SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., July 27, 2022—Resorts across North America have eased into summer this year, with the Fourth of July holiday weekend serving as a litmus test for the state of “typical” traveler behavior amid fluctuating Covid infection rates and persistent recession and inflation concerns. Courtesy of OkemoThe long weekend and the weeks that followed have demonstrated that travelers remain eager to vacation in the mountains, but the blockbuster demand of last summer has softened in many regions, thanks in no small part to challenging weather. 

We checked in with a handful of resorts to learn more about how business has been so far this summer. 

WEST 

After a softer summer opening than usual due to rainy weather, Sundance, Utah, has seen numbers steadily increase. More consistent warm weather and the start of summer events like the Bluebird Cafe Concert Series have helped to lure guests back to the resort said marketing manager Alysha Jeppson.

Sunny skies and 80-degree temps set the resort up for success at its first official July Fourth celebration. The resort hasn’t done much for Independence Day in the past, according to Jeppson, who said the inaugural celebration was met with tremendous excitement from guests. “We had an excellent turnout for our BBQ at The Lookout, our new restaurant. We offered a special menu, had lawn games, live music, 2-for-1 scenic lift rides, and lots of excitement for mountain biking and hiking,” she said.

Fourth of July celebrations at Arapahoe Basin, Colo., were not overly dampened by monsoonal weather, said marketing director Jesse True. However, the threat of rain did drive guests to frontload their activities in the mornings over the holiday weekend.

So far, the most popular attractions at the resort this summer are the aerial adventure park and via ferrata, said True. Guests are also enjoying mountain biking and hiking around the resort. Weddings are A-Basin’s biggest revenue driver this summer, and there are more of them than ever on the books, True added.

With fires burning in the forests surrounding the resort early in the summer, Red River Ski & Summer Area, N.M., reported that its summer programming kicked off considerably behind schedule, resulting in total visitation being down compared to last summer to date. 

At Red River, a lack of staff is also causing some activities to operate on a limited basis, in addition to limitations placed on activities through an agreement with the Carson National Forest for Red River to remain operational even through wildfire red flag warnings. 

Reed Weimer, marketing manager at the ski area, said the icing on the cake of challenges this summer was an early monsoon season, which has brought heavy rains and lightning to the resort in the afternoons, impacting operations. Weimer remains hopeful, though, that visitation numbers will increase toward the end of July and into August with guests eager to travel later in the season in lieu of early summer trips. 

At Taos Ski Valley, N.M., the merged Calf Canyon and Hermit Peaks fires threw a wrench into the start of summer ops. Business was well underway by July, though. A resort representative said the Independence Day holiday weekend was a successful one, in line with expectations, and that the resort has continued to see strong visitation and beautiful weather in recent weeks. 

While the Southwest grappled with wildfires, the Pacific Northwest started the summer season buried under deep spring snowpack. After digging out from a long ski season, Crystal Mountain, Wash., was slightly behind in opening some summer offerings like its hiking trails. Nonetheless, communications coordinator Emma Brice reported strong numbers for the Independence Day holiday, with close to 4,000 people visiting the resort over the weekend, which was busier than in years past. 

Brice credits several factors for the strong demand. “We're very fortunate to be at a national park entrance and to have Washington's only scenic gondola and the highest elevation restaurant in the state,” she said. “Both of these features represent a large number of visits that are contributed by additional factors.”

After a similarly late start to summer ops due to spring snowpack, Mt. Hood Skibowl, Ore., has seen visitation on par with pre-Covid seasons. General manager Mike Quinn reported strong visitation for the adventure center over the holiday weekend. 

Midwest

Minnesota Ski Areas Association executive director Bo Bigelow said that areas in the state that offer summer operations are having a good season overall, with strong visitation. The most popular summertime activities in those areas are the outdoor ones like mountain biking, hiking, and golf. Wild Mountain, Minn., has also seen large crowds at its water park, alpine slide, and go-karts this summer. In addition, Bigelow reported that Buck Hill, Minn., had a successful opening for its new disc golf course, which has continued to be popular this summer. 

Demand has been solid at Giant’s Ridge, Minn., this season, up from the first pandemic season but down slightly from last year’s blockbuster summer. Rain has hindered some weekend mountain biking operations, but attendance has been strong when the weather cooperates, said GM Fred Seymour. 

