Page 64 - FLIPBOOK ALL SOM WINTER 2022_Neat

neck of the woods | theatre
t he g o o d l if e | a dv ent ur e

STEEP AND DEEP

carving out local mountain charm
at mt. ashland for over 57 years

by km collins ezra marcos

ogue Valley locals have been quenching their thirst
for powder on Mount Ashland’s steep and deep
slopes since the ski area first opened in 1964. With
Ra summit at 7,533 feet, Mount Ashland is the high-
est point, and many say the crown Elizabethan jewel, of the
Siskiyou Mountain Range. Beginner to expert, this charming
winter playground welcomes skiers and snowboarders from
near and far with four lifts and over 240 acres of varied ter-
rain including a summit bowl with five chutes, 23 distinct
trails, forest glens to ski the trees, and 1,150 feet of verti-
cal drop from peak to parking lot. While some might call
it compact, Mt. Ashland offers a lot for being community
owned. Most terrain is on the intermediate to advanced side
and surprisingly technical and challenging.

In the formerly magma, now granitic, igneous heart of
Rogue-River Siskiyou National Forest, the Siskiyou Range
is a subrange of the Klamath Mountains which cross state
lines running from northwestern California into southwest-
ern Oregon. An intrusive pluton later carved by glaciers,
the mass known as Mount Ashland is composed of diorite,
granodiorite in addition to granite—a rocky alpine recipe
not unlike that of Yosemite, though at an elevation and on a
parallel where it captures far more seasonal snowfall. From
December through April, Mt. Ashland averages 265 inches
of snow per year.

Mt. Ashland is no more than a half-hour drive (23 miles)
from the hamlet of Ashland, home to Southern Oregon
University and the annual, one-of-a-kind cult-classic Oregon
Shakespeare Festival. Check out the town for dining, lodg-
ing, and a world-renowned bustling arts scene.

Following in the ski tracks of the famed Oregon Shakespeare
Festival, Mt. Ashland’s trails share names with Elizabethan

62 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | winter 2022