Mt. Ashland Ski Area
I didn’t grow up skiing — downhill or cross-country. The few times I went, I mostly fell down, cursed, and then mixed up my skis in the process of somehow becoming vertical again. But I’ve always been enamored of the idea of it. There’s a mystique, isn’t there — coming in from the slopes, cold and tired, to warm up with a hot toddy and gaze out those big windows at the drifting snow.
Luckily, there’s a place just 30 minutes from the door of the Chanticleer Inn where I can (at the ripe young age of 55) give the slopes another try, and it happens to be a special, unique, kind of homey resort. Here’s a short list of pros and cons from what I’ve gleaned about our local ski resort, just up the hill:
Pros:
If you happen to be an advanced skier, Mt. Ashland offers surprisingly extensive advanced, or even expert terrain. As locals say, “it skis a lot bigger than it looks.”
Mount Ashland is the tallest mountain in the Siskiyou Range and one of the tallest in the region, and it provides incredible views of the surrounding area. Take in glimpses of volcanic Pilot Rock and Mt. Shasta, snow clad in winter and majestic. Beautiful, wooded slopes in the lower regions and wind-swept trees up top make the scenery spectacular.
Mt. Ashland is a rare nonprofit and incredibly affordable in an age where the price of a lift tickets in many other resorts is making it inaccessible to all but the rich. It has a very welcoming, accessible feel too — and the people are great.
Cons:
The offerings for beginning and early intermediate skiers are not as extensive, although there are well-priced lessons for beginners and a nice bunny slope. You can get plenty of practice there and on a few other beginner and early intermediate slopes before you try to make the leap to the more advanced ones.
Did I say small? Yes, but for a day trip of two, there is plenty to keep any skier occupied, and they’ve added more lifts recently (up to 6, last I heard).
Other perks? There’s a historic lodge offering a full service Cafe and Bar. I think I mentioned that my favorite part of this skiing fantasy is the apres-ski beverage. And if, like me, you chicken out at the last minute, you can just leave your car in the lot and head out on a cross-country, snow-shoeing, or hiking adventure with the extensive trails found in the Grouse-Gap Sno-Park (followed by that after-adventure drink in the lodge!).
Find out everything you need to know from their website here:
Or, check out these reviews:
https://www.onthesnow.com/oregon/mount-ashland/ski-resort
https://www.peakrankings.com/content/mount-ashland
And if you book your stay at the Chanticleer, we’ll give you 20% off lift tickets! We’re proud lodging partners with Mt. Ashland, and looking forward to hosting young skiers at this coming March’s High School Alpine State Championships!