Mount Ashland Ski Area facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mt. Ashland Ski Area |
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 Mt. Ashland Ski Area
Location in Oregon
Mt. Ashland Ski Area
Location in the United States
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| Location | Mount Ashland, Oregon |
| Nearest city | Ashland, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 42°5′0″N 122°43′0″W / 42.08333°N 122.71667°W |
| Top elevation | 7,500 feet (2,286 m) |
| Base elevation | 6,350 feet (1,940 m) |
| Skiable area | 240 acres (97 ha) |
| Runs | 23 total 15% beginner 35% intermediate 50% advancedplus open bowl skiing |
| Longest run | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
| Lift system | 5 chairlifts |
| Terrain parks | 2 |
| Snowfall | 368 in (930 cm) |
| Snowmaking | none |
| Night skiing | Yes |
| Website | MtAshland.com |
Mount Ashland Ski Area is a fun place to ski and snowboard! It's located on Mount Ashland, which is about 7,532 feet high. This ski area has 44 trails spread across 200 acres. You can get around using five different ski lifts.
The mountain gets about 235 inches of snow each year. The ski season usually runs from early December until mid-April. There are trails for everyone, from beginners to experts. About 7% of the trails are for beginners, 41% are for intermediate skiers, 41% are for advanced skiers, and 11% are for experts. There's even a special area called The Bowl with challenging terrain.
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A Ski Area for Everyone
Mt. Ashland is a special ski area because it's run by a non-profit group called the Mt. Ashland Association. This means they focus on helping the community, not just making money. Their goal is to offer a great skiing and snowboarding experience for people of all ages and skill levels.
One cool program they have is the After School Youth Program. It helps local kids learn to ski or snowboard at a low cost, or even for free! This makes winter sports accessible to more young people.
The Story of Mount Ashland Ski Area
The story of Mt. Ashland Ski Area began in the 1950s. Back then, people who loved to ski in the wild mountains would visit this area. Some of these passionate skiers even helped build the first lodge and a ski lift in 1963.
The ski area officially opened to the public on January 11, 1964. Before that, from 1961 to 1963, a group called the Mount Ashland Corporation worked hard to get things ready. They cleared trees, shaped the land, built roads, and set up the first ski facilities. This included the ski lodge, the Ariel chairlift, a T-bar lift, and a rope tow. A local businessman named Glenn Jackson gave a lot of money to help build the lodge.
In 1970, the original Mount Ashland Corporation stopped running the ski area. The Southern Oregon College Foundation took over. This happened after people in Jackson County helped buy the ski area's assets.
Later, in 1977, Dick Hicks bought the ski area and named it Ski Ashland, Inc. He added the Windsor chairlift, which was a big improvement over the old T-Bar. In 1983, a company from Seattle bought Ski Ashland. They added lights for night skiing and a vehicle repair shop over the next few years.
In 1987, two more new chairlifts were installed. The Comer chairlift replaced a smaller T-Bar, and the Sonnet chairlift replaced an older Poma lift. Both of these were triple chairlifts, meaning they could carry three people at once.
A big change happened in 1991. The owners planned to move the chairlifts to another ski area and close Mt. Ashland. But the community didn't want that to happen! A group called "Save Mt. Ashland" started a campaign to buy the ski area. People donated money, and the City of Ashland helped by getting a grant. The city bought Ski Ashland and then asked a new non-profit group, the Mount Ashland Association (MAA), to manage and run it.
Since 1992, the Mt. Ashland Association has been in charge. They've continued to improve the ski area. In 2007 and 2016, Mt. Ashland even hosted the high school state championships for ski racing in Oregon.
In 2017, Mt. Ashland became the first ski area in the world to get "STOKE certified." This means they operate in a way that is good for the environment and the community.
The ski area had a record-breaking winter in 2023, with 128,625 visitors! That's a lot of people enjoying the snow. In 2024, a brand new chairlift called the Lithia chairlift was finished and opened for the 2024-25 season. This was made possible by a very generous gift from Karen and Sid DeBoer.
