Summer Wrap Up

Thirty thousand people thought Mt. Washington was a great place to be last summer!

Summer visits stayed steady through another year as about 17,000 people rode the Eagle Express to the summit, to catch the breath-taking views of Strathcona Provincial Park, Discovery Passage and the Comox Valley.

?We were up a little bit in terms of our summer visitors,? marketing director Karen Bonell said. The numbers weren?t huge, but they were sufficient to continue carving out Mt. Washington?s reputation as a four-season destination.

?What was significant was that people bought while they were up here,? Bonell added. ?They bought more souvenirs, they tried our disc golf. The horseback rides more than quadrupled their business over last year.?

The weather in August was overcast and wet much of the time - there were only a couple of weekend days that were good weather. However, the mountain more than made up for it with a balmy September.

Mt.Washington saw a 50-per-cent increase in the number of mountain bikes on the slopes, Bonell said. ?We?re putting some time and effort into the trails and expanding them, and it?s paying off.? Even when rain held off the summer tourists, the mountain bike diehards were pedaling around the slopes, she said. ?They waterproof you in a way. They don?t care what it?s like (outside), they?re going to go anyway.?

Mt. Washington had more events than last year and they were successful, too. The Mountain Luau in July was a huge draw, as was the family day. The Mountain Musicfest may be scrapped next year due to a lower than expected turnout at the event.