Mt. Bachelor reopens Saturday for passholders only, in limited fashion
(Update: Adding video, Mt. Bachelor president comments)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- In something of a "better late than never" season finale, Mt. Bachelor announced Thursday it will offer a nine-day, limited-access opening for skiers and boarders to existing passholders, starting on Saturday.
Ironically, Saturday is the day that the resort would have hosted the start of the now-scrubbed, 44th annual Pole Pedal Paddle.
The announcement came as Deschutes County was one of 28 across the state Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday cleared for Phase 1 limited reopening of many elements of business.
"Skiing and riding will be available on limited terrain and under modified operations, with clear physical distancing policies and expectations for all staff and guests," the resort said. Daily reservations also will be required for admission.
Mt. Bachelor, which closed in mid-March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, won't be selling day tickets and will be open only for existing 4-day, 12-day, midweek, season and Outplay 365 passholders.
Parking lots will open at 8:15 a.m. and close at 2:30 p.m. Lifts will open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 1:30 p.m.
“We’ve spent a lot of time going through every scenario we can imagine, to make this a safe experience for our guests and for our staff,” Mt. Bachelor President John McLeod told NewsChannel 21.
Thursday's conditions report indicated five feet of snow remaining at mid-mountain (at 7,300 feet, near the top of the Sunrise Express lift) and 45 inches at West Village ( at 6,300 feet, the bottom of the Sunshine Accelerator lift).
“It will be spring skiing, and it will be fun," McLeod said. "Those people that normally come out and ski this time of year know that the conditions are variable. It is what you would expect for this time of the year, from a spring skiing standpoint.”
The resort said only 500 advance reservations will be available each day, starting 36 hours in advance, to book up to two skiers "spots." "We do expect reservations to fill up quickly each day, with limited numbers available."
Check-in will happen at the Skyliner parking lot, and there are many other details on the public notice page, such as "No tailgating -- no exceptions."
After the season ends on May 24, the mountain will open for uphill travel the next day, the resort said in a posting to its website.
"We’re thrilled to open for passholders, but want everyone to be aware of new protocol and policies are in place to maintain safety and physical distancing guidelines," the posting said.
"Personal and skier responsibilities are the core actions required to successfully maintain limited spring operations," it continued. "Guests are expected to adhere to all guidelines set in place by Mt. Bachelor or will be asked to leave the resort and risk future pass suspension or issuance of a Notice of Exclusion / Trespass.
"We ask that everyone Be Kind, Be Smart and Be Respectful. See ya on the snow!"
