In 1976, Mount Bachelor's founder, Bill Healy, approved a one-page proposal creating a cross-county ski area at the resort. What began with a seven-kilometer loop on Dutchman Flat evolved into one of the nation's premier Nordic ski areas and a training ground for numerous Olympians.

Join Mount Bachelor's first Nordic director, Bob Mathews, and local author Glenn Voelz as they discuss the history of cross-country skiing in Central Oregon and Mount Bachelor's Nordic Center.

Bob Mathews moved to Bend in 1973 and worked as a ski instructor at Mount Bachelor. In 1976, he presented a one-page memorandum to the resort's founder, Bill Healy, proposing to create a cross-country ski area. Over the next twenty years, Mathews led Mount Bachelor's cross-country ski program and developed it into one of the premiere Nordic ski areas in the United States and a training ground for numerous Olympians.

Glenn Voelz is a professional ski patroller at the Mount Bachelor Nordic Center and the author of Mount Bachelor: A History. He specializes in Oregon's outdoor recreation history. Glenn served for 25 years in Army intelligence at NATO, the Pentagon, the White House, and abroad.

Enjoy 15% off your hotel stay on History Pub nights! Show your ticket at check-in.

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp