RESORT PROFILE
Tucked deep in the Rogue River-
Siskiyou National Forest in
southern Oregon, Mt. Ashland
Ski Area has been attracting ski-ers
for more than 50 years, inspiring
a level of loyalty and passion that has
overcome many obstacles threatening
its very existence.
At 7,532 feet above sea level, Mount
Ashland is the highest peak in the
Siskiyou Range, the northernmost
sub-range of the Klamath Mountain
Range, stretching from the southwest
corner of Oregon into northwest-ern
California.
Local backcountry skiers had been
enjoying the mountain’s challenging
upper flanks during the 1940s and 50’s,
and in 1963 they banded together to
further develop roads, clear runs and
install one chair lift, a T-bar and a rope
tow on the north side of the mountain.
At the base area, sitting at 6,383 feet –
a vertical drop from the peak of about
1,150 feet – they built the lodge and
parking area.
During the years that followed, the
ski area changed hands several times,
plagued by random years of low snow-fall
in the Mediterranean climate of
southern Oregon. After a drought that
lasted from 1988 to 1991, bankruptcy
threatened. In an all-out grassroots
effort to prevent closure, the local
community raised $2 million to purchase
the ski area and the non-profit Mount
Ashland Association was created to
maintain and operate the ski area.
Today, almost 30 years later, this
thriving ski area has two triple chairlifts,
two double chairs and a rope tow for the
beginners’ area. From mid-December
to late April, skiers can access 23 trails
over 220 acres with 40 acres of those
trails available for night skiing. The wide
variety of terrain is further enhanced by
The Bowl – a lift-serviced glacial cirque
offering the challenge of steep chutes
and tree skiing. Three recently added
high-definition live-streaming webcams
bring views of the slopes to anywhere in
the world.
One hundred and thirty seasonal
workers plus several full-time staff,
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