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Complete Guide to Mount Bachelor Ski Resort

By: Author Jiraiya Robledo

Posted on Last updated:

My Family and I did an Ikon road trip through the western side of America last winter using our Ikon pass and we started in Mount Bachelor.

Mount Bachelor, just 20 minutes from downtown Bend, Oregon, is Oregon’s biggest ski resort. With over 4,300 acres of lift-accessible terrain, Mt. Bachelor is the 7th largest ski resort in North America.

Mount Bachelor also stands out amongst other resorts for the fact that it is a dormant Strato-volcano, and the only fully lift-accessed volcano you can ski in America.

Being a volcano amongst the flat woodlands of the Deschutes wilderness means it is a magnet for storms…Heavy winter storms.

While snow in Utah, California, and Colorado is known for being light and fluffy, up here in the Pacific Northwest it is heavy and wet, due to being so close to the ocean. So when it comes down, it comes down with a bang.

People travel from all over America to experience these heavy Mount Bachelor whiteouts, but when the snowing is done, then you get to see what Mount Bachelor is really famous for.

Bluebird days here are about as close to heaven as you can imagine because of this mountain’s open exposure at the top, allowing you to experience 360* views from the peak.

Mt Bachelor ski resort statistics

Mount Bachelor Statistics

  • Skiable Acres…4,323
  • Average Snowfall per year…410′
  • Average snowbase…170′
  • Number of Runs…101
  • Top Elevation…9,065
  • Lowest Elevation…5,700
  • Max Run Length…4 Miles
  • Vertical Drop ( what is it…Vertical drop means how “tall” a ski resort is )…3,365
  • Terrain Parks…12 Woodward Terrain Parks
  • Lifts…12 Lifts
  • Longest Lift…Northwest Express (8,377′)
  • Lift Prices…$164 day or 7 days with an Ikon Full Pass

Overall Score. 6/10

Mt Bachelor is one of my favorite resorts. From a logistical standpoint, it’s nothing special. But once you get there you’ll find that Mount Bachelor has incredibly fun terrain with tons of little tree runs and open alpine backcountry to keep you entertained all day long.

Our family enjoyed the ‘Mom and Pop” vibe at Mount Bachelor Resort, especially mid-week, and that it wasn’t as crowded as many of the other Ikon Resorts.

We also thought it was a great mountain for families with wide groomers, tree glades, and great slackcountry runs for experts.

In case you don’t know (since my mom didn’t), slackcountry is terrain outside of marked ski area boundaries that is accessed from a lift without having to use skins or boot trails.

A Winter-Wonderland at its finest…but for skiers, the ultimate Powder-Playground. Photo Credit of IkonPass

Things You Should Kow About Mount Bachelor

1 | Layer Up

It can get very cold here when a storm rolls in and most of the mountain is wind-exposed. The lack of tree coverage, while pretty rad in my book, also makes Bachelor super cold. In fact, is a contender for the coldest ski resort in the USA (which we can attest to as we did get caught in white-out conditions while skiing one day). Grab our ski gear pack list here.

2 | There is no on-mountain lodging.

While there is no hotel at Mount Bachelor Resort, there is RV camping

3 | The roads in and out of Bend are not well maintained when it snows.

Unfortunately we learned this the hard way when we tried to outrun a storm rolling in with our RV and ended up flipping our trailer from sliding on ice on Highway 20. Oregon county roads are not plowed as often as they are in places like Colorado and the canyons of Salt Lake City. We recommend keeping an eye on NOAA for incoming weather and Oregon road conditions.

The Lifts

* 4/5

The lift systems here made it easy to maneuver between the diversity of terrain and jump between neighboring lifts easy (unlike resorts like Jackson Hole, which requires a conscious effort to move between areas unless you like catwalks).

All the lifts here are fast and most of them are six-seaters, allowing family connection on the lift, and the lack of crowds midweek resulted in walk-on laps for us.

As you can see the lifts are really cool as they take you to these wide-open alpine sceneries. Photo Credit of MountainFlamingo

Base Area

* 2/5

Compared to the base areas at bigger resorts like Keystone, Winter Park, and Steamboat, Mount Bachelor isn’t that exciting, however, Bend is just 20 minutes away and has all the best breweries and restaurants you can ask for so you can ride/ski hard all day and then go to town for great food & drinks.

The Sunshine Lodge has a bit more of a Mom and Pop ski resort feel, with a much better restaurant than West Villiage. We like to take breaks at West Villiage. It has a great coffee bar ready to give you all the caffeine you need and the half pipe right in front of it is fun to ride on your way to the lodge.

