A lack of snow at Mount Washington is spoiling more than skiers’ and snowboarders’ plans.
Slopes at Mount Washington Alpine Resort are three weeks behind the planned opening date of Dec. 6, causing a heavy knock to the tourism industry.
“It’s definitely a huge financial hit for us at this time of year,” said resort spokesman Brent Curtain. “On a busy day over the holiday period, we’ll see thousands of skiers. And right now, we’re not seeing any.”
The visitor count averages between 5,000 and 6,000 a day during the peak holiday season, including alpine and nordic skiers, snowboarders and tubers, said Don Sharpe, director of business operations and marketing.
Instead, a few hundred tubers are taking advantage of the single lane open at the Tube Park, he said.
At the same time, between 600 and 700 staff are without work until the weather changes.
“We feel terrible about not being able to put them to work. Everybody wants it to snow,” Sharpe said.
Occupancy rates are at 60 to 70 per cent, based on actual check-ins. That’s a significant drop from the predicted Christmas and New Year holiday rate of 98 per cent, based on pre-season bookings, said Sarah Nicholson, executive director of Tourism Mount Washington.
“But on a positive, while the grinch may have stolen Mount Washington’s snow, the resort community is pulling together to maintain the festive spirit,” she said.
That includes opening mini-golf, gaming rooms and other family-oriented activities, she said.
And the resort played host to Santa Claus, a Christmas Day service and Boxing Day fireworks, which attracted about 1,000 people, Sharpe said. “The people who are here are having fun, even with the lack of snow.”
Business owners near the resort are also feeling the pinch.
Tobin Leopkey is already researching other mountains in B.C. and Alberta, in case he has to relocate his ski- and snowboard-instructor school. He expects students from Europe, Australia and New Zealand to arrive shortly for the three-month program, which begins Jan. 12.
“It’s kind of that worst-case scenario that we thought in the back of our minds could always happen, but we’ve just been hoping that it wouldn’t,” he said.
“Snow always comes, we’re just hoping it comes sooner rather than later.”
Another tough season was 2004-2005. Following a brief holiday opening, the slopes were dry through the end of March, Curtain said. The 8,000 season passes issued that season were honoured the next year.
In contrast, Mount Washington has been “spoiled” for the past four seasons with early openings, Nicholson said.
Despite the sluggish start, Curtain said he’s optimistic.
“We’re only three weeks into a five-month season, so there is still a lot of time left,” he said. “And we’re actually seeing some positive weather within the five-day forecast, which we haven’t seen for the last two to three weeks, [that includes] snowfall and lower temperatures.”
