Ashland is located in southwest Oregon near the California border. The highest peak is Mount Siskiyou at 7,500 feet. Most ski runs are facing the north, keeping 300 inches of snow a year, fresh and deep.
There are 4 ski lifts, none of which are speed quads. Two levees, the Sonnet and the Count, serve as levees for enterprises. Windsor and Ariel set up the rest of the mountain. Ariel will take you to 7500 feet.
The mountain alone boasts about 1150 feet of vertical drop and covers 200 acres of skiiable terrain. Compared to this ski mountain, it is small. But what it lacks in size it makes difficult. Ski runs steep and fast. Over 50 percent of the mountain is considered an advanced expert.
I have skied in many different ski resorts and few are as challenging as Mr. Ashland I’d compare it to skiing in Taos, New Mexico. Of course, Taos is much richer and offers more escapes.
At the top of Ariel’s chair is an area simply called the bowl. The bay is made up of 4 chutes falling at about 60 degrees over two cubits. Often the wind comes on the south side of the mountain and can create some magnificent crowns on the rocks. You often have to climb down a ledge of snow and ice to get into the cradles. If you’ve ever skied in Jackson Hole Wyoming and seen or skied the Corbett Couloir, you understand what I’m talking about.
It’s a very unique bay that you don’t find in many big ski resorts. Even when the rest of the mountain is windy and icy, the bowl at Mount Ashland will remain well-skied.
Before the advent of snowboards, Mt Ashland boasted some of the best mogul runs in the west. Unfortunately, this is not the case. A few bumps here and there, but nothing like the roads that were there before the snow traps were made.
They are steep runs though and can create great skiable events. If you’re tired of the routine, you can always scroll down to trees. Be careful though, the trees are quite tight, and don’t dig them while you attack.
Mt Ashland gets a lot of snow this season, but not all of it gets down to 20 degree temperatures. In fact, plenty of good down to 31-degree humidity. Now and then a cold storm will pass and shed a light amount of dust, but these are few and far between. Ashland Mt skiing in difficult conditions used to slide. But when a ski master slides through the Siskiyou mud, you can’t slide anything.
Because of the difficult terrain and conditions, Mt Ashland is not the best place to learn to ski. Sonnet is a must-have for life, but it can be overwhelming and downright scary with all beginners. Count Spo is a little better, but some parts of the run are quite steep and startling. Comer also serves a lift at local snowboard parks.
This year, Mt Ashland is limiting the days it will be open for business. They used to be open 7 days a week, although they are not open on Mondays or Tuesdays this year. It is a shame that on the best days they go to the head and avoid the crowds. Of course, that’s why they wanted to close these days.
If you’re up for a challenge and want to try some Oregon skiing, Mt Ashland is a good place to remember. I don’t want to go all the way around, but it’s great to skip a day or two.
