The Central Oregon Daily News is reporting on an important email sent by Mt. Bachelor’s (Oregon) GM and President John McLeod to season passholders.
The email was fairly long, and included a wide-ranging list of updates.
Notably, Mt. Bachelor is expecting repairs to the Skyliner Express Lift to be completed in time for opening day, and announced that the lift will be replaced with a new Doppelmayr 6-pack for next season.
That’s all fine and good, but one update stood out to me in particular.
Mt. Bachelor is planning on selling daily lift tickets at two different prices based on a guest’s willingness to sign a liability release.
Those who sign the resort’s standard liability release will pay the lower price, while those who opt out will pay a higher price.
The prices were not stated in the email, but McLeod provided some commentary on the decision:
“This change is a result of the current legal landscape in Oregon,” “In recent years large lawsuits against outdoor recreation providers in Oregon, including many related to the inherent risks of skiing, snowboarding, and mountain biking, have started to significantly threaten the outdoor recreation industry.”
This is huge news for the ski industry as a whole, and it wouldn’t be surprising if more resorts follow this model to protect themselves from potential lawsuits.
^Credit: Mt. Bachelor
It’s no coincidence that Mt. Bachelor is making this change. The resort is currently involved in a lawsuit involving the death of a 9-year-old boy that took place in January of 2021.
Skiing is inherently dangerous, but resorts are feeling the pinch of growing legal fees in the current climate.
Charging more money to those that do not sign a liability release could be a way to cover their bases.
Essentially, the more people that sign waivers the better for ski resorts like Mt. Bachelor.
Click here to read the full summary of Mt. Bachelor’s Jim McLeod’s email to passholders as reported by The Central Oregon Daily News.
Stay tuned here at Unofficial Networks for any updates regarding this story and others in the ski industry.
Featured Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Mt. Bachelor