The last couple years have been changing times for Mt. Bachelor with a shift in the management team to kick off last year and then big price changes again this off-season. This year has seen other shifts for our local mountain, so here's a rundown of the changes you'll see on the hill:
Telecommuters Rejoice
There's nothing more jealousy enducing on a powerdy January morning than being stuck at your desk and reading e-mails sent from the chairlift via your telecommuting friend's Blackberry. Now, those mobile workers can spend whole days on the slopes thanks to Bachelor's new partnership with BendBroadband that brings WiFi to its lodges. Crank out a few runs, then in turn crank out a PowerPoint presentation or a spreadsheet or whatever it is you business folks do.
Learn to Ski,
Now it's Free
In the hopes of bringing new customers to the mountain, Bachelor has instituted a five-lesson beginner package for $199. But here's the deal, if you get yourself to all five classes, you get a free 12-day pass (now $499) to use for the rest of the season.
Eye-Poppingly High-Tech Map Technology
Check out the above imagery that Bachelor has created for its first new trail map since the mid '90s. The new imagery gives a much more dynamic and perhaps accurate look of the mountain that's actually to scale, so first-timers will realize that there's some serious acreage between, say, Sunrise and Northwest Express.
Northwest Express Gets a Tuneup
Speaking of Northwest, if you've ever raced over to that lift to try and get the first chair, you know that in the past, even if you got on, there was a chance that there'd be some starting and stopping involved. Northwest Express' computer systems have been updated by way of a $200,000 overhaul, and the ski area says the improvements will cut down on problems.
The Sliding Scale
Mt. Bachelor Marketing Director Alex Kaufman smiled when I asked what we can expect from the sliding scale pricing system and said simply, "We'll just have to wait and see on that." And he's probably right, given that the sliding scale is reliant on both weather and lift operations to depend whether tickets will be $49, $59 or $69. If it's a rainy, windy day, you could ski for cheap, but bluebirds will cost you a bit more. Again, we'll see.
