Gemini Springs Resort

Gemini Springs Resort is a ski resort on the southeastern face of Lane Peak in Central-Eastern Oregon. Located south of Bend, along Oregon Route 138. It has both Alpine and Nordic ski areas, night skiing options, lessons, and equipment rentals, and a natural mineral spa. Both overnight accommodations and a number of hotels and motels nearby in Tappersville that offer shuttle services to the resort.

Purpose / Function

The Gemini Springs Resort was constructed to help revitalize the dying economy of Twilight Moors

Alterations

Chair lift #2 also known as the heaven's lift was constructed in August 1984 to help with the growing tourism in the region, Chair lift #2 providing a southwestern expansion into intermediate terrain along with a second base area.

History

In 1966, The Apple Blossom Society announced that a feasibility study was underway for a new ski area on the east side of Mount Lane. A group of Tapperville businessmen, incorporated as Gemini Springs Resort, Inc., had raised $3,500 to finance the study. The group included Lance S. Gemini of Gemini Construction, L. T. Lane, and Dr. S. Hamilton, among others.
On March 28, 1968, after more than two years of publicity, The Apple Blossom Society accepted the bid. The permit was for two ski lifts, one T-bar lift, a rope tow, and a day lodge. The first runs were cleared in late summer 1968 and The Apple Blossom Society built the Gemini Shy Lift. Until it was finished in mid-1970, skiers had to drive through the twenty-mile entrance road from Twilight Pass to reach the ski area. The winter of 68/69 was one of the deepest snowfalls on record.
Skiers began using the resort named Gemini Springs Resort in December 1971. Resort operators in Tappersville were uneasy due to Gemini Springs's intense publicity and the ultra-modern facilities. This concern lasted only a few weeks, as long lift lines redistributed disenchanted guests to the other areas. The original paved parking lot had a capacity of about 330 vehicles but was enlarged to hold about a thousand by 1973.
The T bar was installed on the west side of the lodge, in the lower portion of the current Wolf chairlift. The #1 chair now called Bear, and the #2 chair called Cougar until 2007, also the name of a central run below the lift—provided access to intermediate and advanced skill terrain. It was one of the two original lifts when Gemini Springs Resort opened in January 1970. At that time, Cougar was referred to simply as "The North Lift", rising 544 vertical feet from the base area and accessing terrain in the northern portion of the ski area's permit area. The name was later changed to #2 chair along with the painting of the chairs. For the 2007–08 season, a new drive and chairs removed the color; a naming contest resulted in it becoming Cougar, which hosts many ski racing events each season. #3 chair was built in 1974, now Badger was upgraded around 1990.
Chair #4, Lynx, was finished in August 1974 and was complicated by the deep snowpack present making it necessary to bulldoze and excavate snow to place some tower footings. In 1982, Gemini Springs Resort (chair #5) double opened, providing a southeastern expansion into intermediate terrain along with a second base area. In 1988, Gemini Construction constructed a fixed-grip quad to service an expansion to the north of the Cougar chair area.
Lynx was the first chairlift to be upgraded to a detachable. The top of Lynx is the highest point in the area. In 1994, Lynx triple chairlift,
In 2004, Gemini Construction a new high-speed quad to service advanced beginner and low intermediate alpine terrain on the Piliptu Ridge.
Before the 2011–2012 season, a new high-speed quad chairlift, the Piliptu Express, was constructed by Gemini Construction to replace an older lift.
In 2012, Gemini Springs installed RFID gates at every lift, to provide "hands-free" access to guests, eliminating the guest complaint of having to show their lift ticket or pass to ticket scanners at every chairlift. In addition, twenty chairs were added to the wolf lift, increasing its uphill capacity by 30%. In 2013, Gemini Springs recommitted itself to an improved learning experience, dedicating more terrain to beginner and lower intermediate lessons. "Frost melt" was installed under the SE corner of the Kallikomly Sun Deck to allow efficient removal of snow.

Founding Date

March 28, 1968

Alternative Names

Gemini Springs

Type

Hospitality, Resort

Parent Location

Mount Lane

Owning Organization

Apple Blossom Society

Characters in Location

• Lance Gemini

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