north of Salt Lake City and close to Ogden, Utah. More specifically, this heavenly skiing is between towns appropriately named Eden and Paradise – names given by early settlers.
The area is so remote that Whisper Ridge flies its guests by helicopter to the cat base and from there it’s cat skiing from eight custom PistenBullys until your legs fall off. Then it’s overnight glamping in well appointed yurts.
Roughing it in a Whisper Ridge yurt. Yes, it’s a yurt.
Credit: Whisper Ridge
But how did 100 square miles of skiing go unnoticed until now? It began with owner Dan Lockwood’s vision. His environmental education and life-long career of land management on several continents was the spark. Locally, he was saddened that ranches that have been in families for eons were being chopped up and sold to developers. He wanted to make an impact.
Lockwood owns a portion of the land, and with the cooperation of adjoining landowners, he put together the 100 square mile tract of ridges, forests and meadows.
One day several years ago, Lockwood was skiing fresh, untracked snow with his son Cort. They stopped for a rest, and Lockwood asked: “Do you know what’s wrong with this?”
“There’s nothing wrong with this,” Cort told his dad. “This is perfect.”
But Lockwood continued. What’s wrong is that we aren’t sharing this with anyone, he said.
And thus Whisper Ridge was born from Lockwood’s passion to preserve the land and share the untouched wilderness experience with others. Last year was a test season. This is its first year of operation.
Check the video below or click here to whet your back country appetite.
For more information and reservations, click here.
To read more from Harriet click here for her stories on SkiUtah.
Whisper Ridge Cat Skiing from Whisper Ridge Cat Skiing on Vimeo.
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