Last year, in its third year as host to the national Snocross Snowmobile Race, the Spirit Mountain competition was named “Snowmobiling Event of the Year” by *Snowmobile Magazine*.
The prestigious event, held over Thanksgiving weekend, set all-time records attracting nearly 700 race entries and 15,000 spectators over the three-day period. Top drivers from all over the United States, Canada and Europe competed for over $25,000 in prize money.
According to Spirit Mountain’s top management and organizers, the early season event makes a major difference in start-up revenues through food and beverage sales and, of course, gate receipts.
Last year, revenues from the race exceeded $100,000. This, along with skier revenue, adds up to record sales for November for the 20-year-old ski area.
The Spirit Mountain facility lends itself to this type of event because the chalet is located near the top of the mountain. Spectators can view the entire event from indoors (the second floor covers nearly 20,000 square feet) or track-side where bleachers were installed for the fans.
Spirit Mountain built a three-eighths-mile motocross-type track by dedicating eight pieces of snowmaking equipment to the 1,000-foot-by-500-foot area. Because the weather was unusually warm, there were only three nights of snowmaking to get the job done.
But even thin snow didn’t diminish the excitement of the event. On Friday and Saturday, snowmobiles raced into the night under lights.
