Mt. Ashland Ski Area lost nearly a third of its operating season due to the late arrival of snow, but attendance since the Jan. 11 opening has been strong, with daytime skiing numbers closely tracking last year’s.

“We are in pretty good shape, but obviously not where we would want to be,” General Manager Andrew Gast said. “Looking at where we are now and what is ahead, we will be in the black this year, but it will be a pretty slim margin.”

That may mean less money for the rainy-day fund and some projects next season.

The addition of regular evening skiing on Saturdays led to about 16,000 skiers at sessions from 3 to 9 p.m. That’s double the amount that turned out last year when just Thursday and Friday evenings were offered regularly. There were 19 evenings of skiing this year.

Last season, the ski area had a record attendance of 128,626 visitors. This season it will lose 29 days from its 92-day operating calendar, Gast said. The ski area was to be open continuously from Dec. 14 through Jan. 1. The areas had been scheduled to open Dec. 9; the close is set for April 14.

A total of 3,598 visitors came to the area Jan. 15 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The annual Bavarian Night benefit for the Ski Patrol drew the most night attendees at 2,468.

On seven days so far, Mt. Ashland has had to send out texts and other alerts mid-morning to let people know the parking lots are full. Usually, spaces open up in the afternoon as guests leave.

Besides the late start, the area has had to close for three days because of extreme winds and another day when the power failed. One of the wind closures was on Feb. 19, the President’s Day holiday. Last season saw four closures, while the 2018-19 had five and 2016-17 had six.

February storms pushed the mid-mountain snow stake measurement over 100 inches. On Saturday, the location showed a 97-inch snow base.

Alisha Whitman, of Medford, enjoyed a sunny day of skiing Thursday with her three children and her father, Steve Berne, of Bend, who came to help celebrate 12-year-old Grace’s birthday.

“The after-school program is wonderful,” Whitman said.

Grace, 13-year-old Isaac and 10-year-old Lucy have all participated in the program, which brings school classes in buses to the mountain for night skiing and lessons.

“It’s convenient to get to,” said Whitman, who used to live in Corvallis and skied at Mt. Bachelor and Mt. Hood. She’s skied at Mt. Ashland four times so far this year, her first in the region.

“You have a variety of good terrain,” Berne said. “This is an ideal family resort.”

Dave White, from the San Francisco Bay Area, was skiing Mt. Ashland for the first time Thursday along with his wife, Amanda Gwyther, and stepson Charlie Gwyther, 14. The family will be moving to the Rogue Valley next year and wanted to check out the area.

Charlie took a snowboard lesson in the morning, then rode the Comer lift, but he was looking forward to the more advanced Windsor lift runs. He’s snowboarded before.

“The condition of the snow is very nice today,” Charlie said. It was a big contrast to the ice he encountered his last time riding, about a month ago in New England.

“Every single person we have encountered is so very welcoming,” Amanda said. “They are really genuine.”

Skiers and snowboarders are saying great things about the quality and expansion of terrain that is being groomed, Gast said. The area invested $780,000 during the off-season to purchase two new grooming machines and has a new grooming team.

“We will continue to focus on grooming as it’s central to keeping Mt. Ashland a more accessible mountain for skiers and riders,” Gast said.

Less popular has been a change to the area’s uphill access policy, he said. The new policy has reduced the number of hours available to visitors who are climbing up the area using special devices attached to skis and boards, then ski or ride back down. A $45 uphill armband pass was also instituted.

Installation of the new Lithia Chair lift is expected to occur this summer for next season, but awaits approval from the U.S. Forest Service, which leases the land to the nonprofit Mt. Ashland Association. The contractor for the work is scheduled to arrive on site May 1.

The chair will bring lift service to an area that will boost beginner and intermediate terrain and add more night skiing. A gift from Sid and Karen DeBoer and their foundation is making the installation possible.

Also awaiting Forest Service approval is the widening of the Aisle Two run, which takes beginner and intermediate skiers to two more advanced lifts. Engineering has been completed for the project, Gast said.

“If you look at pass sales, what you have seen in the past four years is just a constant increase of interest in skiing,” Gast said.

Except for the holidays, the area is open Thursdays through Mondays. The board of directors is always looking at the possibility of adding another operating day, Gast said, but the operating schedule for next year won’t be announced until May.

The  focus of the 2024-25 season will be getting the new lift installed, he added.