This California Ski Area To Build Summit-Top Religious Statue. Locals Are Not Having It.

December 13, 2023

New lifts, base lodges, dining options, and other skier amenities are all welcome additions at resorts across the country, but a towering tribute to the Virgin Mary? Not so much. Mt. Shasta Ski Park, a 635-acre ski area located in Northern California at the foot of the iconic fourteener, just shared plans to build a 20-foot-high statue of the Virgin Mary at the top of Douglas Butte, which is one of the resort’s four lift-served summits.

Why? According to the statement shared yesterday (Dec. 10) on the resort’s Instagram page, the statue had been a passion project of the Merlos, the Ski Park’s owners. Ray Merlo died in 2020, and his wife, Robin, decided to move ahead with the plan in his honor. Ski Mag