The Mt. Ashland Association still runs the ski area for everyone to enjoy. They offer many programs, like the discounted School Youth Program, the ACCESS Ski & Ride for Hunger day, Pride Ride, and Bavarian Night.
Growing and Improving
Mt. Ashland has been working to make the ski area even better. In the 1990s, they tried to add more trails and lifts. A plan was approved to help them expand.
In 2014, they added hundreds of new parking spaces. They also started putting up snow fences on the mountain and making some trails wider. From 2016 to 2022, they finished many projects from their master plan, including more snow fencing, wider trails, and better utilities.
In 2023, they announced the building of the Lithia Chairlift, which is part of their expansion. This new chairlift was made possible by a huge gift of $2.5 million from Sid and Karen DeBoer. Future plans include a tubing area, a new lodge, and even more upgraded chairlifts.
Fun Beyond Skiing
Mount Ashland isn't just for winter sports! It's also a popular spot in the summer. People come here for hiking, mountain biking, and just to enjoy the beautiful views.
The Pacific Crest Trail, a famous long-distance hiking trail, passes by the south and east sides of the mountain. There are also some challenging running events. The Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run starts in Ashland and goes all the way up to the summit of Mt. Ashland. It's over 13 miles long and climbs a mile in height!
Another event is the Siskiyou Out Back, which includes three super long trail runs (ultramarathons) that start and end at the ski area parking lot. The Mt. Ashland Trail Run also starts at the parking lot, goes to the summit, and then back down.
The Mt. Ashland lodge is open in the summers too. You can get food and drinks there, and they sometimes host special events.
Weather at Mount Ashland
The weather at Mount Ashland Ski Area is a type of mountain climate. It gets a lot of rain and snow, even though it's near an area that usually doesn't get much rain. This is because of its high elevation.
The highest temperature ever recorded at the ski area was 97°F, and the lowest was a very chilly -18°F. On average, it gets over 60 inches of rain and about 223 inches of snow each year.
| Climate data for Mt. Ashland Ski Area Lodge (6,400 ft.) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 61 (16) |
63 (17) |
68 (20) |
79 (26) |
86 (30) |
97 (36) |
94 (34) |
95 (35) |
91 (33) |
82 (28) |
65 (18) |
58 (14) |
97 (36) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 31 (−1) |
37 (3) |
41 (5) |
47 (8) |
58 (14) |
65 (18) |
75 (24) |
74 (23) |
67 (19) |
55 (13) |
39 (4) |
31 (−1) |
52 (11) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 11 (−12) |
15 (−9) |
18 (−8) |
19 (−7) |
26 (−3) |
33 (1) |
38 (3) |
37 (3) |
31 (−1) |
23 (−5) |
18 (−8) |
13 (−11) |
24 (−4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −14 (−26) |
−12 (−24) |
−3 (−19) |
2 (−17) |
12 (−11) |
14 (−10) |
18 (−8) |
17 (−8) |
12 (−11) |
0 (−18) |
−6 (−21) |
−18 (−28) |
−18 (−28) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 9.52 (242) |
7.66 (195) |
7.02 (178) |
4.80 (122) |
2.67 (68) |
1.19 (30) |
0.78 (20) |
0.95 (24) |
1.34 (34) |
5.14 (131) |
10.73 (273) |
11.88 (302) |
63.68 (1,619) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 66 (170) |
59 (150) |
52 (130) |
16 (41) |
2.6 (6.6) |
0.8 (2.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.8 (2.0) |
8 (20) |
79 (200) |
84 (210) |
223 (570) |
| Source: Weather.com: | |||||||||||||
Images for kids
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Looking north from near the summit
More Information
- Mount Ashland Ski Area, official website
- Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest
- Spring Thaw mountain bike festival
- Callahan's Challenge Hill Climb Time Trial Series
- Jean Chinn Memorial Mount Ashland Hill Climb Race
- Siskiyou Out Back
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