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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories What does Uncle Foods weekly dinner mean to you? A place for food and fellowship Mother's Day brunch supports World Peace and Prayer Day Walker School in Ashland celebrates Day of the Child with fair and dinner Police Reports Education Ashland Middle School students put their Spanish-speaking skills to the test Grizzlies claim speech championship Levy backers eye final push Neal Simon: This is a test Grade-school philanthropist Environment Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Stopping fire in its tracks Some trails, roads remain closed due to controlled burn Earth Day: Hope for our 'pale blue dot' Adjustments, contributions keep Mt. 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Walker School in Ashland celebrates Day of the Child with fair and dinner ... SKI AREA Adjustments, contributions keep Mt. Ashland on course Nonprofit operation made enough this year and cut enough expenses to avoid having to get another loan Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Apr. 27, 2015 at 4:46 PM Updated Apr 28, 2015 at 1:47 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Apr. 27, 2015 at 4:46 PM Updated Apr 28, 2015 at 1:47 PM What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter. » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter . » Social News Although Mt. Ashland was only open for 42 percent of a normal season, it countered that by saving on expenses by 33 percent — and is now working on getting U.S. Forest Service approval for a range of summer activities, including a zipline, rock climbing, disc (Frisbee) golf, geocaching and extreme jumping, to help the drought-plagued ski area balance its budget. That’s the year-end report card of Mt. Ashland General Manager Hiram Towle as he sells early pre-season passes at $299 for adults — $200 below the in-season price and $100 below the autumn price. The spring sale ends Thursday, April 30. For 38 days of the 2014-15 season, Mt. Ashland had budgeted gross sales of $2 million. Despite falling "far short of that," the adjustments have left the nonprofit Mt. Ashland Association that's run the ski area since 1992 “in a fairly healthy cash position,” meaning money in the bank. They also brought in $150,000 in charitable donations over the winter from the community. All this has enabled Mt. Ashland to avoid taking out lines of credit, which many small ski areas must do, he said. (This paragraph has been changed to reflect that the ski area did not achieve its budgeted income for the season.) Summer recreation is moving forward, and “a scoping letter will be sent by the Forest Service soon as the next step toward getting us operating in more than just four months a year," according to Towle. "Many ski areas are doing this. In fact only 27 percent of ski areas in the U.S. do not have summer operations.” (This paragraph has been changed to reflect that the scoping letter will be sent by the Forest Service, not to the Forest Service.) Selling early season passes helps Mt. Ashland get through the summer and they hope to sell over 1,000 by the end of the month. A bulge in sales, up to 50 percent of total, usually happens in the last few days, he says. Towle painted no rosy picture of Mt. Ashland’s future, noting that with iffy weather and rising insurance costs, small ski areas are going out of business every day. However, he adds, “We will never be able to weatherproof Mt. Ashland, but we’re farming (moving) snow out of the parking lot to places where it’s needed, trimming the slopes (for safe skiing in smaller snowpack) and diversifying summer operations, aiming those for 2016.”  The ski area is also looking at concerts and expanding the hosting of weddings and yoga retreats for the more distant future, he says. Bicycling using the ski lifts has been ruled out because of steepness. The ski area was unable to open during the winter of 2013-2014 due to a lack of snow. It took out a $750,000 Small Business Administration disaster loan to stay afloat. Climate change Asked if climate change figured into the long-range planning of Mt. Ashland, Towle said, “You bet it does,” but he adds that climate change does not always mean warmer and drier, as shown by New England, where he came from. It just had all-time record snowfall and cold after a dozen years of the opposite.  Mt. Ashland had just 71 inches of snow during its season — down from 101 inches for its non-season the year before and well down from the longer-range average of 300 inches. (This paragraph has been changed to correct the amount of snow that fell each of the last two seasons.) “Our goal is to be environmentally sustainable for the future,” he notes. “I believe climate change is upon us and will bring change ... If it remains dry and warm, we are prepared. We have the second highest base elevation of ski areas in Oregon. (Climate change) is clearly something to worry about.” (This paragraph has been changed to clarify that climate change, not the base elevation, is something to worry about.) Towle says they’re focusing on heightened efficiency and planning for every eventuality, including low snow. “We’re absolutely confident,” he says, adding that much of the doubt in the community is “a perception issue,” with some people even asking him if he opened this season.  “Diversifying is crucial to any business that can suffer downturns in their business, and we intend to generate revenue in our off season to undergird our ski area operations.” John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Apr. 27, 2015 at 4:46 PM Updated Apr 28, 2015 at 1:47 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. 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