We did it, MMC! The snow gods pulled through and we were able to open for a sneaky, better than expected, opening weekend. Thank you to Christian and our AWESOME 2023-24 team for pulling it off! Fingers crossed that we continue to make besties with El Niño and keep those freezing levels juuuuuust low enough to keep the fluffy stuff fluffin. This being said….. on December 30th we made the difficult decision to close for a few days given a dwindling snow pack and increasing safety concerns. 

As mentioned in a recent email, we can now gratefully acknowledge LNG Canada as the sponsor for our Library Pass Program this year. Spread the word to encourage friends and family to get up to the hill this year!  The $78 000 Library Pass Program has been fully funded by LNGC putting four free day passes at each of our three libraries (Kitimat, Terrace and Prince Rupert) for each operating day of the season. Thank you LNGC – we really appreciate your support. 

FINANCIALS

• No major updates here. We continue to chip away at making up for last year’s loss. We are keeping a close eye on spending and a number of our new products have proven to be super successful with the Uphill Pass Program nearly reaching our budgeted goal of $10 000. 
• Just prior to opening weekend, our accounts held enough to carry us for up to two months of slow/ no operations. We are thankful that we were able to open and our fingers are crossed that our little corner of the world stays in relatively good shape and becomes everyone’s new favorite ski destination if things stay balmy this winter!
• Through Christmas break, our December attendance of 4958 was down from last year’s 6658 skier visits. Fortunately, our limited and lean operations have significantly reduced our operating costs leaving us in a better position then we were in at mid-december:
  • Far less grooming to do is greatly reducing diesel consumption 
  • Lower attendance is reducing load on generators reducing diesel consumption
  • Higher outdoor temperatures reduce our heating costs (propane)
  • Canceled operating days (though disappointing…) save wages     

OPERATIONS

• Opening weekend also served as the training weekend for our ski school instructors. Book your lessons now! There’s something for everyone! 
• For the first time in many years, we started the season fully staffed! Thank you to all of our new and returning staff members. You guys have been doing an amazing job! 

• We are still looking for leads on a small bobcat or tractor to load sand in our maintenance building. We’re lucky to have some incredibly competent operators, but threading the needle with the big loader feels a litttttle too risky for the long term – please help us get the word out!
• On December 30th we made the difficult decision to cease operations. The rain and warm temperatures created an unsafe environment for our skiers. The closure has given our staff time to work on mitigating the water problems ahead of the expected freeze up in early January. 

TERRITORIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This important work was almost ready to be released back when we were struck with the global COVID 19 pandemic. We are very happy to now have it completed and released. Check out the link above! 

PARKING

• No major changes to our parking policy this year. 
• The upper lot will continue to be 4×4 access and one way traffic only (up before 1pm, down after).

OVERNIGHT PARKING

• Our Overnight Parking Policy remains unchanged. Please read it!
• The creation of an Overnight Parking Committee will be underway in January. 
• The goal of the committee will be to:
  • Evaluate the program in its current state
  • Understand the operational needs and limitations to the program 
  • Survey membership to better understand the needs and wants of the overnight parking community
  • Provide recommendations to management and board of directors on how to grow and improve the program for the future.
• The committee will be composed of coop members, and will be led by a paid MMC-Shames Mountain Staff member to ensure the operational realities are considered in recommendations.  

PROJECTS

• There has been lots of progress with our REDIP funded planning project which will help us to create an updated and professionally designed base area master plan, including a plan for lodge renovations/ upgrades! 

EVENTS

• Watch our events calendar for information about the many sponsored events we will be hosting at the hill this year. There’s something for everyone!
  • Denis Rowse Retro Day on December 21st was a great success. Huge thanks go out to our sponsors:
    • Rolly Works
    • Rowse Family
    • Cowpuccino’s Coffee House
  • Look out for our Multicultural Weekend on January 6th and 7th sponsored by:
    • Terrace Tourism 
    • Rolly Works
    • Coca Cola 
• Mini Rippers kicks off in early January – get your littles registered!

Thanks for reading MMC! As always, we are happy to hear your feedback, but please consider the significant amount of pressure that our whole team is under right now. Rest assured, EVERYONE is doing their best to bring the most wonderful Shames Mountain experience possible. Constructive feedback is always welcome, but please try to keep an objective perspective and consider the many complex variables that contribute to the sometimes difficult decisions we have to make to keep things afloat. Before you make that comment or send that email, please take a moment to reflect. We are all here with the best intentions and a shared love for MMC/ Shames Mountain.  

Happy New Year and see you out there soon!!! 

Feature photo credit: Shannon McFadyen