DESCHUTES COUNTY, Ore. — If you’ve never experienced Mount Bachelor in the summer, have they got something for you to try.
“It becomes a little bit of a quieter, smaller operation, but it allows us to create a really incredible experience for people,” said Mount Bachelor’s Kori Coggin. “Someone's either super excited and has done skydiving, all the things — or someone didn't have any idea what they booked for and now is totally scared!”
Coggin is the manager of the mountain’s ziptour, a two-hour experience spanning three ziplines, including the third and final 3,400-foot ride.
“The yurts are where you get fitted with your equipment… and then, you actually do a demo course right here in the base area,” Coggin explained.
Mount Bachelor has 18 tours per day, with up to eight people in a group. The demo area gets people comfortable with the gear and the self-braking mechanism on each zipline trolley.
After a quick how-to, you ride up the Pine Marten chairlift to reach the first zipline tower.
“It gets me out of my comfort zone a little bit, which I need!” said Nicole Weynands, visiting from Tri-Cities, Wash., with her family.
The views from mid-mountain are unbeatable. Your first two ziplines are each about 1,600 feet long. Guides go ahead of you at each station and relay hand signals to speed up, slow down or stop as you approach the next tower.
“The views here are spectacular. It's fun to see them as you go down,” said Peggy Bush, who lives in Bend. She was joined by her husband, Bob, and granddaughter, Olivia.
“It’s really not scary. I mean, the thought of it is scary, but once you do it, it's not scary. And my husband and I are old; we're doing it, so there you go!” Bush exclaimed.
Staring down the hillside from the top of the final zipline provides quite the sight. The 800-plus-foot vertical drop gives you a downhill experience unlike any other.
“It's fast, it's fun, it's exhilarating… this is the money maker right here,” said Coggin. “When you get to be outside and do an activity that's outside of your comfort zone, that makes your heart flutter a little bit. I think it attaches this positive memory to an experience outdoors, and it just makes you want to keep doing it again.”
“It was fantastic, exhilarating. I liked it,” Mark Weynands said. “They're really laid back, but they focus on safety, so you're never concerned at all during it. The last one: fast, really fast!”
“Fast but fun,” added Nicole. “It was just awesome. Highly recommend it!”
For reservations and pricing, visit Mount Bachelor's webpage.
"Let's Get Out There" airs once a week on KGW's 4 p.m. newscast and "The Good Stuff," which airs Monday-Thursday at 7 p.m. We're including viewer photos for this series. You can text your photos to 503-226-5088 or post them on the KGW Facebook page.