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Show Resort Skips Thanksgiving Puts Trust in Santa Claus With two major snow storms forecast for this week, Park City is drawing nearer to the commencement commence-ment of its 15th and in all probability, most profitable winter win-ter season. Although the area's present denh of snow caused by a high pressure ridge to the North prevented the ski facilities from opening for the Thanksgiving Holidays this year (the third postponed Thanksgiving in the Resort's 15 year history), people in Park City remain optimistic. Other resorts along the Wasatch Was-atch Front are predicting losses amounting to hundreds of thousands thou-sands of dollars due to the delayed opening. Here in Park City, Resort Marketing Direction Craig Ba-dami Ba-dami said they were concerned about the loss of projected Thanksgiving business, but viewed view-ed the non-opening as a windfall profit which didn't materialize. "Right now we're concentrating on opening as soon after Thanksgiving as possible," said Mr. Badami, indicating that the Resort needs about 24 inches of snow to facilitate the opening of the mountain, "If we have snow by the first of December, we won't be really hurt by Thanksgiving." Thanks-giving." Park West, on the other hand, had not scheduled a Thanksgiving opening (although they would have opened most likely if snow permitted); furthermore, they are not-counting losses, but are using the extended Fall to complete an expansion project. Bob Wells, Director of Moana Corp., Park City's largest property pro-perty management firm, admitted that they had sufered a loss due to a mass cancellation of reservations; reserva-tions; but, he went on to say that many people had changed their reservations to a later date. "We did lose some of the groups who probably won't come back together to-gether this season," commented Mr. Wells, "but I am confident Please tarn to page twenty-two' snow will come and along with it a season of economic prosperity unparalled during the previous 15 years. county was seized with the gasoline jitters and people simply didn't travel. Nationally that was the year of deep economic recession in which consumers forewent their annual ski vacations vaca-tions in lieu of more basic necessities. This year gasoline is plentiful and Americans have traveled more in 1976 than in any prior year. Although this is not particularly a year of widespread economic prosperity, people are comfortable comfort-able and according to advanced reservations are definitely planning plann-ing to take a ski vacation. Given these factors, we in Park City can look forward to a very prosperous season as long as we have snow by early December. It's a matter of waiting with optimistic confidence that the optimism Continued from page one many of them will come back individually." Wells indicated that the unrealized Thanksgiving business amounted to 3 percent of their yearly financial projection and said there is a possibility that the Thanksgiving loss can be made up. "All signs point to a good winter," he said, "but we have to have snow by early December." Despite the late opening, some consolation can be found in the fact that we are not alone. Of the multitude of Rocky Mountain ski resorts only two are expected to be open for the Thanksgiving weekend. Winter Park, Colo, boasts artificial snow skiing on five beginner runs, and Loveland, Colo, maintains their facilities will be open, but again skiing will be limited, and on artificial surfaces. Had other major resorts been open under reasonable conditions. condi-tions. Park City's unrealized profits would have gone there. Instead people will still take their ski vacations in Park City, only at a later date. People are already comparing this season to 1974 when Park City suffered a disasterous economic set back coupled with numerous business failures. The Resort did not open for Thanksgiving Thanks-giving in 1974, but other resorts were open, which took away Park City's business. Also, people forget that in 1974, the entire |
