Mt. Bachelor holds onto snow; 4th-highest in U.S.
Mt. Bachelor hasn’t been gaining a lot of snow lately — a familiar scene around the relatively warm and dry Northwest winter. But as some tantalizing late-season snow fell Sunday came word that the Central Oregon ski resort now has the third-highest mid-mountain snow measurement in the country.
That could help, as spring officially arrives next Friday — followed by spring break, and crowds that prefer winter sports during their spring vacation.
With 41 inches of snow at the base and 85 inches at mid-mountain, Mt. Bachelor has the third deepest snowpack in the United States as of Sunday, according to onthesnow.com, the resort noted. (Since that report, the resort has dropped one rung, to No. 4 in the country.)
“The healthy snowpack allows the resort to continue daily operations when most other resorts in the Pacific Northwest are closed due to a lack of snow,” it said in a news release.
Resort officials say Mt. Bachelor’s higher elevation has made a big difference this year.
“It’s been a warm winter, with the snow level frequently hovering between 6,000 and 7,000 feet,” according to Mt. Bachelor’s president and general manager, Dave Rathbun. “Fortunately, the vast majority of Mt. Bachelor’s ski terrain is above that elevation, and much of the mountain received snow when most other areas were getting rain.”
Drew Jackson, Bachelor’s marketing and communications manager, acknowledged that they “haven’t received any significant snow lately,” but the resort has held onto more snow than many others have.
“It’s been dry and warm everywhere in the West since the beginning of the month,” he told NewsChannel 21. “I’ve noticed that our national snowpack ranking has fluctuated from second to eighth on the list during the past month, with daily changes resulting from where recent storms hit and where it got warm.”
As for Sunday’s snow, from a storm that buffeted western Oregon with heavy weekend rain and wind, Jackson said, “The snow didn’t accumulate much, but it was nice to see it falling from the sky again.”
With confidence in its snowpack, Mt. Bachelor will offer a discounted spring season pass valid for unlimited skiing and riding from Monday, March 30 through the end of the 2014-2015 season.
The lowest prices will be available during a 96 hour sale from noon on Thursday, March 19 until noon on Monday, March 23.
Pass prices during the sale are $149 for adults (19-64), $129 for teens (13-18) and seniors (65-69) and $99 for youth (6-12) and seniors (70+). Spring passes will remain available for purchase after the sale ends, but at higher prices.
In addition to downhill skiing and snowboarding, Mt. Bachelor’s Nordic Center continues to offer the only groomed cross country trails in the Oregon Cascades, with nearly 30 km open for skate and classic skiing.
Non-skiers have a snow play option at Mt. Bachelor as well; the resort’s Snowblast Tubing Park will reopen Friday and will operate every day through spring break.
Mt. Bachelor intends to operate into May until its planned closing date of May 24 — if conditions allow.
“We’re looking forward to hosting guests from throughout the Far West,” Rathbun added. “The open ski terrain is well-covered and expansive. We think you’ll have a lot of fun skiing or riding at Mt. Bachelor this spring.”
Additional information about Mt. Bachelor’s spring season can be found here:
http://www.mtbachelor.com/site/tickets/season_pass/springtacular/spring_passes
