We are so grateful for this snow that will give us the opportunity to launch our season. Our snow harvesting and grooming teams are masterfully moving parking lot snow to our lifts to build out our mazes which will be significantly spread out this season. The forecast is even more promising to be able to open more lifts and terrain than we normally have at this time of year and that too is a real blessing.
In a normal year, with the amount of snow we have received so far, we would be looking at a preview weekend, possibly even an early opening on limited terrain.
But this is not a normal year.
With the current pause and new COVID restrictions in Oregon, we will be approaching our opening very conservatively. We have made a decision to schedule our opening for the season on Monday November 30th. While this will disappoint many who planned on skiing or snowboarding over the Thanksgiving holiday, we feel it is in all of our best interests to open on this date. We need time for our team to put our COVID operational plans to work, make adjustments and grow confident in the way we operate. We know there is a great demand for the holiday, possibly an overwhelming demand. We just can’t take the risk of opening to unmanageable crowds that would then jeopardize our ability to continue to operate. And for a company that has a reputation for opening as early as conditions allow, this is an extremely difficult decision for us to make.
We feel we will have a much more successful season by opening on Monday, November 30. We’ll have more time to receive snow and move it to the areas we need to open as much terrain as possible. It will allow us a full five days of operations to get our team oriented and comfortable in serving our guests before we welcome a weekend crowd.
Our team can’t wait to get this season underway and provide our guests the opportunity to ski and ride again. We understand the pent-up demand and how much you want to get out on the slopes, but we need this extra time to put us in the best situation to operate responsibly for the entire season. We appreciate your patience and flexibility to allow us this time to prepare.
As a company, we are committed to enriching the lives of our team, our guests and our community. We feel opening on November 30th gives us the best opportunity for enrichment in a responsible, safe and sustainable manner.
With gratitude,
Your Leadership Team