Rural Oregon ski areas plan out futures after tough year

It’s been a challenging year for snow-starved Oregon ski areas, but leaders of two nonprofit destinations say they’re making moves to survive long term.

In Eastern Oregon, Anthony Lakes is tapping a federal loan to upgrade the Baker County ski hill’s 70-year-old facilities. Across the state at Mt. Ashland in Southern Oregon, leaders are raising money for lift upgrades while offering more summertime activities to build resiliency amid a streak of unpredictable winters.

In an industry dominated by for-profit resorts with pricey lift tickets, both locally run organizations focus on providing affordable access to snow sports, especially for youth and locals.

“People have grown up here, learned to ski here,” said Mt. Ashland’s Gabby Conner. “They’ve taught their kids and they want it to exist for the next generation.”

That goal is also driving plans at Anthony Lakes, where the current ski rental building is “literally falling apart,” with a floor that could be stepped through in some areas, said the ski area’s Marketing Director Chelsea Judy.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced it’s loaning Anthony Lakes $650,000 to build a new rental facility. Construction is already underway, and the loan brings the ski area closer to its goal of raising a total of $1.8 million for upgrades.

The new rental building will double as a space for more youth programming when there isn’t snow.

“Our whole mission is to provide affordable outdoor recreation to our communities and with the focus being on youth,” Judy said. “Holding to our mission, that was a big part of this.”

She described Anthony Lakes, which is one of a handful of small ski areas east of Bend, as a “super small, quaint, down-home” operation with a single chair lift and a base elevation of 7,100 feet.

“We always joke with people to not tell anybody about it because it’s a great little hidden gem,” she said. “But at the same time, my job is to get people to come skiing.”

As Oregon recorded record-low snowpack levels over the winter, attendance at Anthony Lakes was down by 15% to 20%. The dry weather extended into the summer as the nearby Anthony Fire caused the area to temporarily close in July.

Judy said the ski area got enough snow that it never had to close during the winter, but the significant decrease in visits meant a loss in business.

Mt. Ashland had similar issues stemming from a lack of snow, and conditions forced it to close for several days.

The ski area has tried to hedge against unpredictable weather by expanding summer programming, said Conner, the marketing director. For the past few years, Mt. Ashland has hosted a youth summer camp in addition to its hiking trails and disc golf course.

Skiing will always be their primary focus, she added, but with the recent bout of poor weather, Mt. Ashland needs to get creative and invest in itself.

The ski area, about a half-hour drive from the city of Ashland, is undergoing a capital campaign of its own to replace its nearly 50-year-old lifts. Conner said if one of the lifts broke down, it could cost the operation $1 million per year in lost revenue.