Labrador Mountain may not be the first to put its toe in the water. But when the 250-acre, family-owned ski area located just south of Syracuse, N.Y., decides to finally jump in, it makes a big splash.

Director of marketing and snow sports Rick Bunnell notes that Labrador was the last hill to accommodate snowboards in central New York. Today, the area has a 3,000-foot-long terrain park and a 400-foot professionally cut half pipe that Bunnell believes is the best in the state.

“We are old-fashioned,” the 31-year veteran of Labrador Mountain says with pride. “We do not tend to jump on fads. We like to see what works and what does not, let others do the experimenting. But if we decide to do something, we go at it 200 percent and really do it right.”

That conservative-but-committed bent has worked well for the Wilson family, which has owned the operation since it first opened 51 years ago and expects to welcome a third generation into the family business in the near future.


Something Old, Something New
At first glance, Labrador is a typical small area. Located midway between Syracuse and Cortland in the community of Truxton, it’s strictly a day area, with no affiliated lodging—although many excellent accommodations and restaurants are available nearby.

The area has 22 trails, the longest being just under a mile long, and six lifts. The summit sits at 1,825 feet, with a vertical drop of 700 feet. The terrain encompasses three peaks spread along a lengthy ridge that gets progressively steeper from north to south. Snowmaking covers 95 percent and lights 90 percent. The base area features two lodges, one with a nursery and both with cafeterias, the Puffin Bird Restaurant, lockers, first aid, and the snow-sports school. A typical setup.

But Labrador also knows when to stand out from the crowd. The snowmaking system is computerized, to squeeze maximum efficiency from it. The Wilsons have spent thousands and thousands of dollars every year to improve that vital part of the operation. Staying abreast on the tech front is particularly important for a small Eastern mountain like Labrador, where the total snowfall averages about 100 inches and the number of annual ski days hovers around the century mark.

Upgrading is a never-ending process. “We are improving our snowmaking operations this summer,” Bunnell says, “moving lines, adding lines, adding lights, trail trimming. In our part of the country, you have a small window of opportunity to make snow. It usually runs six to eight weeks, which varies from early to middle to late winter from year to year. Generally, he who puts the most snow down during that time wins.”

Given its geography, staying open 100 to 115 days is cause for celebration. On the other hand, being open for less than 90 days can be reason for concern. Labrador operated for 86 days this past season, a disappointing number but enough to keep seven maintenance-crew members employed year-round.


It’s About the People
At Labrador, business is personal. The Wilsons and Bunnell believe Labrador’s staff is its major asset. A core group of seven people comprise the park crew. Most have been at the mountain for 15 to 25 years, and unlike many areas that lay off most staff during the summer, Labrador keeps its core group working throughout the off-season.

“They enjoy the work and we do not have to keep retraining people every year on where the snow lines are and where this is and that is,” the marketing manager says. “They know exactly what to do. The guy grooming the hill has been doing it 15 to 20 years.

“We try to keep it fun and listen to our staff members. We capitalize on their input. If they want to change something, or saw a rail that was hot out West and want to try it here, we’ll review it, go over the risk factors and then try to make it as safe as possible.”

That philosophy of shared management extends to the 160 ski and snowboard instructors. Each winter the mountain selects five skiers and five snowboarders to help maintain the park and provide input. “If we build a rail, and they do not like it, we’ll change it,” Bunnell says. “Then it seems to be a hit. We get a lot of feedback from instructors and patrons.

“We do not have the hotel and eateries. But we know how to make snow and maintain a good terrain park thanks to our staff and patrons.”


Recognizing Its Place
Labrador is proud to be a local’s hill and the birthplace of future skiers. To that end, it’s affordably priced, with rates structured to fit local lifestyles. Lift tickets in 2006-07 began at $20 for a single hour, $32 for four hours, and $35 for nine hours. Night tickets starting at 4:30 p.m. were just $20. Complete ski-rental packages are normally $17 with special deals for juniors and students. Complete lift-and-lesson packages were $32 Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“People in central New York ski here eight to ten times a year, then look for a winter-break vacation to Vermont or out West,” Bunnell says. “We know where we fit in the ski and snowboard industry, and that is where we want to stay. As long as we provide the best ski conditions, snow, terrain park and atmosphere, people will keep coming.”

The area also starts a lot of new skiers and riders. The mountain’s learn-to-ski program attracts between 1,500 and 1,900 first-visit skiers and snowboarders throughout the season. The cost is $20 for each of the first three visits. After the third visit, those aged 18 and older are entered into a drawing for a three-day, four-night ski trip to Winter Park.

Labrador is big on kids, hosting special programs for area schools Monday through Friday nights. Sixty-one schools and 700 to 900 kids take advantage of the program each season.

Students at the local Truxton public schools receive an added benefit: a free ski pass for Monday nights that includes six weeks of lift tickets, six lessons and rentals, a $200 value. Labrador has offered the program for 20-plus years as a way to pay back its home community and to attract new customers—between 300 and 400 youngsters every year.

College students are another key market. Labrador hosts frequent college nights, and its staff helps coach the ski teams of nearby Ithaca, Morrisville and Hamilton colleges.

Finally, what local area would be complete without a full competition schedule? “People like to come here because the races start on time, they have no problems with equipment, the races are done early, the results posted in a timely manner and everyone can be home by 3 p.m.,” Bunnell says. Again, the lesson is: choose what you want to do, and do it well.


Thinking Outside The Box
That philosophy extends to co-op deals with other resorts. For such a conservative area, Labrador is positively liberal in its inter-resort programs. It has arrangements with Whiteface and Gore Mountain in New York as well as Mount Snow and Stowe in Vermont to provide its season passholders with lift-ticket discounts at those areas.

But it has recently ventured much farther afield with this concept to offer programs attractive to its customers. Labrador didn’t just hook up with Winter Park to offer a ski-vacation drawing for those participating in its learn-to-ski program. It also organized a group outing to the Colorado resort. The package included lodging and lift tickets for three days and four nights at $300 per person, with round-trip airfare for $260 from Syracuse.

“It was a fabulous deal,” says Bunnell, noting the event helped develop a sense loyalty to Labrador and camaraderie among its customers. “We had 24 people go out. We renegotiated the same package for next year, and I expect even more people to take advantage of it. We are getting an earlier start this year so we can promote it with our season passholders before they start booking their ski trips for the season. The feedback and photos should be posted on the website soon.”

For a mountain slow to test the waters, Labrador is not afraid to take a plunge—including encouraging its best customers to sample other, bigger areas. How fearless is that?