A Mt. Ashland Ski Area season that started early and has seen above average snowfall has brought strong attendance, but the nonprofit resort also had its challenging moments. Abundant snowfall will allow the area to extend the season with two additional weekends to include April 19-20 and April 26-27.
Hundreds of high school ski racers tested their skill and endurance competing in the Alpine Ski Racing State Championships at Mt. Ashland Ski Area from Wednesday to Friday. More than 350 young athletes from across Oregon took part in the three-day event, including a warmup day and two days of competition.
The best high school downhill skiers from around Oregon will converge at the Mt. Ashland Ski Area Wednesday through Friday for the Oregon High School 2024-2025 Alpine Ski Racing State Championships.
Uncertainty reigns because the federal government’s freeze on funding government programs is creating myriad concerns, including the possibility that funding for trail work on popular national forests in Southern Oregon and far Northern California may not be provided.
Erik Oline, a 2017 graduate of Ashland High School, finished the Yukon Quest 450 dog sled race Feb. 6. The race started and finished in Teslin, Canada, and covered 450 miles through the beautiful wintry Yukon Territory. Erik brought home the “Red Lantern” award, which is given to the final finisher of the race.
A wide and wild variety of events are planned in coming days, weeks and months by the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center. This Friday, KS Wild and Rogue Riverkeeper invite people attending Ashland’s First Friday Art Walk to see an exhibit by Lindy Kehoe, “Spirits of the Siskiyous.”
A 76-year-old man died after colliding with a tree at Mt. Ashland Ski Area on Friday morning, according to a ski area news release. The helmeted skier, whose name was not released, was on Windsor Chairline, a trail categorized as “most difficult,” the release said.
The Siskiyou Mountain Club, an Ashland-based nonprofit, is hiring interns to serve on the nonprofit’s Wilderness Conservation Corps trail crew for the 2025 season. Over the years interns have come from all over the country. They work directly with stewardship professionals to rebuild trails on national forests throughout the Pacific Northwest.
It’s not necessary to call it a day of skiing or snowboarding at Mt. Ashland Ski Area when the clock strikes 4. Beginning Thursday, Jan. 9, a “Twilight Skiing and Riding” period will give skiers and riders time to explore several lighted trails.
Mt. Ashland Ski Area reopened Ariel Chair on Thursday, Dec. 26. The chair had been closed for repairs after Ariel Chair Tower 8 was struck by a fallen tree that forced the chairlift’s closure at the start of the winter season.
Owen Johnson: While it may be tempting to be unproblematic in the face of threats of violence, this is the desired effect. The most effective form of counter-protest is for local communities to monitor ICE activity.
Although many large regional theaters host students on their own campuses, only a few maintain educational outreach programs like OSF’s because of the high cost of school visits.
MLK Jr.: “Malcolm was still turning and growing at the time of his brutal and meaningless assassination. . . . Like the murder of Lumumba, the murder of Malcolm X deprives the world of a potentially great leader. I could not agree with either of these men, but I could see in them a capacity for leadership which I could respect, and which was just beginning to mature in judgment and statesmanship.”
Obituary: Cheryl Rae Gilliam Minoletti passed away Tuesday, Jan. 20 following complications from heart surgery. She was 68. Infectious laughter, warmth, and compassion were felt by those who knew her. A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, March 28, in Eagle Point.
The Ashland Independent Film Festival will spotlight homegrown talent Saturday, Feb. 21, during its revived Local Lens Spotlight at the Varsity Theatre. The one-night program features 13 short films by filmmakers from Jackson and Siskiyou counties, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and crew.
Evan Frost, ecologist and conservationist, passed away Dec. 12, 2025.
(It’s free)
