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.