Ski areas weather El Nino winter

Despite a rough economy and less-than-average snowfall this winter, Whitefish Mountain Resort and Blacktail Mountain Ski Area report successful seasons.

“We are very, very pleased with how the season went,” said Whitefish Mountain Resort spokesman Donnie Clapp.

Non-passholder skier visits exceeded last year’s numbers by 8 percent, lodging numbers were “significantly” above last year’s and 7,000 season pass sales roughly matched last year’s sales, Clapp said.

“It was a surprise to us, with a struggling economy and less-than-ideal snow conditions,” he said.

The El Nino weather pattern that forced many storm systems to the south did have an effect.

Total snowfall at the summit of Big Mountain was 173 inches, well below the average of 300 inches, last year’s snowfall of 298 inches and the 426 inches during the banner year of 2008.

During the last two significant El Nino years, there was little snowfall through February, but there was substantial snowfall in the month of March, Clapp noted.

“We were hoping that would happen again, but it did not,” he said.

As a result, skier visits dropped off in March, even among season passholders.

Whitefish Mountain and Blacktail Mountain seasons closed on April 4, and there has been considerable snowfall since then.

“I’m up here plowing 18 inches of snow today and it’s the third time [to get more than a foot] since we closed,” Blacktail manager Steve Spencer said on Wednesday morning.

Blacktail often stays open until mid-April, but the seasons typically end when the number of skiers drop off. The first week of April, “it was like 55 or 60 degrees in the valley and everybody went golfing,” Spencer said.

“It’s been a low snow year, granted, but we haven’t had a bare spot all winter,” he said. “It’s the north slope that makes it work for us up here.”

Spencer said skier visits were comparable to last year’s numbers, despite “gloom and doom about the economy.”

He attributes the skier turnout to people seeking bargains.

“People were doing what they could to stretch their dollars and you can do that with the smaller ski areas,” he said. “The other thing is Canada is back. We had a lot of Canadians this year and that really helped us.”

Clapp had similar observations, noting that Whitefish Mountain Resort is more affordable than resorts of similar size and amenities and that made a difference in skier turnout.

Blacktail already has launched its season pass sale for next winter, with sharp discounts.

Prior to May 15, prices are $325 for adults, $234 for teens or $114 for children.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com