Mt. Ashland Seeks a New Windsor Lift, With Help That Doubles Donations

Mt. Ashland is asking supporters to help replace its Windsor chairlift, and a $500,000 matching pledge from the Karen & Sid DeBoer Foundation can double eligible donations. The Southern Oregon nonprofit aims to raise just over $1.87 million before May 2027 toward the remaining replacement costs.

The campaign, highlighted this week, puts a familiar piece of the ski day at the center of the mountain's capital plans. Windsor provides access to much of the ski area. For regular visitors, the importance of that connection is easy to understand: a dependable way up the mountain matters as much as the runs waiting above it.

Windsor moves ahead of Ariel

Mt. Ashland's broader project covers both Windsor and Ariel, but Windsor has become the more urgent replacement. The resort says a routine inspection identified vital components nearing the end of their useful life, with repairs carrying a seven-figure cost. Its current plan puts Windsor's replacement in 2027 and the start of Ariel's replacement in 2028.

The fundraising effort began in 2025, but the association did not secure enough money for a first installation during summer 2026. That history makes the new match meaningful. It offers donors a way to move the project forward after an earlier construction window passed without the necessary funding.

These are planned fixed-grip replacements within existing lift corridors. The project is aimed at renewing the equipment that serves today's mountain, with no new ski terrain included. Skiers following the campaign should keep that distinction in mind when thinking about what the investment will change.

A capital campaign, not an opening announcement

The May deadline is a fundraising milestone. It should not be read as a promise that visitors will find a new Windsor this coming winter. Anyone choosing travel dates around the replacement should look for construction updates and a confirmed operating announcement before making that assumption.

For a community ski area, a lift project also asks a different question of its customers: how much of the mountain's future can regular users help fund beyond buying tickets? This campaign gives supporters a specific target and a matching commitment to weigh, rather than a general appeal for unspecified improvements.

Follow the resort's official chairlift replacement campaign for donation details and project updates. Our Mt. Ashland guide provides a starting point for planning a visit.