Oregon's most popular ski and bike resort is up for sale and locals are trying to buy it back

Can a community group turn the tide against corporate ownership? A group of Oregon locals are determined to buy back their beloved mountain.

A few weeks ago, Powdr Corp announced that it was selling three of its resorts. This news followed the sale of Killington ski resort in Vermont. The three resorts for sale include Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon. Mt. Bachelor Community Inc. (MBCI), a community group based in Bend, is determined to restore local control and is lobbying to purchase the mountain.

And the way things are going, they might have a chance.

A Bachelor backstory: from the local ski hill to the best bike park in Oregon

Long before the resort existed, locals braved the deep snow and trudged up to ski, years before Bill Healy “opened” Mt. Bachelor in 1958. When it opened, a poma lift and two tow ropes pulled skiers up several hundred feet. Four years later, the first chairlift was installed, taking skiers to nearly 8,000 feet.

While Mt. Bachelor has had its ups and downs, the resort has continued to grow. Today, Mt. Bachelor has more than 4,300 acres of skiable terrain with a drop of 3,300 feet and 101 trails accessible via 12 chairlifts. In 2013, Mt. Bachelor added mountain biking and now has 25 trails spanning 13 miles.

The Bachelor Bike Park was a necessary addition to the hundreds of miles of singletrack that already existed in the Bend area. The existing local trails were geared towards XC riding, so the elevation to Mt Bachelor was an exciting prospect for riders looking for gravity trails.

And the gravity they got. Over the years, Mt. Bachelor has built some of the state's best flow and technical trails that challenge both locals and professionals. Mt Bachelor has a descent of approximately 1,500 feet, with 20 intermediate or higher rated trails to choose from. Six are black, while Mt. Bachelor's only double black, RockFall, revs up the tech – steep, chunky and loose before dropping into the trees and staying steep, chunky and loose. Although there is something for everyone, the mountain is aimed more at advanced riders than Oregon's other lift-accessed bike park, Timberline.

Perhaps most notable is Mt. Bachelor's Redline, a black diamond jump trail that winds a mile and a half down the mountain. Built by pro rider and trail builder Kyle Jameson, Redline rides regularly throughout the summer with riders like Carson Storch and Cam McCaul.

Despite typical ups and downs, Mt. Bachelor grew to become the seventh largest resort in North America. In 2001, Powdr Corp bought majority shares of Mt Bachelor, much to the dismay of many locals.

As a result, locals created community forums and social media groups. The purpose of these groups was to discuss snow conditions, share ideas, and dream about getting Mt Bachelor back.

It looks like social media could be paying off.

News of Powdr's decision to sell Mt Bachelor spread quickly. Shortly after the announcement, the message went to a private “Mt. Bachelor’s Conditions” Facebook group. The conversation soon turned to purchasing the mountain.

“When we saw the mountain was for sale, a few of us had posted there,” Dan Cochrane told Singletracks. “People were fooling around and saying, 'Hey, I have $20 and a snowboard I could sell to get involved.'”

Cochrane is co-chair of MBCI, which was founded shortly after Powdr announced its intention to sell. Cochrane has lived in Bend since the early 1990s and has worked in real estate for nearly two decades. He is also a member of the Mt. Bachelor Conditions group.

In this group, Cochrane met Chris Porter, another local, who commented on the purchase of Mt Bachelor. However, Porter's comments were more serious and so serious that Cochrane reached out to Porter. The two got along well; At the heart of their new friendship was the shared vision of using the mountain together.

MBCI was born when the group announced on the local news its intention to purchase Mt. Bachelor about a week after its founding. After this story ran, the emails started pouring in.

“The next day we had over 1,000 emails from people who were interested,” Cochrane told us. “(That) has now turned into a few thousand emails.”

Many emails thanked MBCI or shared their enthusiasm. But other emails were different. Email after email came in from various individuals, groups and companies saying they were willing to invest.

And not just in small quantities. Cochrane told us that accredited investors were interested in options worth $250,000 and $500,000 within the first 24 hours. Another “potential soft investor,” as Cochrane called them, was in talks worth $5 million to $10 million.

Money is important; This group will need it to develop a proposal to purchase the mountain. But what had the greatest impact was the overwhelming response from the community.

“It’s a testament to the excitement that people were just ready to go,” Cochrane said. “Countless companies locally and beyond are offering to help wherever they can. We have the support of the mayor and, yeah… it was just overwhelming.”

While the purchase price or what MBCI is seeking to achieve is not publicly known, Cochrane shared that Mt. Bachelor's impact on Bend is huge. He estimated the annual impact on the community at $175 million to $200 million, with Mt Bachelor itself bringing in about $20 million.

MBCI hopes to bring the $20 million the mountain earns back to Central Oregon.

How MBCI plans to purchase an internationally renowned ski resort.

In addition to emails promising a financial investment, MBCI also received emails offering services. To buy Mt. Bachelor, the first step was to sift through those emails and assemble a team – accountants, lawyers, marketing, etc. Initially, many of these services were free.

MBCI has launched a GoFundMe to boost the campaign. They reached the goal of $35,000 within a few days. This funding allowed MBCI to begin engaging various companies to assist with the next steps in the process.

And this process is progressing quickly.

“We continue to meet with members of the community and beyond and reach out to potential investors from whom we have received emails,” Cochrane said. “We also have a general sense of the price, so we (…) can collect donations on this scale.”

The MBCI team then creates pitch decks and proposals that are presented to investors. This will all take place before the end of October as they know other parties are interested in Mt. Bachelor.

“Time is of the essence,” Cochrane shared. “We're doing everything as quickly as possible, but it has to be done right.” If their investors agree, MBCI hopes to complete everything and submit an offer within 60 days.

Who would “own” Mt. Bachelor?

If all goes according to plan, MBCI will be incorporated as a Certified B Corporation. Once a board is established, it will replace most of the people currently represented in the core group.

“The way we're setting it up is we're looking for like-minded people who want to make this historic opportunity for the Bachelor community come true,” Cochrane said. “We’re also setting it up so that no conglomerate can come in and take it over.”

Cochrane and MBCI want to give their “local gem” back to their community.

“This is a great opportunity, not just for Bend, but for the state of Oregon and beyond,” Cochrane said. “It’s the people who want to feel the nostalgia of the old ski jump.”