The mountain has spent months updating the lodge, trimming trails and adding a new bus to its fleet. All to get ready for when mother nature brings snows.
“I’ve been here where there’s no snow, nothing and then the next day, it’s dumped like two feet,” Steven Herrera, Ashland resident, said.
Both Mt. Ashland Ski Area and mountain-goers are watching the skies for the first hint of winter.
“Only mother nature really can determine when we open. We don’t make snow here, so we rely on that natural snow,” Hiram Towle, general manager, said.
Towle is going into his fifth season at Mt. Ashland Ski Area. Mother nature-willing, he hopes to open lodge doors the second Saturday of December. However, the off season isn’t a break for crews on the mountain. They’ve been updating the old lodge with new siding and paint.
“It’s a historic building and was starting to show her age, so we invested nearly two million dollars in the lodge over the last couple years,” Towle said.
Along with a new look, more guests than ever will be shuttled up the mountain.
“We finally figured out the secret sauce, which was really frequent and free,” Towle said.
Two new school buses will operate on the hour during weekends and holidays, picking up skiers at Ashland Hills Hotel off exit 14.
“It kind of takes pressure off of people who either don’t have a vehicle that they care to drive up here or maybe they’re intimidated by the access road or maybe, you know. It’s people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get up here,” Towle said.
If you ever wanted your office to be the mountains, Mt. Ashland Ski Area is currently hiring. Positions include ski instructors, cashiers, lodge crew, lift operators and more. Find out how to apply at their website: https://www.mtashland.com/employment/
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