Schweitzer greets more skiers

by Cameron Rasmusson Staff Writer
| January 4, 2011 6:00 AM

SANDPOINT — Schweitzer Mountain Resort enjoyed a very merry Christmas indeed this holiday season.

Resort officials reported that overall visitation was up 18.9 percent during December and 7.3 percent during the holiday period compared to business averages. Lodging occupancy increased 9.1 percent during the holidays, while rental and retail increased by 8.4 percent. The numbers point toward a substantial tourist presence in addition to solid local turnout.

“We’re really happy with the results from the holidays,” director of sales and marketing Dave Kulis said. “It certainly ranks up there as one of our better holiday seasons.”

Schweitzer officials report favorable weather conditions, an improving economy and the regular trend of increased holiday traffic as the primary contributors to the boost in business.

The snowfall was especially important in the successful start to the season. With resort officials reporting 129 inches of snow so far, the mountain has almost reached half the average season total of 300 inches in a single month.

“The snow condition were very, very good to us this year, with some snowstorms occurring at some key points,” Kulis said. “In this business, Mother Nature can be fickle and have a really negative impact, but so far that’s not been the case.”

With a strong showing for the holiday season in the bag, Kulis has high hopes for other typically busy periods like Martin Luther King weekend in January and the President’s Day holidays in February.

“We’re certainly hoping that the rest of the of the season will go this well,” he said. “The predicted La Niña conditions seem to be accurate, after all.”

Schweitzer’s administrators echo Kulis’ thoughts, citing the resort’s high rate of customer loyalty as a key ingredient for continued success in 2011.

“We remain cautiously optimistic that a slowly-improving economy coupled with guest enthusiasm for Schweitzer will help us maintain this trajectory for the long season ahead,” Schweitzer president and CEO Tom Chasse said in a news release.