After a mid-October snowstorm, Wolf Creek Ski Area opened up to hundreds of enthusiastic skiers on Oct. 22, marking the start of ski season across the country.
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00:00Well, believe it or not, the ski season is underway.
00:03The first U.S. ski area to open is Wolf Creek in Southern Colorado.
00:06This is pretty exciting, and today was indeed opening day, and joining us now is Davey Pitcher,
00:12CEO of Wolf Creek Ski Area.
00:14Congratulations, Davey, we are underway.
00:16How was the first day, and how does it feel to be the first ski area in the nation to
00:20open up?
00:21Well, the first day was, first of all, I appreciate being on your show, and I'm always excited
00:28to talk about the weather.
00:31It was a great day.
00:32We were surprised by a nice, the storm started on Thursday, and we can talk about that if
00:38you want, but we decided to open Sunday.
00:43We made the decision to open this morning, so it was kind of a quick decision, but that's
00:48typical for the South San Juans, and in spite of it being such short notice, we had about
00:55700 happy customers, and we skied all over the mountain, had a lot of machine groomed
01:02trails, and a lot of off-piste skiing, also up on the steeper terrain.
01:07That's great, and Davey, do you guys do any snowmaking, or is it all natural snow there
01:12in the San Juan Mountains, and also, I should ask, have you been open this early in October
01:17in other years, or is this normal for you?
01:19No, this is not normal.
01:22We get this kind of event about every six years, it seems.
01:27We opened on Columbus Day about, I think it was 2018, and then we opened in 2012 or 2013,
01:39we opened October 7th, so we've had some earlier openings, but generally, we try to be open
01:46by Halloween, and so it is somewhat consistent that we get these early season storms.
01:54Do you do any snowmaking on your own, or is this all natural stuff?
01:58Well, this is all, we do have some snowmaking, although last night was the first night that
02:05the temperatures were cold enough to make snow, and our snowmaking system is very, it's
02:13pretty small.
02:15We only have enough snow to supplement the base area of our mountain.
02:20If it didn't snow at all, we would not be able to open a run from top to bottom.
02:27We don't have enough water.
02:29That makes sense, and I have to assume that an early opening is good for business.
02:33What does that mean for your snow ski season?
02:35Are you expecting a good year for skiers and snowboarders?
02:39You know, we're hopeful.
02:42Of course, to be a ski area operator, you have to be optimistic.
02:46There's a lot of challenges in the business, and our philosophy is to, if there's good
02:54enough snow for people to have fun, it's very important to do what you can to provide the
03:02access on public land, and let them enjoy the experience with their family and friends.
03:11It was particularly beautiful today, because on the east fork, or the south side of the
03:16ridge, when you get off the lift, if you poke your head over, you can see all the aspen
03:21still blowing away down in the lower elevations, and that's a unique feeling, to be able to
03:28ski and see the aspens changing color.
03:31That sounds fantastic.
03:32Nobody does the fall leaves with the aspens quite like Colorado does, so that sounds like
03:36a beautiful mix of two spectacular seasons all at once there in Pagosa Springs.
03:41Davey Pitcher, CEO for Wolf Creek Ski Area in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
03:46Davey, thank you so much for your time, and we wish you the best this ski season.
03:49Absolutely.
03:50Absolutely, and you have a good afternoon.
03:51All right, thank you, Davey.