Ski days wane
Golf course soon to open
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
From the looks of Dollar Mountain’s dirt-mottled slopes,
it’s apparent that spring has arrived in Sun Valley.
This Saturday will be the last day of operation for Dollar
this season, and only the Quarter Dollar and Half Dollar lifts will
operate until then.
Skiers on Dollar Mountain Tuesday had to
avoid the slope’s fringes, which were mottled with spring dirt. Dollar
is scheduled to close when skiers leave Saturday. Above, lift operator
Milagros Ortega from Peru loads snowboarders on the Quarter Dollar lift. Express
photo by Greg Stahl
This Sunday will be the last day of the season for Seattle
Ridge and the bowls. Beginning April 9, "if possible," says Sun
Valley, the Challenger and Christmas lifts will service Bald Mountain
through the projected end of the Sun Valley ski season, April 15.
"The quality of the snow is deteriorating faster than
we would like," Sun Valley spokesman Jack Sibbach said.
"Therefore, the above operational plan is subject to change due to
the conditions."
Last year, Sibbach said, Bald Mountain closed on April 23,
a week longer than this season is anticipated to last. This season’s
projected closure is pretty remarkable, Sibbach said, considering the
amount of natural snow the resort’s gotten this winter.
This year’s season total snow accumulation on Baldy was
116 inches, according to the resort’s ski report. Last year, the resort
garnered 137 inches, and the 1998/1999 season landed 191 inches. The
typical Sun Valley season garners 165 inches of natural snow.
Sun Valley is reporting a 50-inch base at the top of
Baldy.
"If we had this amount of snow without the
snowmaking, it would really affect the businesses in the valley quite
negatively," Sibbach said.
He compared this winter to the 1976/1977 winter during
which locals sported bumper stickers proclaiming "I Skied Squirrel
and Survived" in response to the thin snow on Baldy. The difference
this year, he said, was the snowmaking.
"People are coming now, even with the lack of natural
snow."
The past week has witnessed a fairly significant drop in
skier visits, probably due to the spring-like weather and deteriorating
snow, he added.
"The numbers are starting to fall about 1,000 skiers
a day [from what they were a month ago]," Sibbach said.
On April 2, Sun Valley will institute spring skiing lift
rates. Additionally, weekend discount card holders are able to use their
discount privileges every day of the week, from now through the end of the
season.
And with the lack of natural snow around the valley, Sun
Valley has announced that it will open the resort’s 18-hole gold course
on April 7, the earliest that it’s ever opened in the resort’s
history.
The driving range is scheduled to open on April 4.
"Spring has come to Sun Valley," Sibbach said.
"This is not going to be a terrific year for Sun Valley, but it’s
going to be a fair year overall."