Mt. Bachelor ski area plans to move forward with its new fast-pass ticket system, despite criticism from thousands of local skiers and a U.S. senator from Oregon. But before the new pass goes on sale Nov. 1, the U.S. Forest Service will examine if it violates the special use permit it issued Mt. Bachelor to operate the ski area on public land.

“I would anticipate, given the level of controversy that has arisen, we will continually evaluate and reconsider the information that we have,” said Kevin Larkin, district ranger for the Deschutes National Forest.

Larkin said the Forest Service initially analyzed the fast-pass system and determined it matched what is offered at similar ski resorts around the country. The Forest Service has the authority to review pricing policies such as the fast pass and make sure they are comparable in access and price to offerings at other mountains, Larkin said.

Powdr Corp., the company that owns Mt. Bachelor, is introducing the fast pass this year at three of its other resorts in Colorado, Vermont and Utah. Larkin found similar types of fast-pass systems at other ski resort companies as well.

“Everybody has their different twist on it,” Larkin said. “There are different versions that have been out there for quite some time at different mountains across the country.”

The pass, called Fast Tracks, starts at $49, and the price will vary based on high-demand days, according to the ski area. Mt. Bachelor is calling the pass an “upgradable experience” that allows visitors to get in more ski runs each day.

The pass allows visitors to bypass the line at Pine Marten, Sunrise, Skyliner, Cloudchaser, Outback, Northwest, Summit, Red Chair and Little Pine chairlifts. Early Riser, Alpenglow and Rainbow lifts will not offer a Fast Tracks lane, according to the resort.

“At this juncture, I haven’t seen anything that would compel us to say that it’s outside the terms and conditions of the permit,” Larkin said. “But we remain open to different interpretations and different information.”

After Mt. Bachelor announced the fast pass Monday, thousands of people shared their concerns on the Facebook group Mt. Bachelor Conditions, and in an online petition that had more than 10,700 signatures as of Friday.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., then sent a letter Wednesday to Powdr Corp. and asked the corporation to abandon its plans for the fast pass. Wyden said the pass sends those who cannot afford it “literally to the back of the line.”

“At a minimum, POWDR must delay implementation until it adequately explains to the public how the Fast Tracks policy will not exacerbate equity issues that already exist in outdoor recreation,” Wyden said in the letter.

In response, Powdr Corp. co-Presidents Wade Martin and Justin Sibley released an open letter Friday explaining that the company intends to keep the fast pass available at Mt. Bachelor.

The letter offered season ticket holders refunds before the season starts if they are upset with the Fast Tracks system.

“We remain highly confident based on our experience with similar products that Fast Tracks will be a valuable product for those that wish to participate and it will not compromise the experience of other guests,” Martin and Sibley wrote.

The Powdr Corp. presidents explain in their letter that the Fast Tracks concept first started at their Copper Mountain, Colorado, resort in 2002. The pass is offered in a limited quantity and it is used by less than 2% of daily skiers at Copper Mountain, they said.

“Fast Tracks does not affect general access to our resorts, as it is an add-on product to a day lift ticket or season pass,” Martin and Sibley wrote. “Fast Tracks access is no different than the access offered through ski school, private lessons and guided mountain tours in that they all provide a finite number of fast lane experiences.”

Despite the explanation from Powdr Corp., thousands of local skiers and snowboarders are still pushing the company to reconsider, said Dan Cochrane, a Bend real estate appraiser and avid snowboarder who started the online petition against the fast pass.

“There are a lot of people really interested in keeping this going,” Cochrane said. “I don’t want to show our hands, but there are plans to coordinate with local business leaders and community activists to further protest this.”

Cochrane said he was thrilled to see the petition gain traction and Wyden getting involved. The effort to stop the fast pass led to news articles across the country, including one in Outside Magazine, he said.

Cochrane hopes to show Powdr Corp. that Bend is not the same market as its other resorts near Lake Tahoe, California and Park City, Utah, which don’t have the same local support.

“The goal is for them to see Bend, Oregon, as a different market than their entire group,” Cochrane said. “We are not the same scenario.”