The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Mt Bachelor's summit reaches 9,065 feet, dropping 3,365 vertical feet to a base at 5,700 feet across 101 runs spread over 4,323 acres near Bend, Oregon. Terrain splits 55 per cent intermediate, 22 per cent advanced, 20 per cent beginner and 3 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 462 inches, among the highest totals in the Pacific Northwest. The resort carries Ikon Pass access and is the second-largest single-mountain ski resort in the United States by acreage, behind only Vail. Fifteen lifts, including nine quad chairs and three triple chairs, serve the mountain alongside three surface lifts.
Mt Bachelor's volcanic cone shape allows genuinely 360-degree descent options from near the summit, a rare feature that gives skiers access to distinct terrain and aspects depending on wind and snow conditions on any given day. Its massive 4,323-acre footprint, more than 1,000 acres larger than any other Oregon resort, supports an exceptionally long season running from late November into late May. The mountain's substantial snowfall total underpins both its scale and its reputation for reliable conditions.
Former 10th Mountain Division ski trooper Bill Healy founded the resort with 75,000 US dollars and a one-year lease from the US government, opening on 19 December 1958 with a single lift and two rope tows operating on weekends and holidays only. The resort has grown enormously from those modest beginnings into one of the largest ski areas in the country. Since 2001, Mt Bachelor has been owned by Powdr Corporation of Park City, Utah, which purchased the resort for approximately 28 million US dollars.
In August 2024, Powdr announced plans to sell Mt Bachelor along with several other properties, but after reviewing the situation the company reversed course in April 2025 and decided to retain ownership of the resort indefinitely. Adult daily tickets run from 99 to 139 US dollars, with a full season pass at 1,199 dollars.
3,366ft
Vertical
101
Runs
4,323 acres
Skiable
38ft
Annual snow
Ikon
Pass
The Terrain
101 runs across 4,323 acres skiable
Mt Bachelor spreads 101 runs across 4,323 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 55%, with 20 beginner runs to find your feet and 25 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
101
runs
101 runs across 4 grades
Beginner20 runs · 20%
Intermediate56 runs · 55%
Advanced22 runs · 22%
Expert3 runs · 3%
Time it right
When to visit Mt Bachelor
The 2025-26 season at Mt Bachelor ran from 28 November 2025 to 25 May 2026, one of the longest seasons in the country at roughly twenty-six weeks. Average annual snowfall of around 462 inches, among the highest totals in the Pacific Northwest, supports this exceptionally long operating window running well into late spring. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions across Mt Bachelor's nine powder-filled bowls and varied aspects. As an Ikon Pass destination and the second-largest single-mountain resort in the country, the mountain draws substantial visitor traffic from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond, with holiday periods bringing the heaviest crowds. Weekday visits generally remain calmer given the mountain's sheer scale.
The resort's 360-degree summit access means conditions and preferred terrain can shift throughout the season depending on wind and snow patterns, giving experienced visitors an advantage in reading the mountain. The late-May closing date, one of the latest in the country outside dedicated summer-ski operations, reflects both the mountain's elevation and its substantial snowfall total. School holiday periods and spring break bring particularly strong late-season demand.
Specific event programming beyond standard lift operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Powdr Corporation's April 2025 decision to retain ownership, after briefly exploring a sale the previous year, has provided continuity for the resort's long-term planning. Mt Bachelor's combination of massive scale, high snowfall and an unusually long season continues to define its position as one of the Pacific Northwest's premier ski destinations.
Season 2025 - 2026
28 Nov 2025
Opens
25 May 2026
Closes
178
Days open
38 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Mt Bachelor, and where to stay
Mt Bachelor sits in the Cascade Range approximately 22 miles west of Bend, Oregon, along the Century Drive Highway, with a base elevation of 5,700 feet and a summit at 9,065 feet across a 3,365-foot vertical drop over 4,323 acres. This volcanic peak rises prominently above the broader central Oregon high desert landscape.
Bend is the resort's primary gateway city, offering extensive lodging, dining and services as one of central Oregon's fastest-growing communities, with a strong outdoor recreation culture built substantially around the mountain's presence. The drive between Bend and the resort along Century Drive is a defining part of the Mt Bachelor experience for the region's many local season pass holders.
Oregon State Route 46, the Cascade Lakes Highway, known locally as Century Drive, provides the sole road access from Bend to the resort. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, and the Oregon Department of Transportation maintains the road specifically to support the resort's winter operations. There is no direct public transport service beyond seasonal shuttle options connecting Bend to the mountain.
Redmond Municipal Airport, serving the greater Bend area, is the nearest airport with substantial commercial service, roughly 40 minutes from the resort. This reasonably convenient air access, combined with Bend's broader tourism infrastructure, supports Mt Bachelor's role as a genuine destination resort within the Ikon Pass network rather than purely a local mountain.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Mt Bachelor, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Mt Bachelor Lift System
Mt Bachelor runs fifteen lifts: nine quad chairs, three triple chairs and three surface lifts, serving 101 runs across 4,323 acres. The nine quad chairs alone give Mt Bachelor exceptional uphill capacity relative to most Pacific Northwest resorts, supporting the mountain's massive acreage and 360-degree summit access.
The lift network has expanded dramatically since founder Bill Healy's original single lift and two rope tows in 1958, growing in step with the resort's development into the second-largest single-mountain ski area in the country. Powdr Corporation's ownership since 2001 has directed the bulk of recent lift investment, maintaining the extensive network required to serve the mountain's volcanic-cone terrain from multiple aspects.
The quad and triple chairs distribute skiers across Mt Bachelor's full range of terrain, from the mountain's exposed summit zone through its extensive intermediate-weighted mid-mountain runs. The three surface lifts support beginner areas near the base. This combination allows the resort to offer genuinely varied descent options depending on conditions on any given day, a direct result of the mountain's distinctive shape.
Following Powdr's April 2025 decision to retain ownership after briefly exploring a sale, lift investment has continued under the company's long-term management. Specific further planned lift upgrades beyond the current fifteen-lift network are not confirmed in available resort information. Mt Bachelor's Ikon Pass access continues to bring substantial destination visitor traffic to a lift network built for one of the largest ski areas in the United States.
15lifts across 3 types
9
Quad Chairs
3
Triple Chairs
3
Surface Lifts
Mt Bachelor lift system
Mt Bachelor is served by 15 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Mt Bachelor intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.