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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 9, 2004 Grooming machines hit the Sonnet chairlift slope Wednesday to prepare for Friday�s opening at Mount Ashland. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Mount Ashland Ski Area opening set Friday, despite forecast of rain By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Smiles reigned on Mount Ashland Wednesday despite a steady downpour. After weeks of anxious waiting, there’s finally enough snow to open the ski area — and to put people to work. Forty inches or more of new snow fell between Monday and Wednesday, prompting managers to announce the area would open Friday despite forecasts of warm rain for the next few days. Crews preparing for opening day didn’t seem to mind that the rain had transformed the new snow into thick, heavy slush. "To make a good base, this is the best thing we could get," said Randy Shepard as he climbed into a grooming machine. Shepard and other groomer operators spent the day crawling across the ski trails, firming the snow and smoothing the surface. Advertisement "By Friday when we open this will be all packed," he said gesturing across slopes of loose snow around the lodge. Ski areas have a big to-do list before they open, and many things on the list — like slope grooming — just can’t be done until the snow finally comes, said Jeff Hanson, general manager of the Mount Ashland Ski Area. "You can’t build ramps (at the top of chairlifts for skiers to dismount)," he said. "You can’t put up boundary fences. "There’s always an intense two or three days before opening day," Hanson said. "It can’t be done any earlier." The grooming work started Tuesday. By Wednesday rookie groomers were learning how to handle their machines on the bunny hill while veteran drivers headed for the steeper slopes. More workers came to the mountain Wednesday, firing up the kitchen, organizing the rental shop and doing final safety checks on some of the chair lifts. Slope grooming is especially time-consuming. The first grooming machine on the mountain has to make its own road as it goes because it can’t travel on loose snow. The operator uses a hydraulic blade to compress the snow a few feet in front of the groomer to make it dense enough to support the machine. It then crawls forward on the newly packed snow and then does the same thing — again and again. "You’re literally going five feet at a time," said Hanson, who worked as a groomer when he first came to Mount Ashland. As the groomers chugged over the snow, the kitchen crew geared up for feeding hungry skiers and snowboarders by cooking burgers and fries for other ski area employees. Kitchen supervisor Joe Baugh watched as his people worked. "Today’s the day I put everybody in different positions and find out where they’re strong," he said, looking for the right people to work the broiler and the burrito bar — the two busiest places on the food line. "This is one of the most fast-paced restaurants I’ve ever worked in," said Baugh, who’s starting his third season on the mountain. The kitchen crew’s burgers drew raves from members of the ski patrol, who spent the day setting out boundary ropes, posting hazard signs, and moving emergency medical equipment to sites all over the mountain. "We’re basically taking all our gear and staging it so it’s ready for opening day," said Taylor Siegal, the patrol’s avalanche and snow safety officer. Patrollers spread across the mountain measuring snow depth to ascertain potential avalanche hazards and attach protective foam pads to chairlift towers along ski routes. Some of the work won’t be finished even when the lifts start running. "We’ll be grooming the last slopes at 8 a.m. Friday," Hanson said, "and over the weekend we’ll be noticing the things we didn’t do." Tickets and conditions The Mount Ashland Ski Area opens at 9 a.m. Friday. Daily lift tickets cost $39 for adults ages 18 to 64 and $29 for youths ages 8 to 17 or seniors ages 65 to 69. Children under age 8 and seniors over age 70 ski free. Daily condition reports are available by phone at 482-2754 or on the Web at: www.mtashland.com . The Mount Shasta Board & Ski Park also opens Friday. Daily lift tickets cost $36 for ages 13 to 64 and $19 for ages 8 to 12 and 65-plus. Condition reports for Mount Shasta are available by phone at 530-926-8686, or on the Web at: www.skipark.com . Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities