Wolf Creek opens for weekends, welcomes fresh snow

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WOLF CREEK—Skiers from all over the state traveled to Wolf Creek this past weekend to enjoy the beautiful days and fresh powder on the slopes for their opening weekend. The resort has been accumulating snow from sporadic storms over the last several weeks and with the help of their man-made snow machines, were able to open for weekends to kick off the 2017-18 ski season in the San Juan Mountain Range, with more snow in the forecast.
Several changes have been underway for the resort, including the approval of a new lift project that was first introduced in 2012. According to a recent press release, “Rio Grande National Forest Supervisor Dan Dallas recently signed a decision notice approving the Wolf Creek Ski Area Meadow Lift Development Project. The project will occur within the Wolf Creek Ski Area special use permit boundary on the Rio Grande National Forest.
The Meadow Lift will be approximately 2,100 feet in length with eight towers and terminals. A 50 by 80-foot multi-use building will be constructed for storage during the summer and as a service area during the winter. Two sections of gravel road, totaling less than a quarter mile, will be constructed to access the lift for construction and maintenance. An underground powerline will be installed under an existing closed Forest Service road and new access road. Up to 50 acres may be cleared of trees and revegetated to provide open skiing terrain in the new Meadow Lift and existing Elma Lift areas.”
The new lift will streamline crowds of skiers and get them to the top of the mountain in a swift, efficient manner. This was only one of many projects the resort was working on to be ready for opening day on the mountain. A new scanning system was installed for yearly lift ticket holders that will also help decrease the size of lines at the resort, allowing lift operators the ability to scan ticket holders at the lift base, instead of patrons having to wait in line at the ticket booth, before heading up to the slopes.
According to Owner Rosanne Haidorfer-Pitcher the weekend was a huge success with just over 100 people coming to the slopes to ski on both Saturday and Sunday. The scanning system was not yet up and running for the opening weekend, but Haidorfer-Pitcher stated that it will be ready by the time the season opens for good during Thanksgiving weekend.
The resort is also eager to begin using their newest addition, the Lynx Lift, which is primarily for beginner skiers and children. The lift is housed in an open building that will remove beginner skier from the intense crowds near the ticket area, reorganizing the lines and giving the beginners room to learn. The lift was finished in September and is ready for the season’s first few ski schools.
As of now the resort is reporting 26 inches of snow for the year and a mid-way base of about 10 inches. There are three lifts currently in operation including the Nova, Treasure and Bonanza with more lifts opening as conditions allow. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.wolfcreekski.com.