Can a community group turn the tide against corporate ownership? A group of locals in Oregon are determined to buy back their beloved mountain.

A few weeks ago, Powdr Corp announced that they would be selling three of their resorts. This news came on the heels of the sale of Killington Ski Resort in Vermont. One of the three resorts for sale is Mt. Bachelor’s degree in Bend, Oregon. Determined to restore local control, Mt. Bachelor Community Inc. (MBCI), a community group based in Bend, put its name in the hat to purchase the mountain.

And given how things are shaping up, they might have a chance.

A Bachelor Backstory: From the Local Ski Hill to the Best Bike Park in Oregon

Long before the resort existed, locals braved the deep snow and trudged up to ski down, years before Bill Healy climbed Mt. Bachelor ‘opened’ in 1958. When it opened, a poma lift and two tow ropes pulled skiers up hundreds of feet. . Four years later, the first chairlift was installed, taking skiers to an altitude of almost 2,000 meters.

While Mt. Bachelor had its ups and downs, the resort grew steadily. Today, Mt. Bachelor over 4,300 hectares of ski terrain, with an altitude of 900 meters, with 101 slopes accessed by 12 chairlifts. In 2013, Mt. Added Bachelor Mountain Biking and now has 25 13-mile trails.

Bachelor Bike Park was a necessary addition to the hundreds of miles of singletrack already in the Bend area. Existing local trails were geared towards XC riding, so the height of Mt. Bachelor was an exciting prospect for riders looking to tackle gravity trails.

And the gravity they got. Over the years, Mt. Bachelor created some of the best flow and technical trails in the state, challenging locals and professionals alike. Mt. Bachelor has approximately 450 meters of runs, with 20 intermediate or higher levels to choose from. Six are black, while RockFall, Mount Bachelor’s only double black, takes the technology up a notch: steep, thick and loose before dropping into the trees and staying steep, thick and loose. While there is something for everyone, the mountain is geared more toward advanced cyclists than Timberline, Oregon’s other lift bike park.

Perhaps most notable is Mt. Bachelor’s Redline, a black diamond jumping course that winds a mile down the mountain. Built by professional rider and trail builder Kyle Jameson, Redline sees riders like Carson Storch and Cam McCaul regularly throughout the summer.

Despite the typical ups and downs, Mount Bachelor became the seventh largest resort in North America. In 2001, Powdr Corp purchased the majority shares of Mt. Bachelor, much to the dismay of many locals.

As a result, locals established community forums and social media groups. The purpose of these groups was to share snow conditions, complain and dream about getting Mount Bachelor back.

It looks like social media may be paying off.

News of Powdr’s decision to climb Mt. Bachelor selling spread quickly. Shortly after the announcement, the news went to a private “Mt. Bachelor conditions” Facebook group. The conversation quickly turned to buying the mountain.

“When we saw the mountain was for sale, a few of us posted there,” Dan Cochrane told Singletracks. “People were hanging around saying, ‘Hey, I have $20 and a snowboard I could sell to jump on board.’”

Cochrane is the co-chairman of MBCI, which was formed shortly after Powdr announced its intention to sell. Cochrane has lived in Bend since the early 1990s and has worked in the real estate industry for nearly two decades. He is also a member of the group Mt. Bachelor Conditions.

In this group, Cochrane came across Chris Porter, another local, who commented on buying Mt. Bachelor. However, Porter’s comments were more serious, enough so that Cochrane contacted Porter. The two hit it off; a shared vision of community ownership of the mountain that is the center of their new friendship.

MBCI was born, when the group announced on local news about a week after their formation their intention to climb Mt. Bachelor to buy. After that story came out, the emails started pouring in.

“The next day we received over a thousand emails from people who were interested,” Cochrane told us. “(That has) now turned into a few thousand emails.”

Many emails thanked MBCI or shared their enthusiasm. But other emails were different. Email after email came in from various individuals, groups and companies saying they were ready to invest.

And not just small amounts. Cochrane told us that accredited investors were interested in $250,000 and $500,000 options within the first 24 hours. Another “potential soft investor,” as Cochrane called them, was in talks worth $5-$10 million.

Money is essential; this group will need to prepare a proposal to purchase the mountain. However, the overwhelming response from the community has had the biggest impact.

“This speaks to the excitement that people were just ready to go,” Cochrane said. “Numerous businesses, local and beyond, are offering to help in any way they can. We have the support of the mayor, and yeah… it was just overwhelming.”

While the purchase price or what MBCI is trying to raise is not public information, Cochrane did share that the impact of Mt. Bachelor is huge for Bend. He estimated an annual impact of $175 to $200 million on the community, with Mt. Bachelor itself raked in about $20 million.

MBCI hopes to bring the $20 million the mountain makes back to Central Oregon.

How MBCI plans to acquire an internationally renowned ski resort.

In addition to emails promising a financial investment, MBCI also received emails offering services. To Mt. Bachelor, the first step was sifting through those emails and putting together a team – accountants, lawyers, marketing, etc. Initially, many of these services were pro bono.

MBCI started a GoFundMe to boost the campaign. They reached the $35,000 goal within a few days. This funding allowed MBCI to hire several companies to help them with the next steps in the process.

And that process goes quickly.

“We continue to meet with members of the community and beyond and follow up with potential investors from whom we have received emails,” Cochrane explains. “We also have a general idea of ​​the price, so we can raise money within that range.”

The MBCI team will then build pitch decks and proposals to take back to investors. This will all take place before October is over because they know other parties are interested in Mt. Bachelor.

“Time is of the essence,” Cochrane said. “We do everything as quickly as possible, but it must also be done correctly.” If their investors approve, MBCI hopes to close everything, with an offer submitted within 60 days.

Who would ‘own’ Mount Bachelor?

If all goes according to plan, MBCI will become a Certified B Corporation. Once established, a board of directors will replace most of the individuals currently in the core group.

“The way we’re setting it up is we’re looking for like-minded individuals who want to see this historic opportunity happen for the singles community,” Cochrane told us. “We’re also setting it up so that a conglomerate can’t come in and take over.”

Cochrane and MBCI want to give their ‘local gem’ back to their community.

“This is a historic opportunity not only for Bend, but for the state of Oregon and beyond,” said Cochrane. “They are people who want the nostalgia of the old ski hill.”