Mt. Ashland Ski Area hopes to add "bonus days" with record snow

Ashland, Ore. — Wind gusts of up to 55 miles per hour, had Mt. Ashland Ski Area crews making the tough call to close the mountain on a holiday weekend. The closure marks the sixth of the season due to weather related issues. But it’s still shaping up to be one of the best season’s in history, with ski days, and ski visits all up.

“I can’t think of a year where we had this many powder days in quite a lot of history,” general manager Hiram Towle says, “so in fact we’ve already exceeded last year’s snow total of 278 inches, we’ve already exceeded that and we’re only halfway through the season.”

The mountain opened 4 days early this season, and with winter weather expected to continue they anticipate an extended season this spring. The slopes are usually open until the second week of April, but if people keep showing up, they’ll keep the mountain open as long as possible.