A glut of deep snow and a couple days of bluebird summit skiing drew droves of skiers to Whitefish Mountain Resort this holiday season, with six feet of powder falling on the Big Mountain in the two weeks leading up to Christmas.
The tally of skier visits was down from last year, but the snow accumulations led to last-minute reservations from nonresident visitors, providing a boost in lodging, food-and-beverage services, ticket sales, kids programs, and ski-and-ride school attendance.
Meanwhile, a strong showing from the local contingent after the New Year kept the lifts spinning at full tilt as a temperature inversion set in, creating a base-to-summit disparity of 18 degrees and shedding sun on the mountain’s upper half.
According to Whitefish Mountain Resort spokesperson Riley Polumbus, skier visitation was mostly consistent, with a significant spike following double-barrel storm cycles Dec. 23-25 that delivered back-to-back, 10-inch powder days.
For three days in a row, on Dec. 27-29, the Big Mountain ushered in more than 6,000 skiers per day, with the most visitors turning out on Dec. 29, at 6,754 skiers.
“It was right where we wanted to be. There were no really crazy days but we still posted good, solid numbers and came out ahead of budget,” Polumbus said. “Getting that pre-Christmas snow was huge.”
It’s not surprising that the ski area fell short of last year’s numbers, given the historic trend of Canadian visitors converging on the ski area in high numbers during the holidays.
This season, however, a depressed Canadian economy likely deterred would-be visitors as the Canadian dollar last week fell to an 11-year low of 71.41 U.S. cents.
Last ski season’s holiday-visitation numbers also went through the roof due to an epic storm, despite the season’s below-average snowpack.
On Dec. 28, 2014, Whitefish Mountain Resort broke its single-day attendance record when 8,144 skiers and riders hit the slopes – the first time the resort has broken the 8,000 mark. That record came on a stellar powder day, with 15 inches of fresh falling in 24 hours, and 7 inches overnight. The previous record for single-day attendance was set Dec. 30, 2013, with 7,654 visits.
But in 2015, the snowstorms ebbed and the winter dried up, a scenario Polumbus is optimistic Mother Nature will not repeat again this year.
With a settled base of 62 inches and an overall accumulation of 139 inches, or 11.5 feet, the 2015-16 ski season is off to a promising start, Polumbus said.
“We know that people will rally if the snow continues, so as always we are praying for snow,” she said. “The holiday stats were not as high as last year but it’s still a success story, and January is looking good.”