4 dutch guys, snowboarding in Orgegon 2013 (Portland, Bend: rental car, homes, homes)

[Burton_Rob]

Hello everybody,

After snowboarding in WY and CO we would like to visit oregon, just for the purpose of snowboarding.
Our travelagent advised us, visit the mountains Bachelor and Hood, all that doing by using a 4x4.

Since we are form the Netherlands, we have some questions for you;

-1- Those mountains are not prohibited for snowboarders?
-2- Is it easily traveling between those 2 mountains? (No close down passes or so)
-3- Crowdy, much people at the lift or in the base?
-4- Enough bars and shops?
-5- Any advise at all for visiting Oregon?
Thanks for responding,

Rob

[hamellr]

Welcome to Oregon. First you need to realize that Oregon, especially around the Mountains is much, much sparser in population then Colorado or Wyoming.

As far as I know, all ski area in Oregon are open for Snow Boarders. Mt. Hood has more areas for boarder from reports of friends who ski.

You can easily travel between the two, it's about 100 miles give or take a few. No passes to deal with as you're coming off one mountain, driving directly south, and then up onto the next mountain.

Mt. Hood is going to be more crowded on weekdays, Bachelor less. Weekends and holidays are going to be about the same.

There are few bars or shops at Mt. Hood, although Government Camp is starting to get a lot more. I don't know about Bachelor, but can't imagine it's going to be much better.

[delta07]

Oregon doesn't have the resorts like Colorado. We have the ski/snowboard mountain and the lodge, but at least in terms of Mt. Bachelor, there is no "lodging" (ie overnight accommodations) directly at the mountain. However, Bend and Sunriver are within 25-30 minutes drive and where most people stay when visiting the mountain. As younger guys, I'd opt to stay in Bend, as Sunriver is more for families and retirees. There are plenty of great places to stay in Bend. Look into vacation rental homes for the 4 of you. Also, Bend has tons of great breweries for apres ski, as well as great shops downtown and along Galveston Ave.

In terms of travel, as hamellr stated, it shouldn't be a problem, although there have been a few times where travel from Government Camp to Madras (a town north of Bend) was snowpacked and very slow going. You'll want to make sure your rental car has chains, as they are required to carry in Oregon during the winter. I rarely have had to use them, but if you are flying into Portland, you'll have to travel up the pass (don't remember the name) to Mt. Hood.

[kapetrich]

Originally Posted by delta07

Oregon doesn't have the resorts like Colorado. We have the ski/snowboard mountain and the lodge, but at least in terms of Mt. Bachelor, there is no "lodging" (ie overnight accommodations) directly at the mountain. However, Bend and Sunriver are within 25-30 minutes drive and where most people stay when visiting the mountain. As younger guys, I'd opt to stay in Bend, as Sunriver is more for families and retirees. There are plenty of great places to stay in Bend. Look into vacation rental homes for the 4 of you. Also, Bend has tons of great breweries for apres ski, as well as great shops downtown and along Galveston Ave.

In terms of travel, as hamellr stated, it shouldn't be a problem, although there have been a few times where travel from Government Camp to Madras (a town north of Bend) was snowpacked and very slow going. You'll want to make sure your rental car has chains, as they are required to carry in Oregon during the winter. I rarely have had to use them, but if you are flying into Portland, you'll have to travel up the pass (don't remember the name) to Mt. Hood.

What Delta said - Oregon, for a ton of reasons, doesn't have resorts right up next to the mountains and lifts (personally, I much prefer this). I'll just reiterate your need to stay in Bend while visiting Mt. Bachelor. 12 (or 13 now?) breweries, a few wineries, a distillery, bars, a downtown, 75k, lots of restaurants and pretty affordable vacation housing if you're looking for a 4 sleep house. It's a great town, overall.

For Mt. Hood, I've heard staying in Hood River is a good option, but I'm not too sure.

For fun, here's an interesting NYT article from 1987 on Mt. Bachelor: SKIING A VOLCANO IN THE DESERT - NYTimes.com


If you're really serious about your skiing (and it sounds like you all are) I'd check out the back country options in and around Bachelor/Bend. We've got 4 mountains besides Bachelor all over 9k (3 of which are over 10k) and a place called Tam Mcarthur Rim that has a yurt system run by these guys: Three Sisters Backcountry Inc. -- Ski Huts near Sisters, OR You can book guided tours with them, or just have em' snow mobile you out to the yurts. Either way. Also, if that sounds a little too rugged there's always Mt. Baliey's cat-skiing operation: Cat Ski Mt Bailey | Oregon's Premiere Backcountry Cat Skiing Operation (I can't vouch for this last option personally, but I've heard great things)