At Detroit Mountain Recreation Area, Mich., general manager Jeff Staley said that daily visitation is down slightly year-over-year, but recent price increases have allowed revenue to remain flat, specifically in respect to bike rental and lift ticket fees. Summer season pass sales are down about 35 percent, however, possibly due to a late start to the season, which was delayed by a month. 

According to Staley, after a cold, wet start to the summer season, the July Fourth holiday period saw more poor weather, resulting in meager attendance. He said bike operations were also closed that Saturday due to a concert to commemorate the holiday. Of the past three years, he said 2020 was the busiest for his area. 

Generally, said Staley, performance across summer activities has shown little consistency, with some offerings overperforming and others getting canceled due to lack of attendance. “Outside of weekend lift-serviced downhill biking, we had a citizen mountain bike race June 5, a concert July 2, and weekly youth camps. The mountain bike race had approximately 30 additional participants bringing the total to 200. The concert sold out at 3,500 attendees and was the most profitable concert on record,” said Stately. Conversely, he said, “the summer camps have not been filled to capacity," and two sessions were cancelled as a result.

Crystal Mountain, Mich., has experienced more temperate weather this summer. Its alpine slide has only closed once due to storms, said COO John Melcher; in years past, weather-based closures were far more frequent. 

Lodging occupancies were strong for the second year in a row over the Fourth of July weekend, even with a reduction of programming options due to Covid caution, said Melcher. His team is considering reintroducing some of the previous activity offerings, and some events have already returned. 

“This year brought the return of our Beer and Brat festival in May, which was well attended,” said Melcher. “We also hosted the Total Archery Challenge, The Cherry Roubaix Grand Fondo bike race, and the Michigan PGA Women’s Open—all well attended.” 

Overall, Melcher is pleased with the direction visitation is going at Crystal. “We continue to see strong demand for outdoor activities. Additionally, we are seeing a strong return of groups and conferences looking to reconnect live,” he said.

East

At Bolton Valley, Vt., numbers are up 10-20 percent across various outlets so far this summer, according to marketing director Scott Pellegrini. In particular, the ski area saw very strong attendance for the unveiling of its outdoor pool and new Green Trail downhill mountain bike trail.

Courtesy of OkemoWarm weather in the Northeast has been a boon to operations at Okemo Mountain, Vt., said Vail Resorts Northeastern communications manager Bonnie MacPherson. With many visitors remaining Covid-cautious, outdoor activities are still the most popular at Okemo, noted MacPherson. 

The kick-off to Okemo’s outdoor summer concert series July 1 drew hundreds of holiday travelers, said MacPherson, adding that as a result of demand over the holiday weekend Okemo’s Adventure Zone extended its hours.

At Mont Tremblant, Quebec, numbers have been strong so far and are comparable to the pre-Covid 2019 summer season. Jean-François Gour, marketing director for the resort, attributed the positive numbers to new restaurant and retail additions in the Tremblant village, as well as generally nice weather. Weather, he noted, tends to influence day visitor traffic, although Tremblant offers a wide range of indoor activities like laser tag, a creative studio, and an indoor water park.

Visitation at Blue Mountain, Pa., is down slightly compared to last summer. Marketing director Ashley Seier attributed the decrease to changing travel behavior and the return of family reunions, graduations, and plane travel. “However, our visitation is up compared to pre-Covid 2019,” said Seier. “This shows the continued interest in the outdoors despite other indoor activities opening back up.” 

Seier also noted recent additions to features at the Summit Adventure Park, including a bungee trampoline, have led to a positive change in visitation numbers. Work on several other features has begun this summer, such as a new high ropes course option, and a three-story “adventure cube,” which will expand the course capacity from 50 people per hour to 84. 

Snowshoe 4848 FestivalSnowshoe, W.Va., recently hosted the 4848 Music Festival, a very well-attended event. Snowshoe’s PR and marketing manager, Shawn Cassell, reported that summer to date numbers have in general been higher than 2019 numbers. Cassell anticipated a packed resort for the upcoming Mercedes Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at the end of July. 

While the summer has not been record-breaking for most operators, reports through July suggest that demand persists for outdoor activities and attractions like concerts, mountain coasters, adventure parks, and mountain biking. Despite other draws on consumers’ attention—air travel, indoor activities, and renewed camp and family commitments—the public still appears to be interested in spending summer in the mountains. 

Report compiled by Michael Chait. 

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