Mt. Bachelor lift operators work at the Skyliner chairlift in May 2018. The ski area says Skyliner will be repaired and operate for one more season this year. It’s expected to be replaced by a six-person chairlift for the 2023-24 season.

This coming winter, skiers and snowboarders at Mt. Bachelor will have one last season to enjoy their beloved Skyliner chairlift before it is dismantled and replaced with a brand new six-person lift.

Skyliner went out of service in December and remained closed for the rest of the season. Currently, one of the Skyliner’s 14-foot-wide bull wheels is up in Canada undergoing repairs. Skyliner’s lift towers and two bull wheels, one at the top of the lift and one at the bottom, essentially hold the haul rope in place. The lift chairs are attached to the haul rope and the lift motor turns either one of the two bull wheels to operate the lift.

The fixed wheel is expected to be back on the mountain and in place by the start of the upcoming season, said Johnny Sereni, director of marketing and communications at Mt. Bachelor ski area.

“We are expecting it to ship back here around the 6 of October. It’ll take a few days by truck because it is all coming in one piece, which gives us plenty of time to get it back up on the mountain, back into place,” Sereni said. “At the moment, we are not expecting any problems with getting it going by the start of the season.”

Sereni said the anticipated opening date on the mountain is Nov. 25.

“Around the 10 or so of October, we are not exactly sure which way they are going to come, but some way or another, a big truck with a very big bull wheel about 14 feet wide is going to come through town and up the highway here,” Sereni said. “So, we are looking forward to giving it a little party on its return as well.”

Sereni said the new six-person lift will be in the same spot as Skyliner, and that it is expected to be up and running by the 2023-24 ski season.

“At this point in time, we are looking at starting to dismantle the Skyliner lift around May, and Doppelmayr (an international ski lift manufacturer) will come in and start building the new lift in our Sunrise car park and installing it through the summer,” Sereni said.

Sereni added the new six-person lift will increase capacity from 2,400 passengers per hour to 3,200 passengers per hour.

Eric Lilley, a mechanic at Skjersaa’s, a ski shop in Bend, said he has been skiing on Mt. Bachelor since 1975. Lilley grew up in Bend, and said he has watched the mountain grow and change over the years. He isn’t thrilled about the new lift.

“I’m super bummed that they are putting in a six-chair lift,” Lilley said, “as is everybody else that we ski with.”

Lilley said the new lift, while getting people up the mountain faster, will only make the lines longer on top. He said the new lift will make the lines seem shorter but only in a purely visual sense.

“There are going to be way more people on the ski runs at one time,” Lilley said. “I’d rather have people waiting in line at the bottom.”

Todd McGee, who along with his wife owns Powder House Ski & Patio in Bend, said he was rather jazzed about the new ski lift. McGee, who also grew up in Bend and started skiing on Bachelor in the ‘70s, said the new lifts these days are a far cry from the two-seater lifts used in the ‘80s.

“I am excited about it. I think it is going to be awesome. And being that it is newer, it is probably a more reliable piece of equipment,” McGee said. “I don’t know why someone wouldn’t want to ride on a brand new lift. I think it is going to be good for the hill.”

McGee said all of his employees enjoy tailgating and barbecuing by Skyliner and are looking forward to enjoying the old lift’s last hurrah. He said they are also pumped about the new lift as well.

McGee said the new lift will most likely be faster and safer given the newer technology, and he doesn’t expect it to cause congestion on the mountain.

“It’ll help cut the lines. Mt. Bachelor is so big, that there are plenty of runs for them all to disperse at,” McGee added. “So it is not going to be crazy busy on the runs.”