We had been hearing about Mt. Bachelor, located outside of Bend, Oregon for a couple years and did not quite understand how a tremendous ski slope could be located so near a town about which we had also been hearing such great things. Indeed, Bend and Mt. Bachelor both delivered on those promises.
An early start after a short drive from town, The Team prepares brekky.
We found the staff at Mt. Bachelor incredibly helpful, reminding us of the standard set at Deer Valley. We rented very good Salomon equipment, right at the base. The technicians got us fitted with Salomon S/Pro 90 W boots and sized us accurately for our Salomon QST 92 skis. The staff quickly overcame our usual apprehension about the “ski dread” that can bubble up for that potentially less than enjoyable morning time before you finally hit the slopes.
Any apprehension about ski dread was dissipated as we moved smoothly through the rental process and headed up and out. I soon discovered that the technician’s sizing and comfort of my Salomon boots improved my control markedly. I later did some research and found that the boot is built on the company’s Coreframe chassis which utilizes a stiff insert providing rigidity and power to the edge in a lightweight, thin shell wall design.
The Salomon QST 92 skis were some of the best rental skis I have encountered. What I liked was the solid edge grip and stability from the full sidewall design. The ski was nimble, even if I wasn’t. Significantly, the ski performed well in disparate conditions.
The runs at Mt. Bachelor were well laid out (a bit different than Taos which has some incredibly difficult runs at the bottom).
Our late Spring conditions at Mt. Bachelor were nonetheless enjoyable. The cold Oregon evenings and the sunny days made for a pleasant combination, leaving the snow cold enough that we weren’t plowing through mush.
The Team heads uphill.
Named Mt. Bachelor because it stands apart from the nearby Three Sisters mountain range, it is a dormant (or less optimistically ‘inactive’) volcano that lies in the eastern segment of the central portion of the High Cascades. More relevantly, the ski resort is one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest. We had plenty of room to stretch out across the skiable area of 3,683 acres. The vertical drop of 3,365 feet provided a range of trails.
We stopped often to catch our breath and to enjoy invigorating views to the Three Sisters, especially the forever evocative Mt. Jefferson.
RendezVan was a great après ski vibe, with lots of folks enjoying Adirondack chairs in the sunshine, live music, local beers and recent visits to dispensaries.
Vibing at RendezVan as the day of skiing winds down.
Adirondack chairs, blue skies, uncrowded trails, what’s not to like?
Our drive from Bend to Mt. Bachelor was only 26 minutes, mostly through undeveloped forest. It was undoubtedly the most unassuming drive to a ski resort I can recall.
But more importantly once we arrived, Mt. Bachelor delivered on all the important aspects for a wonderful skiing experience.
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