Snow shortages plague mountains

The main lodge and beginner lift are seen at Mt Ashland after a recent storm left only a couple of inches of fresh snow on the mountain and visitors sledding near the main lodge. Some ski areas remain closed. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

WITH gusts of wind howling around Mount Ashland’s vacant ski lodge, Andrew Gast watched from a window as a brief snowfall dusted the landscape. It was not nearly enough.

The ski area’s parking lot remained largely empty. On the slopes, manzanita bushes and blades of grass were poking through patches of what little snow had landed. Even the 2,300m summit – the highest point in the Siskiyou Mountains along the Oregon-California border – still had bare spots.