Mt. Bachelor names lifts in new beginner park

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Mt. Bachelor ski area announced names for a chairlift and two conveyor lifts Tuesday that are features of a new park for beginner skiers and snowboarders.

The Early Riser chairlift and First Rays and Lava Tube conveyor lifts are being built in the resort’s Woodward Mountain Park, new terrain area for beginners below Sunrise Lodge.

Woodward Mountain Park will be ready by mid-December, shortly after the resort’s target of opening the weekend before Thanksgiving.

“The inspiration behind the whole project is to reimagine and transform the perspective for beginners and families in particular,” said Drew Jackson, spokesman for Mt. Bachelor.

Woodward Mountain Park will use the 629-foot quad Early Riser chairlift and two conveyor lifts to open 5 acres of beginner terrain. Conveyor lifts are like conveyor belts skiers and snowboarders can stand on to move up beginner slopes.

The Early Riser chairlift travels up to an unloading area next to Sunrise Lodge and will serve four groomed routes for beginner skiers and snowboarders.

The bottom terminal of Early Riser will be a short distance from a new lower Sunrise parking lot, scheduled to open in December.

First-time skiers and snowboarders can start at the 70-foot First Rays conveyor lift, located next to the Sunrise Lodge and free for all guests.

When ready to advance, beginners can purchase a $39 Learning Progression lift ticket, which allows for access to the 300-foot Lava Tube carpet lift, Early Riser chairlift and eventually to the Alpenglow chairlift and its Volcano Adventure Park, all within Woodward Mountain Park.

“It creates progression steps so it becomes more obvious to start in one spot and progress to the next,” Jackson said.

Woodward Mountain Park will be open every day this season as snow conditions allow. There is no extra fee for the park, and access is available with a regular lift ticket or season pass to the mountain.

In addition to the Woodward Mountain Park features, Mt. Bachelor is upgrading the nearby Sunrise Lodge with modernized restrooms, a remodeled rental shop and a reconfiguration of the food court.

Mt. Bachelor also announced Tuesday it is renaming three existing lifts to better connect the names to resort themes and mountain culture.

The Carousel Chair will become the Alpenglow Chair. The Sunshine Accelerator lift will become the Little Pine lift. And the West Village Carpet will become the Chipmunk Carpet, a conveyor lift.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, kspurr@bendbulletin.com