News

CLOSED for the 2008-2009 Season

Posted March 31, 2009

Another exciting, wonderful ski season has come to an end at Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park. 

The winter started off with a flurry of snow arriving just in time for opening day in December, and the snow continued falling heavily for most of the month.  The sun came out to make most of January & February sunny bluebird days with perfect wall-to-wall groomers, and winter finally returned for Powder Wednesdays in March. 

We have received many inquiries as to why we didn’t extend our operations past our normally scheduled closing date, in light of the condition of our snowpack and continued snowfall.  Our normal closing date has traditionally been the first weekend of spring break.  Although we have extended operations in past seasons, for just a weekend or all of spring break, there are many factors that must be considered before extending the season.

The spring weather causes skier visits to decline at the end of the season.  While the costs of operating a ski area remain steady, income drops and costs often outweigh incoming revenue when skier visits are low.  In addition, the presence of five ski areas a short distance from Spokane dilutes the market even further.  Silver Mountain is able to offer Silver Saturdays as long as the snowpack remains stable and skier visits remain steady, but if another mountain were to remain open, both would suffer.  49° North offers free skiing and riding during spring break, and the same situation applies.  As members of Ski the Northwest Rockies Association, we support and work with the other area mountains.  Our closing in part allows our valued guests the opportunity to ski and ride other resorts, and allows the areas that remain open fair & healthy operation.

Trained labor is also an issue, as seasonal employees are hired in the fall under the premise that our anticipated closing date is their last day of employment and most arrange their next job to start the week of spring break.  In addition, as a concessionaire operating under lease from Mt. Spokane State Park, we must set our operating schedule with the state over a year in advance.  Extending the season would require permission from the State Park. 

Although the staff at Mt. Spokane are all dedicated skiers & riders, the tough decision had to be made to close the mountain as scheduled.  We hope you had a fantastic season and hope to see you back up next year!