After a major terrain expansion last winter, Mt. Shasta Ski Park has begun work on another major addition. However, this one isn’t quite as popular with guests.
Earlier this month, the California ski resort announced its plans to add a twenty-foot Virgin Mary statue at the top of Douglas Butte. This project was a shared goal of owners Ray Merlo and Robin Merlo. Ray passed away in 2020, so Robin has decided to press forward with these plans to honor his memory. Construction began earlier this year and is expected to be completed next summer.
Some locals aren’t as enthused about the plans. They believe the ski resort should keep religion out of the skiing and riding experience, and that it would take away from one of the best vista spots at the ski resort.
As is tradition when something controversial happens, a Change.com petition was created to stop construction. The petition currently has over 1900 signatures. A key thing to note that is inaccurate from this petition though is that they claim that the ski resort is on National Forest land. That isn’t true, as the land is privately owned by the ski resort.
Ed Valenzuela, who’s a Siskiyou County Supervisor, challenged locals concerns in a statement to the Los Angeles Times:
“It’s on private property. It’s a private business, It’s the holiday season. I have better things to think about than a statue going up on private property. The people that are against it, their response would be then don’t go to the ski park.”
In terms of the current conditions at Mt. Shasta Ski Park, they have yet to announce an opening date for this winter but hope to start spinning the lifts soon.
Image Credits: Mt. Shasta Ski Park
