Patrick and Gabriella Wynant of Central Point unload from the Comer lift at the Mt. Ashland Ski Area in February. 

A reserve sufficient to handle two years of low snow and no operations has been established by the Mt. Ashland Association, the organization announced at a town hall meeting Thursday.

The Mt. Ashland Ski Area didn’t open for the 2013-14 season due to a lack of the white stuff and took on a $750,000, government-back loan to ensure survival.

“We could weather two consecutive no-snow years. We won’t touch it,” said Curt Burrill, president of the board of directors. The board had reserves, but at the beginning of this fiscal year board members analyzed needs and set up policies on how and when the reserves would be used, he said.

Several new or expanded initiatives were announced at the meeting, including summer weekend lodge openings, an increase in night skiing opportunities and a $350,000 project that will widen a key trail that allows beginning and intermediate skiers to access more advanced lifts on the mountain.

In 2016, the ski area managers announced that efforts were underway to establish a rainy-day fund. Despite a shortened 2017-18 season, the area was able to hold onto an $800,000 reserve at that time, they said in early 2019.

The reserve, if needed, would pay for preservation and maintenance of the buildings and equipment, keeping the area in operating condition and allowing retention of key staff members, ski area Manager Andrew Gast explained.

The ski lodge will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from May 27 through Sept. 3. It will be the first time the building has been open on a regular schedule although it is used for occasional events.

When it’s open, the lodge will have its cafe and retail operations, serve as a base for hikers and also host events. The mountain plans to host youth event days, guided hikes, group runs and rides.

Burrill credited Gast for pushing the summer initiative and said it didn’t make sense to have the lodge building going unused much of the year.

“The goal is that the mountain will be a base camp for adventures. We need to look for more experiences that are not winter specific,” said Gast. The area has also submitted an application to the Forest Service to allow overnight RV parking during both the summer and the winter.

Saturday night skiing will return to the mountain. The area experienced a good turnout of 10,220 for 18-night sessions on Thursdays and Fridays this season from January into early March. The expansion won’t include every Saturday night, but a good number will be added, said Gast.

Besides more nights, the area will look at upgrading the lighting and also adding more lit terrain for the evenings.

Aisle Two, which runs down to the Comer and Windsor lifts loading zones, will be doubled in width. The current path is narrow and mixes beginner and intermediate skiers and riders with more advanced ones.

Two retaining walls will be built to accomplish the widening. One will be on the trail’s downhill side. The other will be on the uphill side. Skiers coming down the Romeo run will be routed to the left of the uphill wall instead of skiing right onto the Aisle Two trail. Cost of the widening is estimated at $350,000.

The U.S. Forest Service, which leases the area to the association, has already approved the change. The project is awaiting approval of the engineering plans. Gast is optimistic the approval will be given in time to allow construction to begin in July. The work will take four to six weeks.

The just-concluded season saw a record 128,626 guests visit the mountain, surpassing the previous record of the 106,003 set in 2020-21, a 21% increase. The area had its fifth-snowiest year with 343 inches. It was open for 93 days but closed four times due to high winds.

What was likely the busiest day ever in ski area history saw 6,591 skiers and boarders visit Feb. 18, a Saturday. The annual Bavarian Night, a benefit for the Ski Patrol, took place that evening, the only Saturday night skiing during the season.

“It was just busy all day long,” said marketing coordinator Abigail Coombs.

Introduction of the enclosed moving carpet at the beginners’ area drew more first-time skiers to the area. After-school programs for kids had 1,123 participants.

While revenues were up, expenses also increased, including wage boosts for employees. A need to maintain aging equipment also drove up expenses. At one point, all but one of the snow grooming cats were down for repairs.

Aging infrastructure is an area that will need to be addressed, both Burrill and Gast emphasized. Both area buildings are over 55 years old, the two newest lifts are over 30 years old, and the newest snow cat is 10 years old.

Mt. Ashland faces four broad challenges, Gast told the audience — climate change, aging infrastructure, liability exposure and a lack of buying power in comparison to multi-resort operations.

About 60 people attended the meeting that was held at the ski lodge. Fourteen speakers offered comments and asked questions. Information about the nonprofit area can be found at mtashland.com.