How lack of snow effects ski resorts
By: Sydney Herman
Over the past few years there has been a lack of snow in Western New York. This has affected popular ski resorts in a negative way.
Some impacts include, the decreased number of workers, an increased percent of money being spent on snowmaking, the average number of hills open, and finally the prices for passes.
Number of Workers
The number of workers working at popular ski resorts such as Swain, Bristol, Holiday Valley and Hunt Hollow have decreased significantly since the 2011 ski season. In the beginning of the 2011 ski season there were a total of 35 workers. In the beginning of the 2016-17 season there were a total of 23 workers. One worker from Swain stated that they could not hire more people due to lack of money to pay them because they had to pay for the water to make snow.
Prices for Passes
The prices for lift tickets has also increased in all four resorts. According to www.Bristolmountain.com the prices for lift tickets are currently $60, the lift tickets for Swain are $51. The lift tickets for Hunt Hollow is $40, and the lift tickets for Holiday Valley are $65. In 2011 the lift ticket prices for Bristol were $52, the tickets for Swain were $40 and the tickets, the tickets for Hunt Hollow were $25 and the tickets for Holiday Valley were $45. According to Will, from Holiday Valley they had to raise the prices of lift tickets to be able to make more snow.
Number of Hills Open
According to one of Swain’s workers, Swain was able to open more trails this season than previous seasons because the weather is cooler so the man-made snow will not melt. As of January 18, 2017, Holiday Valley had 81 percent of their trails open, Bristol Mountain had 91 percent of their trails open, Hunt Hollow had 43 percent of their trails open, and Swain had 64 percent of their trails open.
By: Sydney Herman
Over the past few years there has been a lack of snow in Western New York. This has affected popular ski resorts in a negative way.
Some impacts include, the decreased number of workers, an increased percent of money being spent on snowmaking, the average number of hills open, and finally the prices for passes.
Number of Workers
The number of workers working at popular ski resorts such as Swain, Bristol, Holiday Valley and Hunt Hollow have decreased significantly since the 2011 ski season. In the beginning of the 2011 ski season there were a total of 35 workers. In the beginning of the 2016-17 season there were a total of 23 workers. One worker from Swain stated that they could not hire more people due to lack of money to pay them because they had to pay for the water to make snow.
Prices for Passes
The prices for lift tickets has also increased in all four resorts. According to www.Bristolmountain.com the prices for lift tickets are currently $60, the lift tickets for Swain are $51. The lift tickets for Hunt Hollow is $40, and the lift tickets for Holiday Valley are $65. In 2011 the lift ticket prices for Bristol were $52, the tickets for Swain were $40 and the tickets, the tickets for Hunt Hollow were $25 and the tickets for Holiday Valley were $45. According to Will, from Holiday Valley they had to raise the prices of lift tickets to be able to make more snow.
Number of Hills Open
According to one of Swain’s workers, Swain was able to open more trails this season than previous seasons because the weather is cooler so the man-made snow will not melt. As of January 18, 2017, Holiday Valley had 81 percent of their trails open, Bristol Mountain had 91 percent of their trails open, Hunt Hollow had 43 percent of their trails open, and Swain had 64 percent of their trails open.