Also, I loved that the two base areas here at Mount Bachelor are slopeside and easy to get to, making it more inviting for you to take a rest after a lap or two (or for my mom to rest while I do a lap or two).

Vertical Drop

* 5/5

My favorite thing about the vertical drop here is that you can actually access about 80% of the mountain straight from the lifts, unlike resorts like Jackson Hole, which yes, does have a great vertical drop, but is much harder to access.

As you can see its very easy to actually ski all 3’365 feet of elevation at Mounnt Bachelor. Photo Credit of OpenSnow

Summit

* 5/5

For some, the fact that Mount Bachelor doesn’t have cliffs or chutes like resorts such as Snowbird or Alta, its blank white face, amazing views from the top, and unlimited powder stashes, is something that I truly enjoyed.

Big, Wide, and White, Mount Bachelors summit is unlike anywhere else. Photo Credit of Travel+Leisure

Grooming

* 2/5

Mount Bachelor is no savant when it comes to grooming like Sun Valley or Deer Valley is, but then again, that’s not what draws you to Mount Bachelor. If you want to get a few laps on the corduroy though, it can be found (trust me, my mom is obsessed with finding corduroy).

The groomers at Mount Bachelor move through a variety of terrain, including wooded wonderlands, which are sheltered against the wind, helping the runs not get too iced up on the lower sections, and also have plenty of little off-trail jibs to try out.

Riding fresh groomers on a bluebird day is about as close to bliss as you can get. Photo Credit SkiMagazine

Terrain Parks

* 5/5

With 15 Woodward Terrain Parks, how can you go wrong?

But with 15 terrain parks, there is something for everyone here, no matter what type of park-rat you are. Bachelor’s terrain parks are progressive and are right next to the runs so you don’t have to branch off from your family or friends who aren’t ready for the terrain parks.

Mount Bachelor has one of my favorite Terrain Parks for the fact that they actually improve progression.

Lodging

* 1/5

THERE IS NO ON-MOUNTAIN LODGING AT MOUNT BACHELOR, the nearest lodging is going to be Bend or my personal favorite, Sunriver.

There are some really nice Airbnbs in the area though. Photo Credit of Airbnb

Parking

* 3/5

Unlike Utah resorts, the parking here is super easy.

There is usually always parking and all of it is very close to the mountain. Of course, on the weekends it can be crowded so the earlier you arrive the better.

Parking at Mount Bachelor isn’t a problem, at least not on a weekday, on a weekend…get there early.

Crowds

* 3/5

Being Oregon’s biggest ski resort makes it a popular destination, especially for skiers/riders coming from Portland.

Though Mount Bachelor is big, the weekend and holiday crowds here don’t seem to disperse as well as other resorts and end up creating long lines in some of the lifts. Then again, are any ski resorts good on weekends and holidays anymore?

If you come midweek expect great vibes, walk on lines, and maybe even ghost town runs.

Mount Bachelor is the ultimate weekend destination for all of Portland.

Bus Systems

* 1/5

Though there is a bus shuttle here, it’s not quite as amazing as the Colorado Bus Systems, and that’s mainly because the resort is farther away from the town.

Mount Bachelor bus system costs $7 dollars each way and $12 round-trip, and is an easy way to transport from the city of Bend’s Park’N’Ride straight up to the resort’s front door without the hassle of parking.

Though not the best idea, the bus does make things very easy when it comes to getting to the resort. Photo credit of CascadeEastTransit

My Favorite Things About Bachelor.

1: I really love how at the tops of the lifts you have some backcountry cliffs and stuff, but that at the bottom you get surrounded by trees, which keep the groomers nice and grippy the entire day.

2: Even though it’s a big resort, it still maintains a wonderful Indy-esque energy, which means you don’t have to worry about people speeding past you at 60 mph or overly rowdy people, at least not on weekdays.

3: With the four very different areas of the mountain, it’s so big that there is always something fun to explore (unless you are there on a white out day).

Should You Visit Mount Bachelor?

There are so many good ski resorts in America that more than likely, you really won’t feel that much of a difference between Mount Bachelor and the dozens of other Ikon resorts you can choose from.

Nevertheless, if you don’t care about the fastest chair lifts or the most skiable terrain, and you want to ski somewhere unique, unlike anywhere else, it can’t get any more unique than Mount Bachelor Oregon.

Get Even More Geared Up This Ski Season!

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Remember to check out our other ski resort guides

Mount Bachelor isn’t just a winter ski destination. Read these blogs to find out why Oregon should be on your bucket list any time of the year.

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