Ashland, Oregon — Mt. Ashland had a rough 2025-26 season. Frequent rainstorms, warm weather, the departure of its GM, and an early closure marked a season to remember for all the wrong reasons. Work is underway on a better 2026-27 season, which includes the hiring of a new General Manager.
Yesterday, Mt. Ashland Ski Area announced its new General Manager. Rachel Canada is the new General Manager of the ski area and brings extensive ski industry experience. This most recently included being the Director of Mountain Operations at Willamette Pass. Some of the departments she’s worked in include guest services, ski school, rentals, lift and vehicle maintenance, lift operations, snow grooming, ski patrol, human resources, and retail.
“Many experienced candidates applied and were interviewed for the open general manager position at Mt. Ashland; however, none checked the boxes quite like Rachel,” said Adam Reiss, president of the Mt. Ashland Association Board of Directors. “Rachel’s professional goal of managing a community ski area, backed by over 20 years of experience facing the challenges of small, independently owned mountains, made her the perfect choice as the next leader of the Mt. Ashland team.”
Future Plans
The addition comes at an important time for Mt. Ashland. The next two off-seasons will likely see the replacement of two key chairlifts: Ariel and Windsor. One of these replacements was scheduled for 2026, but the down winter kept them from meeting their financial goals to pull it off. They now plan to replace the two lifts in 2027 and 2028 if they raise the necessary funds. The ski area also aims to expand its offseason programming.
Image/Video Credits: Wheelhouse Motion Pictures and Nathanael Lathrop, Mt. Ashland Ski Area
