“We were really pleased to have a good winter,” said Resort Director of Business Operations Don Sharpe. “We opened on time, we closed on time and had good snow throughout the year. It was perfect: we couldn’t have asked for better.”
Once Pacific Group Resorts Inc.’s purchase was announced last November, the Company left day-to-day operations to the Management Team already in place at the Resort. “Pacific Group provided us with an opportunity to find out what their expectations are,” Sharpe said.
The new owners visited Mount Washington several times as the winter season progressed, he added.
“It was really good to get back in the groove of things and not have to worry about if it’s going to snow. The last 10 days of the season were epic spring-style conditions with good events going on. It was a good way to end the season.”
The double diamond Outback opened for the first time in three years, the Boomerang Chairlift getting a good workout all season. “It was awesome to have that back again,” Sharpe said. “It gave our high-end skiers some great terrain to use.” Attendance overall was above average, he added. The growing interest in snowshoeing was just one aspect that contributed to solid numbers.
“Snowshoeing was a huge growth area for us and it continues to grow every year,” Sharpe said.
While the interest in snowshoeing is growing, Sharpe said the Resort is set for terrain to handle more people on the trails. “We still have to manage it. We groom and put up signs to make it safe. Right now we’re at 25 kilometers of terrain, so we’ve got lots of space for people.”
Mount Washington again arranged reciprocal agreements with other resorts like Apex, Revelstoke, Manning Park and Seymour in Vancouver, and saw some brisk trade business this winter. “The biggest users were from Seymour,” Sharpe said. “We also know many of our season’s pass users went to other locations because they told us.”
Although the Resort concluded the winter season in April, and summer started near the end of June, employees weren’t just waiting for the snow to melt. The Resort hosted some spring weddings, and made plans to reopen the bike park.