Industry News
Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho, had some tough luck this year regarding the snow conditions. Low snow totals throughout December and the Christmas holiday period led to uncommonly limited operations. Then extreme cold over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in January plagued visitors. It wasn’t even until mid-February that the Outback Bowl side of the mountain was opened. Given the challenges, there was doubt that operations would continue as late into the season as planned.
However, in March, the floodgates finally opened, and the resort saw seven feet of snow. The “Miracle March” was a lifesaver as conditions improved greatly and the rest of the season operated as planned.
Unfortunately, it appears the challenges of the early season had hurt the resort financially enough to make the planned improvements fiscally irresponsible at this time, and the resort announced that it would have to postpone the next phase of its Master Plan. Overall, skier visits were approximately 75% of what would be considered an average season for the resort.
A new lift that replaced the old Musical Chairs lift and a bridge over Schweitzer Creek has already been completed and debuted this season. The next phase of the project included expanding the parking lot to bring capacity to 1,400 vehicles, which is four times the current size of the Fall Line lot. In addition, a new road connecting the parking lot to the roundabout would be added. The parking lot and the road will be put on the backburner for now.
In the blog post, Schweitzer President and COO, Tom Chasse, commented on the challenges and the plan going forward:
“We remain committed to completing the project within a reasonable timeline, while investing in our current infrastructure. This summer, we’re focused on funding maintenance capital projects to support Schweitzer Creek Village, including revegetation efforts for Creekside Express and installing a new playground displaced during the lift upgrade. Additionally, we’ve ordered a new grooming snowcat, invested in vehicle upgrades, carpet replacements, and various behind-the-scenes improvements. To keep pace with development around the mountain community, the Utility Company will make significant investments in sewer and water systems.”
The resort will still invest roughly $2 million on the project this summer in preparation for the next phase. The future of the project will live on as the project is a multi-year, long term investment with a timeline that would see a completion in the next 7-10 years with the addition of a day lodge and 130 acres of new skiable terrain supported by 4 lifts in addition to the new parking lot and road.
Last summer, Alterra Mountain Company, closed on its acquisition of Schweitzer Mountain, but apparently the creator of the Ikon Pass couldn’t prioritize Schweitzer along with the 17 other ski areas it owns in their request for capital projects.
Schweitzer is certainly adapting to the challenges. The resort experienced similar hardships in the 2014/2015 season when it had to defer capital projects due to financial constraints, including the Sky House, which now sits at the top of the Great Escape Quad chair. The resort is committed to finishing the projects, but delaying for now seems like the fiscally responsible thing to do.
This article was updated from the original on 6/4/2024.
