Give thanks: Mt. Bachelor’s ‘Hopening Day’ now snowy opening day

Little Pine Chairlift to be in operation; festivities still on as planned

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Mt. Bachelor, waiting anxiously for snow in recent weeks, planned a 'Hopening Day' party for the day after Thanksgiving -- and now that a pre-holiday snowstorm has dumped close to two feet of snow on the slopes, it'll be opening day, too, for thankful skiers and snowboarders.

Here's the resort's Wednesday news release:

MT. BACHELOR CONFIRMS OPENING DAY, FRIDAY, NOV. 29

• Opening day operations include Little Pine chairlift, Woodward Mountain Hike Park , Nordic skiing and walk-up tubing. West Village Lodge and Mountain Gateway Lodge are also open.
• ‘Hopening Day’ event from noon to 4 p.m. will run as planned in the West Village base area including a Grom Garden, Woodward Mountain Hike Park and West Village Deck activities.
• Winter kick-off toast with John McLeod, president and general manager, at 3:15 p.m.

BEND, Ore., Nov. 27, 2019 — Mt. Bachelor, a POWDR resort that boasts natural mountain adventure at the heart of Bend, Oregon culture, announced today it will begin lift operations on Friday, Nov. 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at West Village base area. “Hopening Day,” an event designed to bring the community together to come play in the snow is planned for Black Friday from noon to 4 p.m., will continue as planned, creating more reasons to come kick off the winter 2019-20 season at Mt. Bachelor.

With recent storms, Mt. Bachelor has accumulated 20 inches since 6 a.m. on Tuesday, allowing Mt. Bachelor’s operations team to prepare the West Village base area and Little Pine chairlift for Friday opening. The Little Pine chairlift is scheduled to run Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., serving the Home Run beginner trail with entry level Woodward Mountain Park features on slope. Lift tickets can be purchased for $39 online at www.mtbachelor.com, or in person for $49 at Gateway Building ticketing center. Tickets for children age 5 and under are free.

In the West Village base area, opening services offered are equipment rentals, tuning, and food and beverage options at the Clearing Rock Bar, Cocoa’s Café and Pinnacles. A select set of ski and snowboard lesson options are available through Mt. Bachelor’s Gravity Snowsports School. Mt. Bachelor childcare will also be open beginning Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m.

Woodward Mountain Hike Park, a terrain zone that will feature boxes and rails for skiers and riders, will be set between the Pine Marten chairlift and Chipmunk Carpet, and will be free and open to the public on Friday. A lift ticket or season pass will be required to access the Woodward Mountain Hike Park on Saturday and Sunday. Mt. Bachelor will have an onsite photographer on Friday, and will giveaway a GoPro Hero 7 to a standout skier or snowboarder. A 10 Barrel DJ booth will be set up on the West Village stage for live music.

Scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. on Black Friday, Hopening Day is an action-packed afternoon that includes a DJ on the West Village stage, giveaways, family activities, scavenger hunts, hot treats and a winter toast. The giveaway highlight is the Green Tire Giveaway in the Double Black Diamond Scavenger Hunt, where one savvy guest, age 16 or over, will go home with a set of Nokian Tyres. The Grom Garden will feature s’mores fire pits, snow forts, vintage Tucker snowcat and a chance to hang out with Mt. Bachelor’s avalanche dogs and meet the Ski Patrol. Don’t miss out on a Hot Toddy or FREE Coke float before Mt. Bachelor’s community winter toast at 3:15 p.m. Mt. Bachelor has plenty of winter fun and prizes. This event is free and open to all. 

Mt. Bachelor’s Nordic Center is also scheduled for Friday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with great early season conditions and 10 km of Nordic trails groomed for cross country skiing. Nordic tickets can be purchased at the Nordic Center for $14 for adults and $11 for seniors and juniors. The Nordic Lodge will have select food and beverage offerings. During the Hopening Day event hours of noon to 4 p.m., the Nordic Center will be waxing skis and offering free cider and warm cookies.

Come enjoy Mt. Bachelor’s Snowblast Tubing Park Friday-Sunday, with a $10 walk-up tubing ticket. Mt. Bachelor’s winter Uphill Travel Policy is now in effect. The only open hiking route is the Cinder Cone route from West Village. All other areas of Mt. Bachelor are currently closed to hiking.

For daily updates on conditions and opening schedules, visit the Mt. Bachelor conditions report.

Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center conditions page here.

About Mt. Bachelor

eMt. Bachelor offers 4,318 acres of lift-accessible terrain with 360-degree descents from the 9,065’ volcanic peak, served by 11 lifts, eight of which are high-speed quads. Mt. Bachelor also features five terrain parks, 56 km of groomed cross country trails, snowshoeing, tubing, sled dog rides and summer attractions including downhill mountain biking and whitewater rafting with Sun Country Tours. Mt. Bachelor is part of POWDR, a family owned and operated adventure lifestyle company.