03/15/2016
Oh Boy! I guess i'll put my skis away!
Mother Nature has forced us to "tap out" on the 2016 ski season. We encourage you to read this letter to our skiers;
Greetings Mad River Glen Skiers,
The 2016 ski season has turned out to be a bust of historic proportions, the worst in the past 35 years in fact. We received just a bit over 100" of snow for the season, well below our 225" average, made worse by the fact that whenever we did get snow it was followed up with rain, a thaw or both. Normally we budget for about 100 days of operation each season. This year we only ran for 45 mostly unspectacular days.
Beyond the less than stellar skiing, the season has had a major impact on our entire community:
Our pass holders had a tough time getting the value out of their purchases.
Mad Card skiers had a hard time using up their tickets.
Our seasonal staff members saw significantly diminished hours and were laid off very early.
Our full time employees are looking at unpaid furloughs this off-season.
The mountain finds itself in the most challenging financial situation it has seen since the founding of the Co-op in 1995.
Other regional ski areas are experiencing similar or even worse financial challenges.
Many of our friends and neighbors in the Mad River Valley have had a rough time of things this winter too.
We very much wish that there was something that we could do for all the folks who felt the force of "El Nino's" punch. We wish that we could allow Season Passes and Mad Cards to be used next season. We would also love to be able to compensate our loyal staff for lost hours of work. Unfortunately, the Co-op is not in a position to do that from a fiscal perspective: To do so would simply be guaranteeing another bad financial year next season and would threaten the long-term financial health of Mad River Glen. Our entire community, our skiers, employees, neighbors, local business owners and our families feel the pain. While we know that the situation impacted you, we ask that you take the longer view, chalk it up to a bad season and look forward to lots of snow next year.
The strength of the Mad River Glen Cooperative is in our community, our resiliency and our unique business model. The 2016 season was the 20th year under skier-ownership and while it was our worst financial one to date, it is important to keep in mind that we finished in the black 15 of the past 20 years. We also have many other positives to dwell on:
Our kids ski school and race programs were our anchor this year.
Our various departments did better financially than we ever could have hoped.
Ticket sales actually performed better than expected given the
weather.
We continued to receive tremendous positive press attention.
We partnered with our neighbors at Sugarbush to help provide skiing for MRG skiers.
The spirit of the community remained steadfast.
As we look forward to the next ski season we are well aware that you have options on where you ski and that there are many factors to consider when making that choice. Mad River Glen offers a ski experience that is unavailable elsewhere. When it is good it is world-class, and even when conditions aren't outstanding it provides memories that will last a lifetime. Our dedicated staff is committed to providing you this exceptional experience and sense of place that is so rare to find in today's world. Please know that we will all be working hard to ensure that this special place is here for you and your family for years to come. Thanks for your continued support,
Sincerely,
Jamey Wimble - President
John Stetson - Co-op Board Chair
