Bend, Oregon — Over the past few months, one of the most interesting stories to follow in the ski industry has been who will be the next owner of Mt. Bachelor.
Back in August, POWDR sold Killington & Pico to a group of local investors. As part of this announcement, POWDR also revealed that they were putting Eldora, Mt. Bachelor, and SilverStar on the market. For Bachelor, some industry analysts think that Alterra or Vail Resorts could be interested in buying the Oregon ski resort. However, there’s another interested party that’s been making a real push to put this mountain back into local hands.
In late August, Bend locals Dan Cochrane and Chris Porter began their pursuit to acquire Mt. Bachelor & Sun Country Tours in order to get it back into the local hands. After a strong response from locals, they created Mount Bachelor Community Inc. If they were to acquire the ski resort, Mt. Bachelor Community Inc.’s mission would be to “focus on environmental care, supporting mountain enthusiasts, and reinvesting profits to boost the local economy.”
So far, they’ve done a feasibility study, begun the process of becoming a B-Corp., launched a website, reached an agreement for legal services from one of Oregon’s leading law firms, and recruited potential investors. In addition, a GoFundMe was launched and has raised over $40,000 so far.
The excitement for this movement was demonstrated by hundreds of people showing up to their Community Kickoff Event on October 12th. The festivities occurred last Saturday at Drake Park in Bend. There were various food options, with Cobra Dogs, Barrio, and Kona Shaved Ice being there. For drinks, Sunriver Brewing provided beverages for adults 21 and older. There were live performances from Gbots & the Journeymen and Eric Ledbetter. Special guests include Mayor Kebler, Councilor Mike Riley, and Josh Surran (known from Josh Reports).
“By every metric, our October 12 kickoff event in Drake Park was an incredible success. It attracted hundreds of Central Oregon residents, as well as potential high level investors, to learn more about our organization’s mission,” said Dan Cochrane. “It proves that the Mount Bachelor community overwhelmingly shares our vision and backs MBCI’s effort to acquire the mountain on behalf of its community.”
Will all this momentum result in them acquiring Mt. Bachelor? We’ll have to wait and see, but it’s been fascinating to watch.
Image Credits: Mt. Bachelor, Barry Christenson
