On-mountain improvements include continued technological and mechanical upgrades to existing high speed chairlifts such as Skyliner, Northwest and Summit Express, and the addition of three new grooming machines to the fleet, including two state-of-the-art Prinoth Bison X’s. The new Bison X machines will give Mt. Bachelor’s groomers a competitive edge providing a manicured snow surface. In particular, the X’s have sophisticated front blade and rear tiller features, giving Bachelor Parks’ terrain builders greater control over the shape and design of park elements.
The resort is renovating food service outlets in all on-mountain lodges, including a new Umbrella Bar for Sunrise Lodge. The Umbrella Bar will seat up to 60 people in a heated, circular structure with removable glass walls and a retractable umbrella ceiling for sunny days. The former indoor bar at Sunrise Lodge will become café seating for an additional 90 guests. The Umbrella Bar will be moved to West Village for the spring season and become a featured food and beverage facility for Springtacular events and also operate throughout the summer season. A new outdoor barbecue venue, adjacent to the Clearing Rock Bar patio, will also serve the Umbrella Bar in the West Village base area.
Pine Marten Lodge will undergo renovations to all three dining areas, with the upper level café increasing its non-holiday operations from 2 to 5 days per week, providing additional seating and an expanded variety of healthy food and beverage offerings with views of the Three Sisters Wilderness and Cascade Lakes. Cocoa’s Café and the Caldera downstairs in West Village Lodge will also see improvements with expanded seating for over 180 additional guests, a reorganized scramble area, and new salad bar. A new beer and wine bar will also be unveiled for Cocoa’s Café patrons.
Additional investments this summer include a new fleet of Burton rental and demo snowboards at Bachelor Ski & Sports to complement Burton’s Learn to Ride Center and Progression Parks programs offered through Mt. Bachelor Snow Sports School. Other upgrades include a new resort-wide phone system, in-lodge music system, and in cooperation with Cascades East Transit and the US Forest Service, the modernization of Mt. Bachelor’s bus fleet.
Finally, Mt. Bachelor is installing a solar panel array atop its Bend office and bus garage. This is the first environmental project where Mt. Bachelor will be generating its own renewable energy. The solar array will generate enough electricity to power the Carrousel beginner lift.
“Our primary focus is giving our guests a great day on the mountain. With these major summer investments in lift technology and snow grooming everyone who visits can be sure they will get the best on-mountain product possible on any given day. Mother Nature does most of the work providing us consistently with deep, dry snow. The mission of our team is to make it easy and fun for our guests to enjoy it; that’s what we love to do and I’m proud to say we are getting pretty good at it,” said Dave Rathbun, president and general manager for Mt. Bachelor.
Rathbun added, “We are also excited about the improvements we are making to our food service and lodge spaces. With a growing number of travellers choosing Mt. Bachelor for their ski vacation destination, it is important to offer amenities, services and experiences worthy of a vacation. The improvements we are making this summer will go a long way toward meeting the needs and demands of destination skiers and elevate the Mt. Bachelor guest experience to a whole new level.”
Mt. Bachelor season passes and seasonal kids programs will go on sale September 1, with details to be announced prior to the sales date.
For more information, visit www.mtbachelor.com or call 541-382-1709.
