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Ashland had a short ski season Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming Bob Rix, of Medford, took advantage of Thursday�s sunny skies to ski in his shorts at Mount Ashland. Sunday could be the final day of the season unless an approaching storm drops enough snow to extend it into spring-break week. By Bill Kettler If you want to ski or snowboard on Mount Ashland one last time this season, you�d better go this weekend. Sunday could be the final day of a season that started slowly and never really took off. Ski area managers had hopes on Thursday that an approaching storm could drop enough snow to extend the season into spring-break week, but conditions on the ground suggested the season is over. "If there�s no new snow, there�s going to be an end," said marketing director Gene Landsmann. Ski area managers were scheduled to meet today to discuss the last days of the season. "What really killed us was that rain last weekend," Landsmann said. The rain washed away thin snow cover on some ski trails, leaving bare spots on popular runs such as Avon, Dream and Lower Tempest. Deep snow would have soaked up the rain like a sponge, but there was precious little deep snow anywhere on Mount Ashland this winter. Ski area managers canceled night skiing this week to preserve the existing snow so that grooming crews could cover shallow spots on the trails The winter of 2000-2001 will be remembered as the shortest ski season since Southern Oregon residents bought the ski area in 1992. Scarce early-season snow postponed the season opening until Dec. 17. If the season ends Sunday, it will have lasted just 92 days. Slow-starting winters aren�t uncommon in Southern Oregon�s Siskiyou Mountains. Snow often doesn�t begin to accumulate until January, and February and March typically provide enough snow to operate the ski area into May. Ski Ashland usually closes around mid-April because many skiers turn to other entertainment when the days turn warm. This winter the snow never came. A big storm of the kind that drops 2 feet in 24 hours never materialized, disappointing thousands of skiers and snowboarders who had grown accustomed to deep snow on Mount Ashland after eight relatively wet winters. The weather also surprised Landsmann, who has watched winters come and go on Mount Ashland for more than 20 years. "I don�t ever remember a season starting slow and ending slow," he said. Storms came tantalizingly close during February. The Mount Shasta Board & Ski Park, barely 100 miles south, received 9 feet of snow during the month. On several occasions, Mount Shasta ski trails were buried under 18 to 24 inches of new snow when Mount Ashland measured 2 to 6 inches. The season reminded some veteran skiers of the grim winters of 1989-90, when Ski Ashland operated just 74 days, and 1991-92, when the season ran just 70 days. Dry winters seemed to be a thing of the past when the ski area opened under public ownership, and several seasons ran over 150 days. Skiers willing to travel a little farther than Mount Ashland will be able to enjoy the snow for at least several more weeks. February�s storms still cover Mount Shasta�s slopes, and there was 55 inches of snow on the ground at the lodge and 75 inches at higher elevations, despite a week of warm sunshine. Tim Larive, Mount Shasta�s marketing director, noted that California schools will be in session all next week, so Oregon skiers who travel to Mount Shasta won�t have to contend with big spring-vacation crowds. California schools close during the week before and the week after Easter (April 15). Southern Oregon University�s week-long break begins Monday. "We�re welcoming Oregonians with open arms," Larive said. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.