Mt. Bachelor announces plans to install resort’s first six-seat chairlift in time for 2023-24 season
(Update: Adding resort comment on future lifts plans)
Skyliner to be replaced by 'six-pack' lift after repairs for one more season
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- After repairing the damaged Skyliner chairlift this summer, in time for next season, Mt. Bachelor announced Wednesday it will be completely replacing the lift for the 2023-24 season with a faster, higher-capacity chairlift.
In an announcement to passholders and post on the resort's website, Mt. Bachelor President and General Manager John McLeod said Mt. Bachelor will replace the current four-seat Skyliner with a detachable, high-speed six-seat chairlift. The first "six-pack" at the resort and only second in Oregon after Willamette Pass' Eagle Peak Accelerator.
The Skyliner lift has been out of action since the second week of the current season, and McLeod previously announced it would undergo repairs this summer and be back in action for the 2022-23 season.
When the six-seat lift is completed, it will be the first lift overhaul at the resort since the Pine Marten Express lift was renovated in 2006. Mt. Bachelor has added the Cloudchaser Express and Early Riser lifts over that time as well.
Mt. Bachelor told NewsChannel 21 there are no plans currently for what will become of the current Skyliner equipment. The resort still plans on upgrading the Sunrise high-speed quad to a six-pack in the future and using the current Sunrise lift to replace Rainbow chair as laid out in the 2011 master plan.
You can read McLeod's full statement below:
To say that this has been one of the most challenging seasons for the Mt. Bachelor team is an understatement. Starting out with very late snowfall, followed by an almost overwhelming (but very much appreciated) amount of snow and then “June-uary” which turned into “Feb-uly.” We faced the toughest labor market I can remember, worked through Omicron and other COVID-related regulations and mandates for the second year in a row, and grieved with the entire mountain community as three people lost their lives on our mountain engaging the same passion that binds us all together. Our thoughts remain with their families, as we remember them and are painfully reminded of the risks that accompany our sport.
On top of all this, we have had to reimagine our resort without the services of one of our favorite lifts, Skyliner, since the beginning of this season. On this front, I am very excited to be sharing some very important news with our passholder community today.
Mt. Bachelor will be installing our first six-pack detachable lift, replacing the existing Skyliner lift, in time for the 2023/24 winter season. This is big news to say the least, but “Hold on,” you say, “That’s two seasons from now.” As I said in an earlier update on Skyliner, we have plans to repair our current lift so that it will be fully operational for the 2022/23 winter season, and that has certainly not changed with this announcement. We all know what an important lift Skyliner is to this resort, and despite the amazing work the Mt. Bachelor team has done this season to adapt to life without Skyliner, there is no way we ever want to go through another season without it.
Since Skyliner went out of service the team and I, together with POWDR have been working parallel paths, first to try to get the lift repaired for the current season and second to either replace or repair the Skyliner lift in time for next winter. As it turns out, we are going to do both. If there had been any way that we could have replaced Skyliner with a six-pack over the coming summer we would have done it, however by the time we began talking to lift manufacturers in January their production and installation schedules were fully committed for 2022.
Even though we now plan to repair Skyliner for next season, the idea of a new six-pack at Skyliner was so exciting we are going to move forward with it in time for winter 2023/24. Skyliner is truly at the heart of our resort, serving as it does the bulk of our Woodward Mountain Parks, as well as the full slate of MBSEF programs, and of course as the locals favorite being our best ski in ski out parking area.
Even though we are still in the process of developing final specifications for our new Skyliner six-pack, and subject to environmental analysis work to be done, with POWDR’s support I am happy to be able to announce this commitment as I know there has been much speculation in the passholder community as to what we plan to do with that lift. To sum it up we are going to repair and celebrate “Sky” as it is next season and then say goodbye as we welcome our first six-pack at Mt. Bachelor in winter 2023/24.
For those of you who are interested in a little more detail about our current Skyliner situation and the work of our lift maintenance team, please go here.
The other topic I want to address in this newsletter is skier and rider safety at Mt. Bachelor. I am very aware that the tragic events I referred to earlier along with what many have observed this season with the extended high pressure and accompanying increase in skier and rider density on our groomed runs have caused some to wonder “is our mountain safe?”
The truth is that the safety of skiing and riding in a natural mountain environment can only ever be a relative thing. Wind, snow depth, snow surface, temperature, sunlight, visibility, equipment, skill level, steepness and variability of terrain, natural obstacles, speed, the volume and behavior of other skiers and riders, your own physical health and acuity are all variables that can affect your safety at any point in time on the mountain. These things change constantly in our environment and vary from day to day, hour to hour, run to run on the same day, and even on the same run from top to bottom.
Together with these environmental factors, the things that have the greatest impact on your safety and that of those around you are your choices of where to ski and when, at what speed, and with what level of awareness and respect for others on the mountain. For example, a steep black diamond run with hard-packed snow may be perfectly safe for an expert skier or rider but is less safe for a beginner or intermediate skier or rider. Even an expert can make any run less safe for themselves by the speed at which they choose to ride, and at the same time make the run less safe for those around them.
I know most of these things are obvious, and I realize this is beginning to sound like what my kids would call a “Dad Talk”, but sometimes the obvious needs to be stated in order to bring attention to an important topic, and nothing is more important to all of us than your safety.
In keeping with that priority, we follow ski industry best practices to educate and inform every guest via on-mountain trail signs, signage at the top and bottom of lifts and ski runs, conditions updates and alerts on our website and app, safety videos and brochures, and even in-person warnings at lift lines or at the top of lifts when certain conditions exist. We identify runs according to the level of difficulty and mark or control high traffic areas and intersections and often stage personnel in those places to encourage responsible behavior. Ambassadors are there to help guests navigate the mountain, and our patrol crew are stationed all over to manage guest behavior and assist when things go astray. Our patrol and management team does engage and enforce our policies with guests who are skiing and riding in an irresponsible manner. We can, and do pull passes from guests who are unwilling to comply with our skier and rider safety code.
We also continually learn and adapt our practices whenever unforeseen events occur and we value the feedback we receive from many of you. So please keep your feedback coming!
As we look toward the rest of the season, please consider your own actions and decision-making in light of all that I have mentioned above. Please control your speed and leave plenty of space when you are on a run or get back with other skiers and riders. Please be fully aware when you are entering a run or approaching a blind spot or intersection. Please respect others always, follow the skier responsibility code and help us make Mt. Bachelor as safe and enjoyable as it can be for our entire mountain community.
Every season at Mt. Bachelor is different, each with its own challenges and highlights and as I reflect on the first half of this one it is easy to dwell on the challenges, most of which are affecting practically every business and every aspect of our lives. As I look forward to the rest of the season, I am focusing on the things that never change: our beautiful mountain, the change of seasons, the incredible team we work with, the privilege of serving this community, and the feeling of perfect turns (when I can manage them). This is going to be an action-packed Spring, with some nice weather queued up for Spring Break, with Subaru Winterfest around the corner, followed by RendezVan and the Peace Park Championships. This is going to be our biggest Spring celebration ever. I hope to see you here!
