BIGGER AND BOLDER
shuffle existing management staff to cre- ate space for one person to focus on the expansion project itself. Hazard mitigation. Some consider- ations are less obvious. Whitewater, for example, had to find ways to manage and restrict new access to out-of-bounds ava- lanche-prone terrain from the new lift. “You’re not just cutting runs, you’re grading between them so people can ski, and you’re working with your snow safety team to come up with safety man- agement plans for that terrain,” says Whitewater outdoor operations man- ager David Michael. “That’s another big part of the resort that has never been managed by ski patrol before. So, you’re determining where the signs will go and what the hazard mitigation will look like for this area.” Despite the addition of signage and ropes to deter unprepared skiers and riders from leaving the resort boundary, the likely increase in traffic to the new- ly-lift-accessible backcountry terrain
was a concern. To address it, this season Whitewater extended its ski area bound- ary to include the area of Ymir Bowl that’s now accessible from the lift (previ- ously only accessed via skinning), which it was able to do since the additional 60 acres of terrain is part of a “controlled recreation area” lease from the govern- ment. This will allow ski patrol to per- form avalanche mitigation and enforce terrain closures, which it couldn’t do when the terrain was outside of the resort boundary. RETURN ON INVESTMENT For the budget savvy, calculating the return on investment based on antici- pated additional revenue generation is a relatively simple task. But for many ski areas embarking on a terrain expansion project, there’s more to it than simply the bottom line. “We’re hoping for a return in seven to eight years, but if it takes more, we understand,” says Trollhaugen’s Roch-
ford. “This is a part of the infrastructure that isn’t going away. We’ve been here since 1950, and my family has been a part of the process since 1967. And so even if it takes 15 years, it’ll still be the stamp that my generation was able to put on this area to make it better.” At Mt. Shasta Ski Park, completing the expansion fulfills the dream of pre- vious owner Ray Merlo, who died in 2020. And at Whitewater, the addition- al lift has resulted in the already-scarce lift lines becoming non-existent, adding value in the form of an improved cus- tomer experience. “[Expanding] is one of the most excit- ing things you’ll ever do, but it’ll also be one of the hardest,” says Waterville’s Smith. “And you’ve got to prepare your- self for years to understand what you’re about to get into. You have to be bursting out of your seat, so pumped that you’re willing to work 20 hours a day for six months. And if you’re not willing to do that, don’t do it.”
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