WOLF CREEK— Skiers of all abilities are eager to get the 2017-18 season started and have been jumping online to purchase their pre-season passes. According to Wolf Creek Ski Resort Owner Rosanne Haidorfer-Pitcher, the ski resort has been working the entire summer to streamline their online database, making it more accessible and user-friendly. In addition to the online work, Haidorfer-Pitcher also announced that they will have the capability to scan tickets using a new system at the lifts for those who purchase their season passes online.
“We have spent the summer working with a company out of Canada to have the direct lift scanning software up and running by the time the season starts. We had a small hiccup, but everything seems to be on track for the coming ski season,” said Haidorfer-Pitcher. The software will enable customers to skip the long ticket lines and go directly to their desired lift on the mountain where resort staff will be able to scan their tickets and send them on their way, streamlining the process and getting people out on the slopes faster than ever.
Though Haidorfer-Pitcher recognized that the first year with the system was going to be interesting, she stated that her faith in the current team on the mountain is what will get them through that initial phase. “We weeded out a lot of unneeded hardware and we know it’s going to be a huge change but I have a great team working up here and I know they will help us get through this first year,” stated Haidorfer-Pitcher.
While the resort spent a majority of the summer working on streamlining their online presence, they also spent time negotiating with a company in La Garita, Colo. to procure solar energy services that would make the resort 100 percent clean energy. Previously, the resort used energy reserves from the wind substations located throughout the Valley, but will now be dependent on a mixture of the two, making them 100 percent reusable energy based. “Except for cloudy or night time energy, we will be using the solar substation near La Garita to power the mountain. The rest of the time it will be offset by wind energy from the other substation in the Valley, making us 100 percent reusable energy, which is great,” said Haidorfer-Pitcher.
Haidorfer-Pitcher continued to explain that in the past, they have had issues during strong winter storms, losing power whenever an above-ground line went down across from the resort on Fox Mountain. Over the course of the summer, crews from SLVREC worked to place the troublesome lines below ground, minimizing the effect it had on the resort. “We had to use our backup systems whenever a line went down, which is what they are there for, but it will be nice not to have to rely so much on the backup systems from now on,” she finished.
Another project that was halted last season will finally be finished and open to the public this year, which was the new Lynx Lift. Construction on the new lift began in the spring of 2016, only to be temporarily stopped by the United States Forest Service until plans for the construction phase could be submitted by the resort. Construction was able to restart in April, giving the resort time to have the building and the lift operational by the coming ski season.
According to Haidorfer-Pitcher, the lift will be up and functional for the coming year. The new lift will allow new skiers of all ages to meet in a less congested area, making the first-time skiing experience that much better. “They will be able to meet with their ski instructors in the Lynx Lift building, watch safety videos that will teach them basic skills and safety practices before heading out on the slopes for the first time. They can go directly from their classes to the lift and up onto the Foxy Trail, which our beginner slope, circle back around in a loop and right back to the Lynx building,” said Haidorfer-Pitcher.
“We have some work ahead of us, but we have a great crew,” finished Haidorfer-Pitcher. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.wolfcreekski.com.