BEND, OR -- Mt. Bachelor celebrates its 60th anniversary, this winter. Drew Jackson says, "Mt. Bachelor first started in 1958 – 60 years ago. Our founder, Bill Healy, had a vision for a new ski area on what has now become the sixth largest ski mountain in the United States." It was officially renamed Mt. Bachelor in 1983.

It originally opened as the Bachelor Butte Ski Area on December 19, 1958. Jackson says there was a 1,500-square-foot day lodge and just one lift back then - and it didn't have any chairs. "There was a Poma Lift, which was a surface lift that drags you and your skis along the snow, and two rope tows; and that’s it. Lift tickets were $3 in 1958." A lot has changed in 60 years, "We've got 11 chairlifts scattered across the mountain, over 4,300 acres of terrain." While there's no lodging at Bachelor, this year they added 10 hook-ups for overnight RVs, and plan to add more next summer. Click HERE for more on the history of Mt. Bachelor. 

The resort opened for limited skiing over the Thanksgiving weekend, but closed again Monday. As of Tuesday morning, there were just 16" of snow at mid-mountain, but Jackson is hopeful conditions will improve in time for a special anniversary event this December 19. "We'll be offering $3 lift tickets on our Red Chair, which is our oldest operating lift at the mountain." 

Photo: Pine Marten Lodge seen from the mountain's webcam on November 27, 2018.