Warm Weather Turns
Well, folks, the holidays are before us. While looking out your window at home might not be the white Christmas you'd been hoping for, our slopes at Snowriver are covered in snow and ready to ride. We opened this morning with 70 acres of terrain comprised of Green, Blue, and Black trails at each ski area representing 45% of our snowmaking terrain open for skiing and riding.
I've been fortunate enough to get out on the snow just about every day this week and have been pleased with the conditions. The snow is soft and carvable and the temperatures make spending a few hours outside really enjoyable. Nearly everyone I've talked to has been having a great time and almost ashamedly enjoying the warm temperatures. Having cold temps to make snow would be welcomed, but if I'm honest the warm sunny weather in the forecast makes this fair-weather skier pretty happy. 😊
Operations Update
While the forecast for later next week looks to be bringing us some prime skiing conditions, we do have a bit of rain predicted for Sunday evening through the day after Christmas.
The lead team and I have made the difficult decision to curtail our operations during this time both to preserve our snowpack and "right-size" our staffing levels to match the lower visitation we're expecting. We have decided to close Black River Basin and all its ancillary services for Christmas Day and the 26th. Doing so will allow more of our team members to enjoy the holiday with their families and will keep skier and groomer traffic off of the snow. While I always want to offer our guests as much as possible, in this case, I believe this is the right thing to do to allow us to bounce back quickly on the 27th with the best possible conditions.
At Jackson Creek Summit, we plan to remain open as scheduled. The team has worked hard to produce a solid base across all our open terrain that leaves us feeling confident in our conditions leading into the early part of next week. Even if we see some losses during the wet weather, our snowmaking system is a bit more robust on this side and will allow us to bolster the snowpack quickly. On Monday and Tuesday, we'll run the VX6 serving up turns on 40 acres of terrain including; Voyageur's Highway, Superior, Alpenglow, and Borealis, some of the longest cruisers on the mountain. For anyone who's skied in the rain before, you know how fun it can be. No lines, fast runs, and deep, soft turns. I hope to see you out there!
Welcome Team Z
The local youth racing program, Team Z had their holiday race camp scheduled for Mt. Zion in Ironwood this Thursday-Saturday. Unfortunately, Mt. Zion hasn't been able to get enough snow made to open up for this weekend leaving the team without a venue. Their coach reached out on Wednesday and asked if we'd be able to host their camp here at Snowriver. Of course, we were happy to welcome them for a few days of training on the big hill. It was so fun to see so many little ones out enjoying the slopes with many of them taking their first-ever ride on a high-speed lift yesterday.
Legacy: Now Open
During last weekend's open house at The Lodge at Jackson Creek, I was fortunate enough to try a few dishes our new chef has created for the Legacy Restaurant. The food was truly fantastic, and as a picky eater, I can assure you that it's not my GM voice saying that. When paired with the updated mid-century modern decor, some classy jazz music, and good company, this restaurant is something special. It is now open daily from 7 am to 10 am for breakfast service, reopening at 4 pm with bar service and dinner to follow from 5-9 pm.
