Mount Bachelor 9065′
Pacific Northwest
Total Time: 3:00
Distance: 4.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 2700′
Crux: Class 1
Trailhead: Mount Bachelor Resort, full services
Companions: Justin Shelton
After a few days of climbing at Smith Rock, we were transitioning back to snow for Justin’s last day with my before he headed back to Grants Pass. While I originally had wanted to attempt Mount Washington, the view of the north face covered in snow on the recent outing up Three Fingered Jack made me think conditions would be a bit too challenging without ice tools and protection. There was also a front moving in briefly that afternoon, so we wanted to make for a relatively shorter day. A quick skin up Mount Bachelor fit the bill. With a dedicated groomed uphill route with the entire ski resort fair game for the descent, it was about as easy a ski mountaineering ascent I could ask for. We needed to get an uphill pass from guest services which didn’t open until 8:30, allowing for a more casual start time. Gearing up at the parking lot, we walked to the base of the ski runs and found the uphill route on the northwest side, a number of other climbers skinning up as well.
Popping on our skis, we started up the slopes, reaching a shallow saddle between the mountain and The Cone, a subpeak cinder cone on the north slopes in about 20 minutes. The south facing aspect of the cone was largely melted out, and we continued onwards, about a dozen other skiers also working their way uphill.
At the shallow saddle.
It took about an hour to reach the top of the lift at Pine Marten Butte, roughly halfway up the mountain. We took a short break and adjusted our layers, more exposed to the wind now above treeline. Climbing higher, the views opened up to the Three Sisters and Broken Top to the north.
We switchbacked up the open slopes to the crater rim and a huge NE facing bowl. The wind was much stronger here, and we contoured off to the west around a false summit to a steep icy face below the true high point. Between the strong wind and the ice, it was the most difficult section of the climb, with Justin pausing at one point to put crampons onto his skis. We topped out at roughly 11 AM, taking about 2 hours from the base to skin up the 2700′ to the summit. The best views were to the north of the Sisters and Broken Top, with hazy views to Diamond Peak to the southwest.
It was a bit too windy to linger long and take a selfie, so we dropped down a groomed snow track towards the summit lift. While this was only my third time on skis all winter, this was Justin’s 30th, and he was eyeing steeper lines than I felt I could handle. So we split up, Justin dropping directly off the summit, while I took a less direct line to the northeast (and still with a quick fall to start).
We had planned to reconnect near the Pine Marten Lift but managed to keep missing each other, not reconvening until back at the base of the mountain.
We grabbed a beer at the lodge before heading back into Bend for lunch at Crux Brewing. From there we parted ways, Justin heading back to Grants Pass while I headed north for an attempt on Mount Hood the following day.
