Industry News
Operating and running a ski resort has many unique challenges, such as the unpredictability of the weather, the difficulty in seasonal staffing, and the ever-changing environment around climate change. It takes an experienced team to successfully operate a business with several moving parts, such as mountain operations, guest services, food and beverage operations, marketing, and a host of other variables. Having all those factors working in unison can be tough for any mountain resort to accomplish. Finding the right ownership to lead that team can be even harder. Several owners or ownership groups of ski resorts nationwide seem not to get it. They strike out on terrain, conditions, and crowds but might do well in overall customer satisfaction and amenities, or vice-versa. It is a very difficult business to navigate that requires meticulous planning and execution. Hatley Pointe’s Deborah Hatley, the new owner and CEO, understands what it takes to run a successful four-season resort in today’s turbulent ski industry. However, there has been a learning curve.
Hatley Pointe Mountain Resort (Formerly Wolf Ridge) is a ski area in the eastern United States in western North Carolina, near Mars Hill. It was set to open last year, but due to setbacks and doing massive infrastructure and construction upgrades, it was unable to. Hatley Pointe is set to open for its inaugural season under the new ownership. Buying a 1970s ski resort that needed many massive upgrades, there were, of course, surprises, struggles, and setbacks along the way. However, Hatley is prepared to make Hatley Pointe the premier resort in the Southeast.
Purchasing a ski resort is a significant investment and valuing a resort involves many moving parts that must be assessed and evaluated. A solid business plan is key to ensuring the sustainability and future success of the business. Before Deborah Hatley purchased the resort, she and her husband visited several competing ski resorts around the area to see how they operated. They also traveled out West and checked out some of the bigger mountains to see how those ran as well. The goal was to get the best information and facts about running a ski resort as possible, especially being new to the ski industry themselves. “We didn’t grow up in the industry. We weren’t grandfathered in. We didn’t grow up on a mountain with skis on our feet at the age of four; the first time we ever put a pair of skis on was coming down this mountain with the previous regime,” Hatley said in an interview with SnowBrains.
The infrastructure from the 1970s was a big challenge that required an overhaul to get up to date. Hatley discovered that outdated waterlines could not push enough water up the mountain for proper snowmaking and needed to be replaced. In the Southeast, snow and cold conditions can be scarce, and having proper snowmaking capabilities is key to a successful ski season. “The biggest challenges were addressing issues with the aging infrastructure, such as the water pipes, electrical system, and lift maintenance, which had been neglected under the previous ownership,” Hatley said. The resort also added 67 automated snow guns and new software systems for ticketing and rentals.
The key struggles for getting the resort ready to open centered around addressing years of neglect in the resort’s core systems and equipment while also learning the ski industry from the ground up. Another challenge was the conditions of the mountain’s lift systems. Hatley was surprised to learn the main quad lift was in much worse condition than expected, which required a “big homework list” of repairs. The lift giant, Doppelmayr, told Hatley, “God, guys, these things are making us wince. You have a lot of work to do.” The lifts were neglected, in poor condition, and required significant work to get the running safely. That included adding new motors and electrical components to bring them up to standard.
Moving into its first season under Hatley’s guidance, the resort will focus on guest services and providing guests with the best experience possible. “That’s why we put the boutique in our tagline—we’re really focusing on quality over quantity,” Hatley said. The resort is focusing on hospitality and guest experience and plans to develop year-round amenities beyond just skiing. The resort will also limit the number of skiers per day to ensure the guests have the best experiences and are not on an overcrowded mountain.
So, when will guests have the opportunity to be the first ones to ski at the newest ski resort on the East Coast? Depending on weather conditions, the resort aims for a soft opening around Thanksgiving, with a full opening targeted for the first weekend in December. Skiers and snowboarders can look forward to six new trails at Hatley Pointe this season, for a total of 21 trails. The goal was to allow guests the opportunity to ski the whole mountain. In past years, many trails were not open for skiers and snowboarders to hit, which Hatley wanted to fix. Upper View, Lower View, Highway Redemption, and Howling will be open this season. These trails used to be iconic back in the day that people relished, but they became overgrown and not cared for in the past. Those slopes have been re-graded, and all of those slopes will be re-opened this season. A new terrain park, serviced by a rope tow, will also be featured at Hatley Pointe this season. “We haven’t promoted it much, but it’s going to be a nice little jewel for as the snowboard community is pretty big in this area, especially North Carolina,” Hatley said. Going into this season, Hatley Pointe will offer 54 acres of skiable terrain, 100% snowmaking capability, 15 lighted runs with 1 double lift, 1 quad lift, and 2 surface lifts.
There has been a shift in the industry, with more people choosing multi-resort season passes over purchasing daily passes. For those who love supporting independently owned ski resorts, Hatley Pointe will be on the Indy Pass this season. The Indy Pass allows skiers and snowboarders access to over 230 ski resorts on three continents, with two days at each resort. It is a great way to allow anyone who may not have ever thought of skiing or riding in North Carolina the chance to go check it out. “I think that the fact that we have an outlet supporting the independent resorts is phenomenal, and Doug Fish, the founder of the Indy Pass, has been great to work with. I think it’s a positive impact, and it will only bring more attention and highlight the mom-pop and independent resorts that are putting so much heart and soul into it,” Hatley said.
Hatley Pointe plans to solidify itself as a four-season resort and has the potential for great growth opportunities in the future. Currently, there are 900 homes surrounding Hatley Pointe. Hatley said she definitely sees the use of having a hotel—a type of boutique hotel with ski-in and ski-out options as well. When Hatley purchased the resort, she also acquired 475 acres of land around the lodge and the resort. The purchase of the resort was one asset, but the ability to really capitalize on the real estate and land was another. There are 300 home sites that could be developed into ski-in and ski-out lodging. That is all part of the master plan, according to Hatley. She has partnered with MountainWorks out of Colorado and has done the master plan for Beaver Creek and other world destinations as well. “we are in the finalization stages of our master plan, which looks anywhere between five to 10 years, you know, maybe even 15 years, but there’s a lot of potential,” Hatley said.
It has been a long road, and it took an extra year to finally be in the position to open a ski resort with so many much-needed upgrades. Looking back on the whole process, Hatley had some final thoughts. “There were hard days and moments where we questioned if they would have done it knowing the extent of the challenges, but, you know, that’s the irony with life: you never know what you’re going to be thrown at, and you have the choice to do things right or wrong and pay for it in the long haul. So, we’re doing it right, and this is a total passion project,” Hatley said. It has been a long process, but the local community has to be excited to see the ski resort revitalized after years of neglect and decline and back better than ever.
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