A view of the Mt. Ashland Ski Area lodge and the Lower Juliet trail.

The snow bibs were strapped and the bindings tightened as Mt. Ashland Ski Area kicked off its 2024-25 winter season Friday morning for excited snow sports enthusiasts in the Rogue Valley.

“It’s beautiful weather today — 45 degrees and sunny and the front parking lot looks full right now; it’s just passholders today, so all our diehard faithful (skiers and snowboarders),” said Andrew Gast, general manager of the ski area. “School’s out, so we have a lot of Medford and Ashland kids, too.”

This year on the mountain, the ski area will have multiple new features including the brand-new Lithia Chair — Mt. Ashland’s first new chair lift to be installed since the 1980s — as well as other new amenities.

“This is our biggest renovation season we’ve ever had; we’ve spent about $4 million also on things people never see, like our network,” Gast said. “The Lithia Chair is hands down the most visual thing, and we’ve also replaced the night lights on the mountain with LEDs, which is much better technology and more efficient.”

Additionally, the Aisle 2 ski trail has been widened to be twice as broad as previous years.

The ski area opened earlier than anticipated this year due to unexpected snowfall in November.

“November was a huge month for us; we usually have an average snowfall in November of 40 inches, and we received 72, so we’ve got a ton more snow than we normally do.”

Mt. Ashland staff are anticipating a busy first weekend, with an estimated 2,000 skiers and snowboarders expected on Saturday, Dec. 7, according to Gast.

Mt. Ashland’s full winter operating schedule will start on Dec. 13.

To view the winter operating schedule, visit mtashland.com/operating-schedule.

“Things are looking like they’re going in a great direction,” Gast said of the opening so far.

To learn more about Mt. Ashland, purchase ski passes or find more information, visit mtashland.com.