Most of the black runs below the summit chair are accessed from the Northwest chair lift. The vast majority of the mountain immediately accessible by the lifts consists of easy blue runs, and a few green runs. Despite the poor skiing conditions, we still had a great day. We used this opportunity to have lunch at one of the micro-breweries in Bend, and we also went on a nice hike along the Deschutes River. The final day was partly cloudy and colder and the runs were pretty icy, so we quit after only a few runs and went back to Bend. The afternoon was absolutely epic, with the best corn-snow skiing we have ever experienced. Later in the day, however, they were able to open most of the other lifts. A lot of people quit skiing because of this. As a result, there was about a 10 minute line for most of the morning. Also, because of the pandemic, most of the chairs were only loading two people. They slowed down the chair because of the wind. We decided to stick with the Sunrise lift. As a result, for much of the morning, they were only running two of the high speed chairs, the Sunrise lift near the parking lot and the Northwest lift, accessible only by hiking a considerable distance. The third day was also a warm blue-sky day but it was a little windy. The temperatures during the day were above freezing and we had great corn snow skiing, particularly on the side of the mountain with the most direct sun exposure. The first three days were wonderful, blue-sky days.
However, during our trip, parking was no problem at all and we were always able to park within a 1-2 minute walk to the lifts. It is clear from other reviews that parking can be a major problem during the high season. Do not buy a resort pass, plane tickets or reserve a room until you have reserved parking. The first thing you should do when planning a trip to Mt Bachelor is reserve your parking (easily done from Mt Bachelor's web site). The road was bare and dry during our stay. The daily drive to the ski area was very pleasant. We flew into Portland Oregon and rented a car and drove to Bend, where we stayed. Most people who come from outside the area stay in Bend, Oregon, which is about 1/2 hour from the ski area. There is no lodging on or near the mountain. If you are considering a trip to Mt Bachelor, you need to understand that this is not a typical destination ski resort. We had a great trip and we think that Mt Bachelor is probably about as good as it gets for a trip at this time of year. My wife and I purchased the late-season pass, which was the best value we have ever found in over 40 years of skiing together. Our trip to Mt Bachelor was in late April 2021. This would be good for a 1st time zipliner, or younger kids.
Pull down an extra notch for faster speed. Tip: speed is controlled by the rider - on the last zipline, it kind of locks making you think you are pulling down at the maximum point. We've zip-lined in multiple places around the country and this was our least favorite mainly because of 1) not being able to relax and enjoy the views 2) over-priced, especially for the amount of time you spend ziplining 3) zipline time is very short Understand "safety" but they stress you out soooo much about looking for signs for when to slow down, and always watch the staff for instructions for when to slow down, that you don't even get to enjoy the views. Not sure if Bachelor is having trouble finding staff but you spend most of your time waiting rather than riding. Way overpriced for the amount of time you are on the zipline (2 short zip's and 1 lengthy one). This is strictly for our "Ziplining" experience.