New five-tower chair lift will revive upper beginner ski runs that Mt. Ashland used from the 1960s into the 1980s

By Nick Morgan, Rogue Valley Times

Mt. Ashland Ski Area’s first new chairlift in more than three decades will open this weekend.

The Lithia Chair will open at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, giving skiers and snowboarders greater access to easy and intermediate slopes, according to a release issued Tuesday from the nonprofit ski area. 

With the new five-tower chair lift, the ski area seeks to revive upper beginner ski runs that Mt. Ashland used from the 1960s into the 1980s. The release describes the chair and its project “due to the need for a more well-rounded beginner program and learning progression for novice skiers and snowboarders.”

Prior to the Lithia Chair’s installation, the last chair to be installed was the Sonnet beginner’s lift in 1988, according to an earlier news report.

The lift will take skiers and snowboarders from the Center Stage Terrain Park to the top of Sonnet slope in 90 seconds, and it will give them access to a variety of trails, with a new beginner trail known as Bumblebee planned for the future.

Presently, the chair will make the more difficult Poma run easier for skiers to access, and the ski area will rename the trail formerly known as Lodge Poma trail to Lupine. 

Poma, Lupine and Bumblebee will all eventually be lighted for night skiing next season, and they’ll will offer a designated place for elementary school and middle school alpine teams to race, as well as some adult race leagues, according to the ski area.

Andrew Gast, Mt. Ashland’s general manager, calls the new chair lift manufactured by SkyTrac a “game-changer.” 

SkyTrac has made lifts for ski areas and resorts across the United States, including Jackson Hole Ski Resort in Wyoming, Park City Ski Resort and Alta Ski Resort in Utah and at Mt. Hood Meadows east of Portland. The chairlift features fixed-grip, triple wide chairs and one of the first implementations of an all-electric auxiliary motor rather than the traditional diesel motor.

“This state of the art lift is a game-changer, allowing us to improve access to new learning and training terrain on the mountain while enhancing the overall experience for our guests,” Gast said in the release.

The new chair had been in the works for the better part of two decades, with initial plans being developed in 2004 as part of the ski area’s Master Development Plan, according to the ski area. Board members and staff at the ski area started working with the U.S. Forest Service in 2022 to finalize plans and complete relevant wildlife and cultural surveys.

Funding the project came from the largest gift in Mt. Ashland Ski Area history, a $2 million donation from the Sid & Karen DeBoer Foundation, along with a personal $500,000 donation from the DeBoers.

Installing the lift took 54 days. Crews broke ground on Sept. 1. The motor room, drive and bullwheels were installed on Oct. 19, and by Oct. 24, the final communication cables and chairs were hung.

Upon completion, the Lithia Chair underwent rigorous load tests and safety inspections along with testing that included 100 hours of runtime.

Reach reporter Nick Morgan at nmorgan@rv-times.com or 458-488-2036. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.