Mount Shasta Ski Bowl
A high-altitude ski area on the southern flank of Mount Shasta that opened in 1959 and closed in 1978 after an avalanche destroyed its main chairlift.
- Region
- California
- Country
- USA
- Status
- abandoned
- Year opened
- 1959
- Year closed
- 1978
- Reason for closure
- A January 1978 avalanche destroyed the Green Butte chairlift, ending a run of chronic financial trouble
History
The Mount Shasta Ski Bowl was developed on leased Shasta-Trinity National Forest land in a large cirque on the southern flank of Mount Shasta. It opened in 1959 with a two-person chairlift, the Green Butte chair, which rose from a lodge at 7,800 feet to 9,200 feet. A fire destroyed the original base lodge in 1971, after which a new one was built and the area traded for a time as Ski Shasta. A second chairlift was added on the east side in 1973. The area was often in financial difficulty, and in January 1978 an avalanche destroyed the Green Butte chair, which ended all developed skiing there. Lift-served skiing on the mountain did not return until the present Mount Shasta Ski Park opened lower down in 1985. Wikipedia gives the opening year as 1958, whereas the other sources give 1959.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Butte Chair | Chairlift - Double | Opened 1959; rose from the lodge at 7,800 ft to 9,200 ft, nearly 1,400 vertical feet; destroyed by avalanche in January 1978 | |
| East side chairlift | Chairlift | Added in 1973 |
Sources and further reading
More in USA
Location
41.3370, -122.2710