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Mount Ashland ski area is located on Mount Ashland and features 23 trails on served by four lifts, in addition to chute skiing in a glacial cirque called The Bowl. The mountain receives over of snow annually with a season from early December until mid-April. Half of the terrain is rated as advanced, and 15% is rated beginner. == History == During the 1950s, the mountain was a popular destination for local back country ski enthusiasts, some of whom built the lodge and one lift in 1963. In the 1970s, the area was managed by the Southern Oregon College Foundation (now Southern Oregon University) until it was purchased by Dick Hicks, a local businessman, in 1977. In 1983, the ski area was sold to Harbor Properties of Seattle, the owners of Stevens Pass Ski Area. Two new lifts were built during their ownership and night skiing lights were installed. In 1991, the City of Ashland purchased the ski resort through a community fundraising campaign and a grant from the Oregon Economic Development Fund. The slogan of the community fundraising campaign was "Save Mount Ashland." In 1929 the City of Ashland got the Forest Service to agree that the city would participate in any forest management that might impact water quality of the Ashland Creek watershed, the city's sole municipal water supply. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s backcountry skiing on Mount Ashland grew in popularity among local residents, prompting some to envision a developed ski area. During 1961 to 1963, the Mount Ashland Corporation raised money to clear trees, grade terrain, build roads, and develop a ski area. It includes a ski lodge, the Ariel chairlift, a T-bar lift, and a rope tow on the north face of the mountain. Medford businessman Glenn Jackson provided more than half of the $120,000 that financed construction of the lodge. In 1970, after three consecutive years of winter drought deprived the mountain of adequate snowfall to continue operations, the Mount Ashland Corporation folded. The Southern Oregon College Foundation took over management the ski area after the people of Jackson County financed the purchase of ski area resources in the first of two public bailouts in the operation's history. In 1975, the City of Ashland signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with USFS in which the city agreed to hire consultants to monitor conditions in the Ashland Creek watershed and USFS agreed to implement any measures necessary to maintain watershed quality. In 1977, Dick Hicks purchased the ski area from Jackson County and incorporated it as Ski Ashland, Inc. In 1978, Ski Ashland installed the Windsor chairlift. The monitoring effort led by USFS Ashland district ranger, Glendon Jefferies, observed the East Fork of Ashland Creek flowing "a solid reddish brown" below the ski area. Jefferies wrote to Ski Ashland in 1978, "The Mount Ashland Ski Area is a major source of sediment pollution in the East Fork of Ashland Creek." A 1979 report by James Montgomery to the city administrator made a similar finding. In 1983, Harbor Properties of Seattle purchased Ski Ashland from Hicks. Over the next four years, Harbor developed on-slope lighting, a vehicle shop, and the Sonnet and Comer chair lifts. Drought struck again in 1988–1991 and skier use declined. In 1991 a grassroots effort raised two million dollars to save Mount Ashland from bankruptcy. Money for the purchase came from donor restricted contributions and a grant from the Oregon Economic Development Fund channeled through the City of Ashland. The city accepted donated funds and purchased Ski Ashland from Harbor Properties. The city then hired Mount Ashland Association (MAA), a newly formed non-profit corporation, to maintain and operate the ski area. In 1992, the City of Ashland entered a lease agreement with MAA. The lease expires on June 30, 2017, with an option to be renewed or terminated. In 2005, the City of Ashland requested that MAA cooperate with it to create a quality assurance panel to assure proper implementation of watershed mitigation, as well as provide a business plan showing capital expenditure and operating projections for the planned expansion. In August 2006, MAA responded to the city's request with an abbreviated business plan. MAA declined to release many financial details publicly, citing obligations to stakeholders. In September 2006, the City of Ashland hired an attorney to represent public interests to MAA, which in turn vowed to sue the city for violating the lease agreement that allows MAA to operate the city-owned ski area. In October 2006, the city revoked MAA authority to deal directly with USFS on matters related to the approved expansion and MAA was informed that no construction or logging will be allowed until a proper business plan is submitted. In September 2007, the Ashland City Council voted to empower the City Administrator to negotiate a transfer of the Special-use permit authorizing ski area operation on national forest land to MAA in return for unspecified concessions. On March 14, 2014, it was announced that the ski area would not open for the season due to lack of snow.〔http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2014/03/mount_ashland_gearing_up_to_ce.html〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mount Ashland Ski Area」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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