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Snowstorm halts I-5 traffic photo by Roy Musitelli By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A whiteout at Interstate 5's Siskiyou pass halted southbound traffic Wednesday, forcing some truckers to camp out along the freeway. Many semi trucks stopped on the shoulder miles short of the freeway's chain-up area at milepost 11. Some truckers said that even if the freeway was open, the risk involved with getting over the pass just wasn't worth it. 'It's not that important for us," said Linda Mendes of Carson City, Nev. "Safety is first." Ski Ashland opens Friday Wednesday's big storm provided more than enough new snow to assure that Ski Ashland will open Friday. The Mount Shasta Board and Ski Park announced it will open Wednesday. At least a foot of new snow fell during the day on Mount Ashland, manager Jeff Hanson said at dusk, but with all the wind it was impossible to say exactly how much snow came down. "We'll be open," Hanson said. Forecasts of more storms to come through Monday or Tuesday suggest deep snow could greet skiers on Mount Shasta's opening day, said marketing director Scott Ferguson. "The inches are piling up and turning into feet rapidly," Ferguson said. Mount Bachelor reported 11 inches of new snow at mid-day, with a base of 51 inches at West Village and 42 inches at mid-mountain. Diamond Lake Resort reported good conditions and more snow falling Wednesday for its winter season. She and her husband Benny were hauling Christmas trees south from McMinnville when the weather forced them to pull their truck over just past the I-5 Mountain Avenue overpass at Ashland. Their load of Douglas, Noble and Grand fir trees was scheduled to arrive today at a friend's tree lot in the San Francisco area. Because of the weather, they will be late, but the trip is more like a vacation for the couple than a chore. With the valley's major truck stops full for the night, the Mendeses planned to wait out the storm in their sleeper cab parked on the side of the road. The have plenty of food, water and the cab stays toasty with the truck's engine running. "It's home away from home; it's very comfortable," said Linda, as she wiped beads of water from the window seals with a grubby paper towel, her hands stained red from the gloves she donned to help Benny chain up their truck's tires. Even with chains, southbound cars and trucks weren't going far past the south Ashland exit after California highway officials asked the Oregon Department of Transportation to close the I-5 Siskiyou pass Wednesday. A California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said the closure was expected to last through the night. Drivers heading south toward the Siskiyou Summit were instructed to exit at Medford for the night, said Jackson County spokesman Brett Thomas. The Red Cross was ready to open shelters in case hotels filled. Northbound traffic was closed for approximately four hours Wednesday afternoon before groups of 40 to 50 cars at a time were allowed to pass through. Stopping traffic short of the I-5 chain-up area at milepost 11 was a taxing job for Oregon State Police. Five troopers were assigned to I-5, one blocking the southbound on-ramp in Ashland. If they made it as far as milepost 11, motorists could either drive into Ashland via Siskiyou Boulevard or stay put. Vehicles were allowed to park on the freeway's shoulder - usually reserved for emergency parking - for the duration of the summit's closure, said OSP Lt. Gordon Renskers. Troopers' main concern Wednesday was keeping traffic off the summit so ODOT could plow and sand the roads, he said. Troopers also were assigned to respond to traffic problems on highways 62 and 140. High winds in the valley caused power lines in Ashland to touch mid-day Wednesday, causing an outage that affected about 1,500 Ashland electric customers. Service was restored by 4 p.m. Heavy snow in the mountains was forecast to taper off Wednesday night, said a spokesman for the National Weather Service's Medford office. But another weather system that could bring more snow was expected to blow in Friday or Saturday. Snow levels are expected to remain higher than the valley floor, including Ashland. "This seems like it might turn out to be a bad winter," said trucker Allen Issac, of Scio, Ore., as he checked the chains on his lumber-hauling semi Wednesday afternoon. Trucks lined the I-5 shoulder in front of and behind him while a few drivers braved the wind and driving rain below the pass to chain up. "A lot of guys won't even get out and do this," he said pointing to his tires with a gloved finger. "They'll just sit." Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.