Oregon Public Broadcasting

Skiers reacted Friday to new expansion plans from Oregon’s largest ski resort.

Late last week, Mount Bachelor released its possible development plan for the next decade. Those plans include more hiking and biking trails in the summer.

Spokesman Alex Kaufman says, as a skier, he is most excited about a possible new ski lift on the east side of the mountain.

Alex Kaufman: “Obviously, when the storms come in from the Pacific, they come in from the West. And that makes Northwest and the Outback area susceptible to higher winds and an inability to run that terrain on occasion. Whereas, the east side is much more protected. This will hopefully offer a better skiing experience at Mt. Bachelor on a lot of the storm days.”

Kaufman stresses these plans are very preliminary. They could change -- and still must receive approval from the U.S. Forest Service.

Mt Bachelor staff will hold a series of meetings to show the plan to the public.

Those public meetings will occur over the next three weeks in Bend, Sunriver, and Portland.