TL;DR
Mt. Bachelor in Oregon has launched a major modernisation project on its Northwest Express chairlift ahead of the 2026-27 season. Upgrades include a new electric motor, auxiliary power unit, control system overhaul, buried fibre lines, expanded operator shacks, and a night-drive system to combat ice buildup. The lift serves some of the mountain's most popular advanced terrain - and carries the seventh-largest vertical drop of any lift in North America at 2,336 feet.
Mt. Bachelor is overhauling one of its most-used chairlifts before the 2026-27 season opens.
The Oregon resort has officially launched a modernisation project on the Northwest Express, a high-capacity quad that serves steep terrain and tree skiing on the mountain's west side. Work began this spring and is scheduled to finish before opening day next winter.
What's being upgraded
The project keeps the lift's existing foundations, towers, terminals, haul rope, and chairs in place. What's changing is the mechanical and operational core: a new electric motor, a replacement auxiliary power unit, and a complete overhaul of the interior control equipment. Once complete, the Northwest lift's operating system will match the technology already running on Mt. Bachelor's Skyliner lift.
Alongside the lift upgrades, the resort has outlined a significant infrastructure programme to run through summer and fall:
