First Day: Bachelor as Backcountry

Pete in The Cirque

Mt. Bachelor is the biggest ski area in Oregon. The mountain has plenty of vertical, but mostly mellow terrain. Generally, only “the Cirque,” off the summit of the mountain, holds any challenging lines. When the lifts are spinning and the patrol are patrolling, there is little at Mt. Bachelor that will intimidate an experienced skier.

Mt. Bachelor is a very different mountain in the early season. The snow is highly variable: soft wind buff transitions to bullet-proof ice without notice. Ribbons of snow terminate in rocky outcroppings creating a maze of routes, only some of which will lead a skier down the mountain. The upper mountain is often wind affected and avalanche prone. In other words, the mountain is hardly the mellow, comfortable resort that welcomes so many tourists each season.

After a week of regular snowfall throughout the Cascades, Jake, David, Pete, and I made plans to ski. Jake and I met Pete and David in the Bachelor parking lot at 9am. We geared up and were on the snow by 9:30. A low cloud cover hung overhead for most of the day, with rare patches of sun. Bachelor currently has no uphill restrictions, so we put in a skin track beneath Red Chair and then traversed to the top of Pine Martin. We were greeted at the top of Pine Martin by a gusting NW wind. We paused for a short break to put on our shells before continuing to the upper mountain.

There are no trees for protection on the upper mountain. We found significant amounts of wind-transported snow in gullies as we ascended toward the summit. At around 8300 feet we took a break and dug a pit in the wind deposited snow. An analysis of the wind deposited snow revealed a surprisingly stable snowpack. Around four feet below the surface we found a thick rain crust with consistent snow above and below it. With effort, we were able to cause an 8 inch deep slab to shear.


Based on our pit analysis, we felt confident continuing up to the Cirque. We hiked up to around 8900 feet (just  below Bachelor’s true summit). The North side of the Cirque appeared to be wind loaded, as we expected. Toward the center of the cirque, the snow looked more stable. I skied first, ski cutting across the wind loaded section of the cirque. To my relief, the snow was stable, and I entered the center of the cirque with confidence. The snow was creamy and soft for the first 300 feet. I found a safe zone beneath the cinder cone, and snapped a couple photos while we regrouped.  The snow in the lower cirque was bullet proof. Jake skied first skidding across the icy snow; his dog Riley began to slide too. Riley eventually regained his feet and followed Jake to the next safe zone. It was a tough day for Riley, though not as tough as the day had by David’s dog Marley. 

The pitch of the slope and the ice did not suit Marley. While the rest of us descended, she decided to bound back up to the summit. All of a sudden she was 500 feet uphill from us, showing no intention of descending. David kicked off his skis, resigning himself to booting up the cirque in pursuit of his frightened dog. However, before David made it far, Pete, the dog whisperer, went to work. Slowly, he coaxed Marley down the slope. It seemed to take forever as she gingerly worked her way down the nearly 30+ degree icy pitch.

Finally we were reunited once more, and we continued our descent of Bachelor. As we descended the ice transitions back to creamy wind buff, and then to cement. Still, not a bad first day of the season.

The Three Sisters in the clouds

For more photos, check out Pete's blog: http://www.oregonist.com/2013/11/mount-bachelor-party.html#more