Oregon- Did you know that Mt. Bachelor is a supervolcano? Part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, Mt. Bachelor is considered a dormant supervolcano due to no eruptions in over 7000 years.
Mt. Bachelor comes with an interesting quirk. Skiers commonly see large holes form in the snow on Bachelor, believing them to be fumaroles. According to the National Park Service, fumaroles, also known as vent holes, are “vents or openings at the surface where volcanic gases and vapors are emitted.”
However, scientists disagree with this claim, with the 1990 book Volcanoes of North America by Charles A. Wood and Jürgen Kienle saying the following: “Deep wells that form in the snowpack have been described as fumaroles; however, these features are formed by air moving in and out of the porous edifice with changes in the atmospheric pressure.” Others still believe though that these are vent holes, thinking of it as evidence that the volcano is not extinct. I’d probably err more toward the scientists on this one, but it’s something that should continue to be researched.
Which brings us to this video from Reddit user MuseDrone. He shared some footage of himself skiing through the woods at Mt. Bachelor during a powder day. While shredding, he nearly fell into two holes. He’s able to leap over both without getting stuck, but the first one resulted in him wiping out. Ultimately, it’s a good reminder about the hazards you can see when skiing at Mt. Bachelor.
Image/Video Credits: u/MuseDrones
