Mt. Bachelor's Beloved Summit Chair Opened This Past Weekend

Over this past weekend, Oregon's largest ski area opened its long-awaited final chairlift.

On Saturday, March 7th, 2026, Mt. Bachelor spun the Summit Chair for the first time during the 2025-26 ski season. Aptly named, Summit Chair brings skiers to the top of Mt. Bachelor and provides access to 360 degrees of volcano skiing, making the ski area the nation's sixth largest.

A storm brought 12" of snow to Mt. Bachelor early last week, helping to build the mountain's base enough to get Summit's steeper, rocky terrain open. Thursday's wintry weather gave way to warmer temperatures Friday afternoon and into Saturday morning, which softened the snow significantly and made for a sunny day of spring skiing to welcome Summit's terrain for the season.

Mt. Bachelor also hosted its Winter Pride Festival over the weekend, making for an all-around high-energy day at the mountain.

The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.

Although it might have felt more like May than March at Bachelor on Saturday, Central Oregon skiers know that spring can be one of the best times of year to ski in the area. The recent snowfall and clear weather allowed the mountain to open all 360 of its terrain off Summit, which doesn't often happen in the middle of winter.

Sunday came in with lower temperatures and high winds that kept Summit from spinning again, but kept the snow pack perfectly slushy throughout the day for park laps and groomer turns.

Mt. Bachelor, the state of Oregon, and much of the western U.S. have had a tough winter for snow. In contrast to the 2024-25 season, in which Mt. Bachelor opened two weeks early and had the earliest Summit opening date in more than a decade, this is one of the latest openings for the peak chair at the ski area.

However, despite limited powder days and low snowpack, Mt. Bachelor's mountain ops have worked hard to keep the terrain skiing well and open.

For those waiting a little longer to enjoy spring turns at Bachelor, the ski area now has Spring Passes up for sale. Spring Pass-holders can enjoy unlimited skiing at Mt. Bachelor from April 1 through Memorial Day, conditions permitting, for $35.