The Mt. Ashland Ski Area is located eight miles off of I-5 in the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon, near Ashland - about halfway between San Francisco, CA and Portland, OR. Annual snowfall reaches over 300 inches, providing enough powder for skiing and snowboarding all winter long. The area has 23 trails in addition to chute skiing in a glacial cirque called the 'bowl', and a newly-completed half pipe.
Area locals built the Lodge, Ariel chairlift, and a T-bar and rope tow in 1963. The Southern Oregon State College Foundation managed the ski area in the mid 70s. Dick Hicks, a local businessman, purchased the ski area in 1977 and raised the funds to build the Windsor chair lift in 1978. The area passed to Harbor Properties of Seattle in 1983, which brought the installation of night lighting, a vehicle shop and Sonnet and Comer chair lifts. Donor-restricted contributions and a grant from the Oregon Economic Development fund brought the ski area came under community ownership in 1991.
Lift tickets range in price from US$12 for a youth (up to 17 years of age) nighttime lift ticket up to a relatively inexpensive US$29 all-day all-lift ticket. Ski rentals range from US$12 for a half-day, skis only, up to US$25 for a full kit (skis, boots, and poles). Similar packages for snowboarding run from US$20 to US$35. The resort also provides lessons, which begin at US$18 for either skiing or snowboarding (for group lessons) and run up to US$175 for a full day of private lessons. The resort provides a ski bus which ferries people from Grants Pass, Medford or Ashland to the slopes for US$8 round trip.